How to Price With a Straight Face

Here is a strange pattern: the more senior the professional, the more timidly they price their first independent offer. A director who negotiated crore-level contracts for her employer will hesitate to quote fifty thousand for her own advisory. The skill didn't disappear. The employer's brand did — and she was leaning on it more than she knew.

Three anchors help. First, price the outcome, not your hours: if your work saves a client twelve lakhs, a two-lakh fee is cheap, whatever the hour-count says. Second, price for the buyer you actually want: a low price attracts clients who negotiate hardest and respect least — the expensive-to-serve poor. Third, decide your floor before any negotiation, alone, in writing; floors decided during the call always sink.

Expect the wobble: the first three times you say the number aloud, your voice will want to add a discount before the client even responds. Practise saying the number and then stopping. Silence is a pricing tool.

You can always come down with grace. Climbing up from a timid first price is nearly impossible.