Pricing, marketing and selling - how does it all fit together?

Pricing, marketing and selling - how does it all fit together?

Author: The Happy Startup School October 7, 2021 Duration: 50:17

Focussing on pricing in isolation isn't going to help you get customers.

If you don't align how you price with how you market you can waste a lot of time selling to the wrong people.

On this episode we talk about how pricing, marketing and selling can fit together and why that's important.

Here's a summary of the points that we cover:

  • pricing well is only one component of getting people to buy from you
  • how do you think about the journey of your customer to you?
  • how clearly do you understand who you’re selling to?
  • don’t waste time selling to skeptics
  • sell to the converted and reserve your energy for the people who are aligned
  • talk about the good feelings and solutions people are looking for not only when you sell but also when you market
  • connect the what of what you do to the good feelings and solutions
  • don’t try to persuade people to do things they don’t want to do
  • understand your customer through dialogue (through useful conversations on social media)
  • selling isn’t a battle of wills with a single winner
  • selling isn’t about needing to be liked
  • recognise that it doesn’t matter how good at selling you are if the person isn’t ready to buy
  • selling to the right people is key to running an effortless business
  • how does our relationship and need for money influence our interaction with customers?
  • the extent we feel the need for money can undermine how we talk about the value of what we do
  • how can the exchange of money be a sign of a commitment to the outcome?
  • always price from the outside in as the most important person in the conversation is the customer and their perspective
  • pricing well is about having a choice about whether you want to work with a customer or not
  • how do some businesses sell the same thing for so much more?
  • timing and context can have an influence on the value of the same product or service
  • value is subjective and when someone buys something from you there are many motivations that influence whether they buy
  • price is an important signal that links to an emotional driver in the buyer
  • how does the love for your work influence its perceived value
  • how do you make sure that you’re not over-pricing or short changing yourself?
  • don’t let your customers benchmark your prices
  • invest your time in understanding your customers motivations to help you define value
  • the lower limit is define by what you need to live the life you want to live
  • most people are worth more than they think and their customers will agree


For freelancers and founders who believe their work has genuine purpose, the conversation around money can feel like the most awkward part of the job. The Happy Pricing Podcast, from The Happy Startup School, steps directly into that discomfort. It operates from a simple, radical premise: pricing shouldn't be a silent calculation of fear or greed, but a clear, confident dialogue about shared value. This isn't about racing to the bottom to please clients or inflating rates to exploit them. Instead, each episode focuses on building the practical capability to have those necessary, often avoided, financial conversations. You'll hear real strategies for articulating your worth in a way that feels authentic, ensuring the exchange is equitable and that you are properly compensated for the impact you create. The discussions move beyond theory into the nuanced reality of running a purpose-driven business, exploring how to structure fees, negotiate with clarity, and ultimately create arrangements where both you and your clients feel good about the investment. Tuning into this podcast means re-framing pricing from a transactional headache into a core component of your professional integrity and happiness. It's for those ready to move past anxiety and into a practice where everyone truly shares in the value being delivered.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 75

The Happy Pricing Podcast
Podcast Episodes
What to Do When People Say You’re Too Expensive [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:55
Understanding your value can help you price more confidently, without being brash. When we understand our target audience and what they need, we can create a perception of value that resonates with them. But we need to b…
Find Your Ideal Client by Telling Your Story [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:23
Storytelling is a powerful tool in marketing and selling. It lets us connect with our audience on a deeper level and create a sense of trust and authenticity. By understanding our own journey and values, as well as those…
How can I put up my prices? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:50
If you’re struggling to charge enough for your work, you're not alone. The solution is simple: raise your prices. It's the easiest way to increase your earnings. But lots of us face resistance and doubt when it comes to…
Playing with pricing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:41
Bringing play and experimentation into pricing can lead to more positive and valuable conversations with clients. Approaching pricing with ease helps us create a space for dialogue, rather than showing up with tension or…
Pricing and positioning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:46
Pricing is not just a number, but a signal that sends messages to customers about the value, safety, and reassurance of what we offer. Positioning plays a crucial role in how pricing is perceived, and it’s important to b…
Should you put your prices on your website? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:51
How comfortable are you talking about money? That, along with what you sell and who you want to sell it to will dictate whether you want to – or should – put prices on your website.As ever, the answer is never black-and-…
How to price well without talking about money [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:24
Pricing well means understanding the value of the work to the customer, and being willing to have open conversations sensitivity. We need to tell a story about the value of the work and the expertise of the person or bus…
How to you remove the guesswork from your pricing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:35
When pricing feels like guesswork, that uncertainty can damage the trust we’re hoping to build with our clients. If we explore the change we’re helping our clients achieve, we can gain a better understanding of what’s im…
Money goals that excite you [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:33
There are four layers of goals: the crazy layer, the control layer, the concrete layer, and the everyday. To work effectively towards a goal you need to break it down into output you can control and create steps you can…