Command The Fees You Deserve with Casey Brown

Why Clients So Often Misunderstand Your Value

One of the first things Casey and I talked about is the simple reality that clients rarely understand your value on their own. They walk into the conversation with assumptions, guesses, past experiences, or inaccurate ideas about what they think they need. And often, they are wrong about all of it.

As Casey explained, buyers, even in B2B environments, make decisions emotionally before they ever justify them logically. When a client does not understand the emotional and strategic cost of leaving the problem unsolved, your price lacks context. It sits there with no meaning attached to it. That is why so many consultants hear phrases like, that feels high or we are not sure this fits our budget.

It is not about the number. It is about the missing context.

Your job is to help them connect the dots between the outcome they desire, the risks of doing nothing, and the transformation that becomes possible when the right work is done. Once a client understands that, your price stops feeling like a cost and starts looking like a decision that protects their goals.

Why Fear Shapes So Many Pricing Decisions

If I asked a room full of consultants how they set their prices, more than half would admit that fear played a role somewhere in that decision. Fear of being too expensive. Fear of losing the deal. Fear of the client choosing someone else. Fear of asking for what they really want.

Casey called this out directly. Most pricing decisions are rooted in fear, not confidence. This is why people discount too quickly, offer too many options, or rush to justify their fees. When fear drives your pricing, you will always undervalue your work.

Confidence in pricing does not come from being loud or aggressive. It comes from clarity. Clarity about the results you create. Clarity about the problems you solve. Clarity about the transformation that is possible when someone works with you. Once you have that clarity, the price becomes an extension of the value, not a reflection of your identity.

The Question You Ask Matter More Than the Expertise You Explain

Something Casey said that struck me deeply was this. Consultants often ask a million brilliant questions once they have been hired, yet they ask almost none of those questions before the proposal. That is a major missed opportunity.

Clients are not moved by technical explanations, processes, or frameworks. They are moved by feeling understood. They are moved by someone who can help them articulate what they want, why they want it, and what will happen if nothing changes.

This is where powerful, curious, grounded questions become your greatest sales tool. Questions like:

Tell me why this matters right now.
What becomes possible if this is solved.
What has this cost you emotionally or professionally.

When you ask questions that reveal the stakes beneath the surface, clients begin to see the value of your work through their own words. That is when your price starts to make sense.

Why Selling Hours Shrinks Both Your Value and Your Income

Casey does not hold back on this point. Selling time caps your earning potential. It also reduces your expertise to a transaction. If you bill by the hour, the faster and more masterful you become, the less you earn. This is the opposite of how a consulting business should work.

Hourly billing also creates a barrier between you and your client. Every conversation becomes a financial decision. Collaboration suffers. Momentum stalls. And worst of all, the client begins focusing on the minutes rather than the transformation.

Your value is not the time you spend. Your value is the outcome you create. That distinction changes everything about pricing.

Be the Guide Instead of the Menu

One of the most practical insights Casey shared is the importance of recommending a single solution. Many consultants present three packages or multiple service levels, thinking it looks flexible. In reality, it creates confusion and weakens your authority.

Clients want clarity. They want leadership. If you are the expert, you should genuinely know which option serves them best. Present that option confidently. If they express concerns about budget or scope, then you can discuss alternatives. Guiding the decision is part of the value you bring.

You Can Be Bold and Still Keep the Door Open

There is a way to stand confidently in your pricing while also honoring the reality that some clients have constraints. Casey offered simple language that communicates confidence without shutting down the relationship.

For example:

My standard fee is X. If this is not aligned with your current resources, let me know and we can explore alternatives.

This kind of language keeps the conversation open, maintains your value, and prevents you from slipping into unnecessary discounting.

Your Mastery Is the Real Product

One of my favorite moments in the conversation was when Casey shared the Picasso story. A woman asked Picasso for a quick sketch, which he completed in minutes. When he quoted his price, she was stunned at the amount for something that took almost no time. His response was simple. It took him a lifetime to create that sketch in five minutes.

That is the heart of value based pricing. You are not being paid for the minutes. You are being paid for the mastery that makes those minutes possible.

Your Worth and Your Value Are Not the Same Thing

During my sabbatical, I learned something that connected beautifully with Casey’s work. Your worth is internal. It lives in your strengths, your gifts, and your calling. It cannot be measured or priced. Your value is external. It lives in the impact of your work and the transformation you help create. And pricing is simply the strategic expression of that value.

Understanding this frees you from tying your identity to the number you put on a proposal. Pricing becomes a tool rather than a test.

If you want clients to pay you more, the answer is not to start with your price. The answer is to start with clarity, confidence, and the courage to guide the conversation. Your clients want transformation. They are looking for someone who can help them understand what is possible and why it matters.

You already have the expertise. Now it is time to shape how clients understand the value of that expertise so your pricing reflects the true impact of your work.

Next Steps

1. Assess your current pricing mindset.
   Take a few minutes to identify the beliefs, assumptions, and fears that shape how you price your services. Notice where you may be undervaluing your expertise.

2. Practice value-focused discovery questions.
   Select two or three questions from Casey’s approach that help uncover a client’s deeper goals and emotional drivers. Use them in your next sales conversation to strengthen clarity and confidence.

3. Reach out to me if you want support.
   If you’re ready to explore these ideas more deeply, you can schedule a call with me. We’ll get to the bottom of what you really need and determine the best first step for strategic support. Book a call. Explore how to work with me.

Other posts you may enjoy:

• Should You Switch Your Consulting or Coaching Niche? How I Helped Brad Johnson Find Clarity
• How to Get Your Business Mojo Back When You Feel Out of Alignment
• The Brand Messaging Process Consultants Need for Clarity and Confidence

About the guest: Casey helps leaders, entrepreneurs, and sellers discover their true pricing power—and watch their profits rise as a result. Casey’s expertise has helped thousands of companies generate over $1 billion in incremental profits by demystifying customer tactics and arming sellers with practical, ready-to-implement steps to negotiate with courage, price with confidence, and make more money. Her TED talk has been viewed nearly 4 million times.

About me: Betsy Jordyn is a brand messaging strategist and business mentor for purpose-driven consultants and coaches. With a background in organizational development—including a consulting career with Disney—she helps experts clarify their unique value, position themselves strategically, and build businesses that deliver impact, income, and personal fulfillment. Connect with Betsy Jordyn to clarify your message, elevate your brand, and attract the clients you're meant to serve. Start here → https://www.betsyjordyn.com/services