2.1 Hours, packages, projects, retainers

The same hour of your time can be sold four ways. Which way you choose changes what the client is buying, and how easy it is for them to say yes.

The first is an hour. One conversation, one price. $180 for fifty minutes, in the coaching setup we use as the example. It suits somebody with one question, and it’s the easiest thing to try.

The second is a package. Several sessions, bought together, used within a set time. Six for $960, used within four months. It suits a change that takes repetition. The client is buying commitment, and they pay a little less for each session because of it.

The third is a project. A thing with an end: a brand, a report, a website. You don’t sell hours at all. You sell the result, at one price. $5,000, half up front, in the creative example.

The fourth is a retainer. You, on hand, every month. Two sessions and notes for $480 a month. It suits the client who’d miss you if you weren’t there.

So how do you choose? Ask what the client is really buying.

If they’d be happy to stop after one meeting, it’s an hour. If the change needs practice, it’s a package. If they’d describe it as a thing they’ll have at the end, it’s a project. If they want you around, it’s a retainer.

Most practices need two of the four, not all of them. An hour to start, and one bigger shape for the people who come back.

The next lesson gives you three questions that sort any offer into its shape.