One of my Consistent Clients Mastermind clients was once really struggling to charge for her coaching. There I was on a call with a brilliant individual who has so much to offer but didn't want to charge for it.

In her eyes, I could see the 2017 version of me. The one that was hesitant to get into the coaching space. In my mind, clients were struggling victims, which made it unfair to charge them. My coach at the time helped me see things differently. That charging for coaching gives the client the opportunity to step into their power. Money creates an equal exchange of energy between the coach and the client. Allowing for the coach to feel valued while the client gets what they need.

This argument worked for me, but it didn't work for my client. Since my coaching is intuitive, I could feel that it wasn't limiting beliefs holding her back. She needed a different approach. That's when the idea of alternative and accessible coaching structures came to me. It was beautiful to see her face light up when I presented the idea.

This was what was missing for her. The idea of accessible pricing gave her the confidence to start charging. The problem was that she didn't want to restrict access to her expertise. Especially not from those who are less privileged.

There isn't much information out there about alternative payment methods. This is why I am writing this blog post. As mentioned in my previous blog post on alternative pricing, this is not for everyone. If you feel called to do it, go for it!

The premise of all this is making the same thing accessible to more people through pricing. What you'll notice is that they are pretty similar. Though there are definitely differences to make one choose one above the other.

If you do have questions after this, join the Business Coaching for Lady Coaches group. 

It's where you will be able to ask me any type of questions related to this subject. Simply by creating a new post in the group.

1. Sliding scale pricing

Sliding scale is a way to provide the same service at different prices based on people's needs. Some service providers calculate the sliding scale price for a client based on their income.

Mostly how I've seen it done online is where the client gets to choose what they pay from a few options of prices. In some cases, the coach will specify who each option is for. Like the BIPOC community, single moms, those with a disabled body, etc, etc.

For a while, this was the alternative payment system that I chose to offer for my Lady Coach Lounge members. Instead of Sliding Scale, I named it Sisterhood Community Pricing. That name felt more aligned with what the Lady Coach Lounge offers.

2. Donation Based or Pro Bono pricing

The basis of this pricing model is allowing someone to experience coaching, then giving what they feel it's worth. From my experience, it's important to explain how this works before someone signs up. Just because they can join without payment, does not mean that you do not expect any payment from them. One must be clear from the jump on what they expect from every person participating.

An example of donation-based coaching is The Reconnection. A combo of Breathwork and Group Coaching to help lady coaches reconnect to their purpose, their service, and their power.

3. Pay what you can (PWYC)

Pay what you can or PWYC is a bit different than donation-based. In the sense that the client knows that they're not paying the full price. Instead, they're offering what they can. Like with the donation-based/pro bono pricing, it's important to be clear on what Pay What You Can mean.

4. Ladder Coaching

This is actually a term that I came up with. Back in 2019, I offered a program called the Ladder Coaching Program. Where clients could sign up to receive coaching for a very low fee. As a business coach, I would help them make more money in their business. Based on what they earned, a percentage went back into their coaching. I've also seen it referred to as Percentage Pricing.

5. Scholarships (full or partial)

Most people are familiar with scholarships. Either they've received one or someone they know has. Bringing this concept to coaching is simple. Have those that qualify go through an application process to get a scholarship.

One can get as creative as one wants with the scholarship process. Think of it as an opportunity to either get feedback or get more content to promote your offer. Things like a video entry for why they want to join the program. Another idea could be a question on the application asking how your (free) work has changed their life. The answers can make for very impactful marketing content.

Scholarships don't always need to be full-ride scholarships. It could be that when someone applies they get a discount. This makes an offer accessible while still making sure that the client is investing in the offer. Offering a partial scholarship can also make room to offer more scholarships.

6. Location-Based Pricing

Location-based pricing is about offering different prices to people from different countries. As mentioned in Pricing Coaching Alternatively Makes Room for More Diversity, this is what the missionary organization that I worked with offered.

Wes Bos calls this form of pricing PPP (Parity Purchasing Power) Discounts. He has some valid reasons why he offers this sort of pricing.

Of all the options, I find Location-Based Pricing the most difficult to put in place and keep fair. Because the wealthiest countries, also have poverty. And impoverished countries also have wealthy folks.

From research, I've encountered this article by Chris Fernandi. In it, Chris shares how he coded his site to detect where someone is purchasing from. That way, he could show different pricing for his courses based on the location of the sale. That's definitely the most ideal way to go about it.

So what about those who don't have the coding capabilities? Offering coupon codes will suffice.

You might also like: Pricing Coaching Alternatively Makes Room for More Diversity

The honor system

It might already be clear that there is a degree of trust involved in all these pricing structures. There's no way to make sure that everyone is actually being truthful when purchasing. This is where the honor system will come into play. As long as the coach feels compensated, it's ok to use the honor system. If at any point you as the coach feel like, some extra rules need to be applied, do it.

Alternative + accessible pricing is not a shortcut

Making pricing more accessible does not replace the need for a strategy to attract clients. Offering different pricing structures does not mean that people will buy. Just like lowering your price does not mean people will invest with you. So you might as well charge what you want.

When considering introducing these structures, make sure they're in alignment with your way of doing business. At the end of the day to build your business your way, you must know what your way is!

For more on how to calculate the worth of your coaching, check out the coaching package pricing calculator.

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