Hey there,
A few nights ago I got an email from someone who’d been following my work for a while.
Her business had taken a real fall over 2025. Her leads had disappeared, along with her revenue. Something had to change.
She had found my work a few months earlier, came to one of my masterclasses, and saw why her fractional services weren’t landing as sharply as they could. The gaps felt obvious now.
She left energized, clearer than she’d been in months, and ready to rebuild. And as much as she wanted to work with me directly, her financial situation didn’t give her that option.
So she did what any of us would’ve done in that moment. She spent the next couple of months working on her own business, trying to move things forward with the tools she had. I remember (many) seasons like that in my own journey. They take every ounce of effort you’ve got.
When she reached out again earlier this week, she was in an even tougher spot.
Revenue still hadn’t recovered. But now, the stress had compounded. Her offers still felt loose - the sales calls and conversions just hadn’t come.
Out of respect for my work, she asked if I could deliver a smaller, lower-cost version of the work I do. Her request came from a place of sincerity and humility, and I treated it that way.
I let her message sit overnight.
I’ve been in her same place - knowing exactly what was broken and what I could invest in to fix it, but not having enough left in the tank to pay for it.
By morning, the path was clear…
Compressing a system that works doesn’t serve anyone. You lose the structure that makes the outcomes possible. And your client loses the confidence that comes with being fully supported. Both sides start improvising, and the emotional weight builds fast.
Your client feels pressure to stretch their investment - which was still significant in their eyes. And you feel pressure to deliver the full experience on a fraction of the resources. The work grows heavy in ways you never intended.
So I chose something much cleaner. I told her that we’d throw out all of my systems, and just dive right in together.
I told her it would be messy. That we’d work in fits and spurts. And I told her that it would be 100% free.
This is the part about pricing services that doesn’t get talked about enough.
Full price honors the system you’ve built and refined over countless hours. While free honors the person in front of you - especially when they’re doing everything they can to stay afloat. Everything in between is where regret and resentment fester.
Discounting blurs expectations
Discounting adds pressure
Discounting weakens your best work
Not to mention, discounting is relative. What feels generous to you feels shruggable to a client on tough times.
Full price brings the entire system. Free keeps the relationship grounded.
Clean pricing is less about rigidity and more about stewardship. It strengthens your work, protects your energy, and respects the realities your clients are navigating.
When someone is ready for the full experience, full price delivers it. When someone is in a low season and still fighting, generosity - without expectations - becomes the bridge that puts them back in the game.
Your takeaways
Full price or free keeps your work strong and your relationships healthy. Don’t get lost in the middle.
Think back to the last time you discounted your services and identify the moment the engagement began to feel misaligned. That moment is your signal for how to handle it next time.
See ya next Sunday 🤘🏼
Jay Melone
P.S. My friend, Caro, put together a guide to help you stop losing prospects right before they’re about to convert. It’s for B2B SaaS, but has crossover to B2B Services.
P.P.S. Here’s the masterclass that the business owner in today’s story joined.
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