Podcast

[Coaching: Maia #9] Raised Rates to $2.6K! Fully Booked Out With New Clients + How To Handle Discount Requests

By Zach Swinehart

Coaching series: Can Zach get this beginner freelancer (Maia) to a 6-figure income ($8,333/mo) within 6 months?

Follow their journey through the ups and downs and watch them grow!

Milestones from today’s episode:

  • Maia is fully booked out with client work from her effective online marketing
  • Raising the rate of her service offering to $2.6K
  • Plans to launch a premium membership service

Coaching highlights from today’s episode:

  • How to create the most impactful testimonials
  • Handling requests for discounts and offering bonuses instead
  • Choosing work that aligns with long-term objectives

Original coaching call recording date: 07/19/2023


Want to get one-on-one coaching from Zach?

The DYF Accelerator community includes weekly live 20-minute one-on-one Zoom coaching with Zach that follows the same format as you saw here.

You’ll also get access to our huge library of all past coaching calls, along with a text-based community and weekly accountability check-ins.

Click here to learn more »


AI-Generated Summary:

  • 0:00 – 2:00 — Zach introduces the podcast series, focusing on coaching freelancers like Maia to reach a six-figure income, and shares Maia’s recent progress.
  • 2:00 – 4:00 — Zach outlines the format of the series, mirroring one-on-one coaching sessions, and invites listeners to join his coaching community.
  • 4:00 – 6:00 — Maia discusses her recent work, including a new two-week service and her strategy to upsell clients to a 90-day plan through a membership model.
  • 6:00 – 8:00 — Maia explains her realization that a specific client, Ana, isn’t her ideal client profile, and refocuses on attracting her preferred client type.
  • 8:00 – 10:00 — Maia and Zach discuss the integration of her various services, with a new focus on the membership model as a sustainable business strategy.
  • 10:00 – 12:00 — Zach cautions Maia about the challenges of building a new membership community and balancing it with her current agency work, using Kim’s situation as a reference.
  • 12:00 – 14:00 — Zach advises Maia on the potential limitations and high maintenance of a low-priced membership site, questioning how it aligns with her larger financial goals.
  • 14:00 – 16:00 — Maia clarifies that the ‘Playground’ membership is a future project, not an immediate priority, and she is currently focusing on achieving high-income months with Basecamp.
  • 16:00 – 18:00 — Zach and Maia discuss the revenue potential and time investment of the membership for her retainer and existing clients.
  • 18:00 – 20:00 — Maia shares a successful soft pitch of her idea and Zach provides feedback on the presentation and targeting of her membership offer, emphasizing the importance of aligning it with client needs.
  • 20:00 – 22:00 — Maia and Zach discuss enhancing client support with personalized care. Zach suggests a focus on the business impact of consistency for Maia’s clients.
  • 22:00 – 24:00 — Zach advises on highlighting the business impacts of Maia’s services, suggesting clearer messaging on her website.
  • 24:00 – 26:00 — Maia considers rebranding her service as “mentorship” for better clarity and value perception, with Zach emphasizing the importance of conveying one-on-one interaction.
  • 26:00 – 28:00 — Zach recommends leveraging scarcity in Maia’s offering by specifying a limited client capacity, and focuses on the importance of immediate business impact in her messaging.
  • 28:00 – 30:00 — Maia and Zach discuss optimizing the sales page’s headline for maximum engagement and the effectiveness of including a results-oriented testimonial.
  • 30:00 – 32:00 — Zach advises Maia on crafting impactful testimonials and cautions against leaving too much to chance.
  • 32:00 – 34:00 — Maia discusses her plan to funnel clients into her membership program, with Zach questioning the idea of offering discounts for her higher-priced services.
  • 34:00 – 36:00 — Zach suggests focusing on adding value rather than discounting services, emphasizing the importance of maintaining perceived value and trust.
  • 36:00 – 38:00 — Maia considers the strategy of adjusting prices to offer discounts, but Zach warns against practices that could erode trust with her audience.
  • 38:00 – 40:00 — Zach and Maia discuss sales strategies, with Zach advising against artificial discounts and recommending value-adding bonuses instead.
  • 40:00 – 42:00 — Zach inquires about Maia’s lead generation progress and confirmed clients for upcoming projects.
  • 42:00 – 44:00 — Maia details her new client commitments and discusses turning down an unqualified lead due to a request for a discount.
  • 44:00 – 46:00 — Maia is fully booked for the near future, having accepted a photography client for a two-week project due to personal interest.
  • 46:00 – 48:00 — Zach questions Maia about her agency goals and if she intends to expand or maintain her current level of client work.
  • 48:00 – 51:16 — Maia shares her plans for the future, including raising prices, refining her portfolio, and focusing on projects that align with her passions.