7 Lessons That Helped Me Quit Discounting and Start Closing $5K Clients

1. That Time I Discounted Myself Into a Corner

I once knocked 20% off my own consulting fee because a client said, “We love you, but the budget’s tight.”

Cue me smiling on the call, hanging up, then immediately yelling at my coffee mug.

You ever do that? You cave, you rationalize (“It’ll lead to more work!”), and you end up teaching your buyer that your price is optional.

I learned the hard way that when you start discounting, you’re not just slicing margin, you’re slicing credibility.

Clients remember the lower price, not the favor.

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2. Why Discounting Feels Good (but Wrecks You)

Discounting is dopamine. Someone hesitates, you say, “I could knock a bit off,” and boom, they say yes. Instant validation.

But here’s the hangover:

• It trains people to wait for the sale.
• It kills your ability to invest in delivery (because now you’re running on fumes).
• It attracts bargain hunters instead of believers.

The truth? You can’t sell value not price if you keep using discounts as your main lever.

Value isn’t louder because it’s cheaper; it’s louder because it matters.

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3. The Mind Flip: Reframe the Ask

When someone says, “Can you lower the price?” don’t get defensive. Get curious.

Try this line, my personal favorite:

“Do you want me to lower the results too, or keep the full outcome?”

That question does three beautiful things:

• It flips focus from cost to consequence.
• It positions you as a results partner, not a vendor.
• It silently communicates: “This is serious work, not a garage sale.”

People don’t buy coaching, consulting, or CFO services because they want hours — they buy because they want outcomes. Keep the spotlight there.

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4. Offer Structure, Not a Haircut

There’s a difference between flexibility and desperation.

If someone’s truly strapped, you can reshape your offer without devaluing it.

Here are a few tricks I’ve used (and seen top operators use):

• Phased starts: Begin with a diagnostic or first sprint instead of the full retainer.
• Tighter scopes: Focus on one high-impact problem.
• Bundles or bonuses: Add value instead of removing price.

In product-based businesses, same principle:

• Use bundles, “subscribe & save,” or buy-one-get-one promos instead of raw discounts.
• You still signal abundance, not clearance.

When you protect your rate, you protect the perception of your expertise.

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5. Anchor ROI Before You Talk Fees

Another habit that changed everything for me: quantify the upside before quoting anything.

Ask questions like:

• “If we solved this, what would that add in monthly profit?”
• “How much time (or payroll) would that free up?”
• “What’s the cost of staying stuck?”

Now your price is framed against the value you’ll create, not floating in a vacuum.

And if they won’t share numbers? Walk. They’re shopping for cost, not outcomes.

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6. A Quick Detour: The eCommerce Example

An eCommerce brand I advised last year sold high-end skincare. Gorgeous product, decent traffic — but they were addicted to discount codes. Every holiday, every “slow week,” another 20% off.

Revenue looked okay, but profit? Tanking.

We ran a test: instead of discounts, we launched a “Skin Reset Bundle” — same items, full price, but positioned as a 30-day transformation kit with a free mini-course on skincare routines.

Result? Conversion rate stayed the same. Repeat purchase rate increased by 18%.

Why? Because the bundle sold a result (“glow in 30 days”) instead of a markdown.

That’s the magic of value-based selling in action. Whether you’re a coach, a fractional CFO, or a DTC founder, it’s the same psychology. People crave transformation, not transaction.

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7. Wrapping Up — and How Profit Surge Group Helps Fractional CFOs

If you take one thing from this little rant, let it be this: discounting isn’t generosity, it’s leakage.

Every time you cut price instead of clarifying value, you shrink the space between you and mediocrity.

Start small:

• Reframe the ask.
• Offer structure, not a haircut.
• Anchor ROI before you quote.

Do that consistently and you’ll retrain your buyers — and yourself — to sell value, not price.

Oh, and if this hit a nerve (or a margin), that’s literally what we help people fix at Profit Surge Group.

We work with fractional CFOs who want to stop chasing low-margin clients and start commanding premium pricing through better positioning, packaging, and profit strategy.

We don’t just talk numbers; we build models that make premium pricing inevitable.

If you’re tired of defending your rate like it’s a courtroom drama — come see how we help you sell value, not price.

(No discounts included. Promise.)