The Mindset Shift That Will Change the Way You Price Your Work with John Ray | RR342
No matter what time of year it is, it’s always worth checking in with a big question:
Am I really charging what I’m worth?
That’s why I’m bringing back this standout conversation with John Ray—business advisor, pricing strategist, and author of The Generosity Mindset. John breaks down the emotional side of pricing, how generosity and confidence go hand-in-hand, and why most of us are selling ourselves short—sometimes without even realizing it.
If you’re a coach, consultant, or service-based business owner who struggles with pricing, value conversations, or feeling awkward about “selling,” this episode will change the way you think—and charge—for your work.
Let’s revisit this insightful episode with John Ray.
Most people undercharge not because they’re greedy, but because they underestimate their true value.
I had such an eye-opening conversation with John Ray—business advisor, pricing strategist, and author of The Generosity Mindset. We talked about why pricing is way more emotional than most people admit, and how confidence, perceived value, and intentional generosity all shape the way your business grows. John breaks down the common pricing traps entrepreneurs fall into (like hourly billing or selling from your own wallet), and how asking better questions can shift everything about how you show up and get paid.
Whether you are a coach, consultant, or creative service provider, this episode will make you think differently about how you price your work and position your value. John's generous insights (true to his brand!) help you feel more confident charging what you're worth—and building relationships that actually last.
Highlights:
- Why your clients usually see more value in you than you see in yourself.
- How generosity, when done with intention, leads to better pricing and deeper trust.
- A new way to think about pricing based on transformation, not time.
- What it really means to have a “value conversation” with clients.
- Simple mindset shifts that make selling feel less awkward and more authentic.
Connect with John:
Website: https://www.johnray.co/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnray1/
Podcast: https://www.johnray.co/podcast-price-and-value-journey
In appreciation for being here, I have some gifts for you:
A LinkedIn Checklist for setting up your fully optimized Profile:
An opportunity to test drive the Follow Up system I recommend by checking this presentation page - you won’t regret it.
AND … Don’t forget to connect with me on LinkedIn and be eligible for my complimentary LinkedIn profile audit – I do one each month for a lucky listener!
Connect with me:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/janiceporter/
https://www.facebook.com/janiceporter1
https://www.instagram.com/socjanice/
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John, Hello everyone, and welcome back to
Janice Porter:relationships rule, where we explore how authentic human
Janice Porter:connection is the key in thriving business. Today's guest
Janice Porter:John Ray is someone whose work truly resonates with my own core
Janice Porter:belief that relationships come first. John is a pricing
Janice Porter:strategist, a business advisor and author of this amazing book,
Janice Porter:The generosity mindset. He's also the host of the price and
Janice Porter:value Journey podcast on which I was a guest last week and had so
Janice Porter:much fun. In this episode, we're going to look at how generosity,
Janice Porter:when it's sincere and strategic, can be a powerful force for
Janice Porter:building trust, creating impact and growing a sustainable
Janice Porter:service based business. Whether you're a solo consultant, coach
Janice Porter:or small firm professional, I think you're going to love what
Janice Porter:we're talking about today. So welcome to the show.
John Ray:John Janice, it's a pleasure. Thank you so much for
John Ray:having me. Thanks also for coming on my show, you were
John Ray:fantastic, wow.
Janice Porter:Well, it was fun, and I really enjoyed it. I came
Janice Porter:off that interview on a high because you're a great
Janice Porter:interviewer, and I learned in your book that you like whatever
Janice Porter:his name was, Ken. Was it the guy that bought the Remington
Janice Porter:company? You bought the company and became a podcast host,
Janice Porter:right?
John Ray:You know, loved it. So much about the company, yeah,
John Ray:it's kind of my story on podcasting, right?
Janice Porter:And you but I thought I was pretty proud of
Janice Porter:300 episodes. You've done? How many 100 episodes? A couple of
Janice Porter:1000, I think,
John Ray:well, I've, I've done as a host, I've done around 1200
John Ray:or so. I don't know the exact number, but it's around 1200 or
John Ray:so. But now, when you get to 300 episodes, you're a champion. So
John Ray:congratulations on that.
Janice Porter:Oh yeah, no, I wasn't looking for that. I was
Janice Porter:just pretty impressed with what you do, and you did such a great
Janice Porter:job as well. Okay, I'd like to dig into this book, because I
Janice Porter:really enjoyed reading it. And I think it's, it's, there's a lot
Janice Porter:of lessons in it for small business owners and
Janice Porter:entrepreneurs that that I was reading, going, Oh yeah, that
Janice Porter:makes so much sense. And I also, I think what made it easy for
Janice Porter:me, and what I loved reading were the stories. I love the
Janice Porter:stories. And you know, that's the whole thing, right? If
Janice Porter:people can, can identify it with the stories, then it sinks in a
Janice Porter:little bit better. So first of all, I think you were in
Janice Porter:corporate, right? For many, many years, yes, yes, as most of us
Janice Porter:were. And then leave corporate and and some of us thrive, and
Janice Porter:some of us struggle for a while. And I had a guest on my show
Janice Porter:actually just went live today. Yes, today, yesterday, David
Janice Porter:Shriner con and he talks about corporate refugees and how he
Janice Porter:helps them succeed in business. And so, you know, a lot of us
Janice Porter:are corporate refugees and and trying to figure it out. So you
Janice Porter:must have figured it out early, if you then turn to helping
Janice Porter:other service providers. So what? What was it for you? Did
Janice Porter:you know when you left corporate this is what you were going to
Janice Porter:do? Or did you have a little struggle a long way.
John Ray:Oh, thank you for giving me so much credit, like I
John Ray:knew what I was doing. I'm so grateful for that. I'm hiring
John Ray:you as my PR person. Okay, no, no, of course not. You know, I
John Ray:had my struggles and and, I mean, I had, you know, there was
John Ray:a lot, like a lot of people, that are in corporate, there was
John Ray:a lot that I was perfectly suited to do, and I've always
John Ray:had a mindset around relationships and the importance
John Ray:of relationships, but that becomes a lot sharper for you
John Ray:when you're out on your own, in your own business, and you're
John Ray:having to, you know, is the old saying goes, eat what you kill.
John Ray:You know, there's, there's that piece of it. And let me tell you
John Ray:where my nose really got bloodied. It was, it was in
John Ray:pricing, yeah. So, you know, I've got all the T shirts, I've
John Ray:got all I've made all the mistakes. And here's what I
John Ray:learned, is that what I saw is my own problems with this, and
John Ray:what I also saw is my clients that had problems with pricing,
John Ray:and that made me passionate about it. And I got really
John Ray:passionate about it as I dug into it and realized there's not
John Ray:a lot of places for a business owner to to solve that problem.
John Ray:So if you for example, this is just one vignette the book,
John Ray:small. Business for dummies. I hate the title, yeah, but, but
John Ray:it's got 250 pages, and a grand total of four and a half of
John Ray:those 250 pages is devoted to pricing. Wow, yes, says it all.
John Ray:And it's that those four four pages are written at about
John Ray:80,000 feet. I mean, there's not much with what's there. So the
John Ray:point is, is that there's, like, no place to go, Yeah, and so
John Ray:that's, that's what got me passionate about it. And I just
John Ray:saw so many people struggling. And eventually, of course, as I
John Ray:got into it, it ultimately led to the book,
Janice Porter:yeah, I was just gonna say, when did you write
Janice Porter:this book? Well, it
John Ray:was released at the end of 2023,
Janice Porter:okay, okay, so it was a covid project, possibly,
John Ray:no, no, no. It was, you know what it was? Well, it
John Ray:was kind of a covid project, you might say, in a way. You know, a
John Ray:lot of us came out of covid saying all those things that we
John Ray:think we need to do, that we boxes, we need to check. It's
John Ray:really time to get get at it. And that was what this was for
John Ray:me, is, hey, this is time to get at it. Sure.
Janice Porter:Okay. So we met on LinkedIn, which I love, and
Janice Porter:what attracted me to read further was the picture of your
Janice Porter:book in the banner on LinkedIn, because I love the title, the
Janice Porter:generosity mindset, a journey to business success by raising your
Janice Porter:confidence value and prices. So let's start there, confidence
Janice Porter:and value first, and then pricing. Okay? Because the
Janice Porter:biggest aha for me was that value conversation. So can you
Janice Porter:just sort of save with the big let's start with the big
Janice Porter:picture. What does this mean to you and the generosity mindset?
Janice Porter:And let's, let's just start there.
John Ray:Yeah, sure. So it's a bit counter intuitive, is it
John Ray:not? I mean that that generosity, that generosity
John Ray:leads to better pricing. Yeah, yeah, right. And I guess that
John Ray:that helps me dispense of one misconception right off the bat
John Ray:is we're not talking about giving anything away, per se?
John Ray:Well, yeah, sure, you can be strategic in the things that you
John Ray:do for others, but what we're talking about here is getting
John Ray:out of your own head and and serving others first and being
John Ray:generous using a much broader definition of that word, look
John Ray:out for others first. What? What are their needs, hopes, wants,
John Ray:desires, fears that you can help them with, regardless of whether
John Ray:that benefits you in the short run or not.
Janice Porter:And, right? Yeah, yeah, totally agree.
John Ray:Yeah, right. And if you're known as that person, and
John Ray:if you follow this falsely, by the way, you will be that
John Ray:person. Because the truth of the matter is, there's not a lot of
John Ray:competition on the relationship Street.
Janice Porter:It's strange, but true, right? Yes, right,
John Ray:despite all your efforts, after three in her
John Ray:podcast, the Janice that, you know, there's just not a lot of
John Ray:people that really do it. No, there's a lot of people that say
John Ray:they're do it. But if you really do it, you're known for being a
John Ray:connector. You're known for being a person that looks out
John Ray:for other people. And what that does is it brings people back to
John Ray:you. The universe wants to help you,
Janice Porter:reciprocity, right? The Law
John Ray:of Reciprocity? Yeah, exactly.
Janice Porter:And it's funny, because, as you know, I'm
Janice Porter:involved with a greeting card company that has been part of my
Janice Porter:world for 16 years now, and that's just, we preach that all
Janice Porter:the time. It's like, send out to give. Don't send out to get
Janice Porter:because you send out to give, you don't know the universe will
Janice Porter:come back 1010, fold, and it won't necessarily be from that
Janice Porter:same person. So that's the philosophy that I've, I've sort
Janice Porter:of looked at for free, or actually not looked at but, but
Janice Porter:walk that walk for this many years. So in the in the first
Janice Porter:part of your book, and when you're talking about value, the
Janice Porter:value that that you have, the sorry, that your value for for
Janice Porter:your what you do, and for who you are. It's not necessarily
Janice Porter:the same as how you're perceived. It's perceived value.
Janice Porter:And that's huge, because I realized when I was reading this
Janice Porter:that sometimes when I'm talking to a prospect, and I'll admit
Janice Porter:it, I've been doing this for a long time, but there are times
Janice Porter:when you go, oops, I shouldn't have. In that, or I did it the
Janice Porter:wrong way, or whatever is never perfect. And when it comes to
Janice Porter:talking about, you know, yourself, or about getting
Janice Porter:business and or talking those, you know, pricing, all of that
Janice Porter:stuff, we forget that it who cares about me? It's what they
Janice Porter:see and what they want to have happen. And if I don't as the if
Janice Porter:they're my prospect and I don't understand that, then I'm not
Janice Porter:going to get anywhere, and I'm not going to satisfy them. So
Janice Porter:how do you, how do you can you teach that like or is it innate?
Janice Porter:I mean, that's the thing.
John Ray:Well, for some people, it is innate, but here's here's
John Ray:what we've and you're a teacher, so you'll get this immediately.
John Ray:We are taught in a way as we're coming up that works against us.
John Ray:It teaches us skills and it teaches us whatever craft we
John Ray:have, but we are taught we're supposed to have the right
John Ray:answer. We're not taught how to ask questions, right? We're
John Ray:taught to give answers. And the idea here is to get skilled in
John Ray:asking questions. Bingo, to be use the word you use a lot to be
John Ray:curious, to ask questions, to learn where people's heads are,
John Ray:and not just ask a question, but follow up on that question,
John Ray:right? And so that's the skill we have to develop, and that is,
John Ray:yeah, I think it is innate for some people, but I think for a
John Ray:lot of us who are particularly in the professional services
John Ray:business, where we've got a particular expertise that we're
John Ray:drilled on, and we've done the work for years, and we know the
John Ray:answers. For a lot of people, we're just used to spouting
John Ray:those out. And what I'm suggesting is to pump the
John Ray:brakes, and let's get into the head of our clients. And what we
John Ray:will find if we do that is we will find that they see value in
John Ray:us, that we don't see ourselves.
Janice Porter:And that is okay say that Anne, they see value in
Janice Porter:us, that we don't see ourselves, correct, correct. So give me an
Janice Porter:example of that, please. Yeah.
John Ray:It's huge, yeah. So for example, when we start
John Ray:asking questions like, well, let me tell you a story. Maybe
John Ray:that's a way to get at this. So, yeah, so I was with a client.
John Ray:This may be in the book. I can't remember I put this in the book
John Ray:or not, but I was with a client who I had been referred to. And
John Ray:he's going on and on about all the great things that are going
John Ray:on in his business. And, you know, after a while, I'm
John Ray:thinking, I marked this page. Oh, you did. Okay, good. Yeah,
John Ray:I'm glad that's in there. Yeah, he went on and on about how
John Ray:wonderful everything was, and I'm thinking, why did I get
John Ray:referred to this person? Right? What's the problem here? Well,
John Ray:his spouse came in the room, and we did the introductions, and
John Ray:when she found out who I was, she was like, Oh my gosh, thank
John Ray:you so much for being here. Like we need you so badly. And she
John Ray:just proceeded to, like, the truth blew in the room. I mean,
John Ray:right? And so the the his problem was not just with the
John Ray:business and all the things that I found out ultimately in the
John Ray:conversation, his problem was the spouse. She wasn't happy.
John Ray:And so I wasn't there just to solve his business problems or
John Ray:walk him through that. I was there to help a relationship
John Ray:that was frayed because of this business. Yeah. Wow. And so now,
John Ray:when you start talking about that, that value is enormous.
John Ray:Yes, I hear and you see, if we don't ask the question,
John Ray:questions, like, in a discovery call with a client, if we're not
John Ray:asking questions like, well, you know, how does your spouse feel
John Ray:about all this? See, then we don't find these things out,
John Ray:yeah, and we don't find out where clients see value, and
John Ray:what we do if we get there, what we'll see is they see much, much
John Ray:more value than we see ourselves, and because all we're
John Ray:looking at is the job, right, right? That uses our skills, not
John Ray:the outcome. Problems that come out of the transformation that
John Ray:we bring
Janice Porter:and in what you just described is having the the
Janice Porter:skill as well. I have to call it a skill of being a really,
Janice Porter:really good listener. We know we have to know how to ask the
Janice Porter:right questions, which takes curiosity, I believe that we
Janice Porter:have to do that. And then it's about asking, and then it's
Janice Porter:about listening, and really listening. And I already today
Janice Porter:heard you say a couple of things about me that, and we don't know
Janice Porter:each other that well. We've had maybe three conversations, but
Janice Porter:you have come back to me with I know you're curious person,
Janice Porter:Janice, so you've done your homework, and you know I'm a
Janice Porter:teacher, and you know you've said these things to me that
Janice Porter:make me notice that you've paid attention. So those things are
Janice Porter:important in having that conversation, to think he
Janice Porter:understands me. He knows where I'm coming from. And so I think
Janice Porter:the questions and the listening skills are super huge. So how do
Janice Porter:you then show that you well, because you go from the value
Janice Porter:conversation where they spill their beans here, and in this
Janice Porter:example you've given and now you've got to bring it around to
Janice Porter:how you can help them that will not just help the business, but
Janice Porter:everything else. So is that in the same conversation? Is it?
Janice Porter:Does money get talked about in that conversation?
John Ray:Yeah, that's a great question. So it depends on the
John Ray:client. What I would say, as a general proposition is your
John Ray:ability to price is either constrained or enabled by the
John Ray:depth of the value conversation that you're willing to have with
John Ray:a client. And sometimes that value conversation is a couple
John Ray:of conversations, maybe even more, that you have over time.
John Ray:If it's a client, a current client, you're always having a
John Ray:value conversation, I think, is it's ongoing. Is, you know,
John Ray:because you're checking in to see where the client sees value
John Ray:in the whatever transformation you're helping to enable. So
John Ray:that's, I think, it really depends on your willingness to
John Ray:have the conversation. But then, of course, some clients are
John Ray:impatient, right? They want to get to what the bottom line is,
John Ray:what the pricing is, and that kind of thing. And you can be
John Ray:herded into that because you kind of want to get there too.
John Ray:You want to start talking about what the scope is and all that
John Ray:kind of stuff. So it really there's some conversational
John Ray:muscle that we have to develop here, and it takes some
John Ray:practice. This is why I call them. One reason I call my
John Ray:podcast the price and value journey. It's a journey we're
John Ray:learning these things, right?
Janice Porter:Yes, true. True. Knowing when to speak price and
Janice Porter:when to when is the right time or not. Sometimes, though, they
Janice Porter:come in at the beginning, and you talk about this in the book
Janice Porter:as well, and they say, So, how much do you How much do you
Janice Porter:charge? And you don't even know them, and you know that, right?
Janice Porter:So you have a great answer for that. I think you already used
Janice Porter:it once. It depends, right?
John Ray:Well, yeah. I mean, if I understand your your interest
John Ray:in that, it here's the deal. All my clients are a little
John Ray:different, and they have different needs and and
John Ray:concerns, and we need to have a conversation about your
John Ray:business, and first of all, even just to decide whether I'm the
John Ray:right fit, because I may not be the right fit, yeah, and if I'm
John Ray:not, I'll find a good place to refer you, but it requires a
John Ray:conversation and and, And so that I can help you understand,
John Ray:like, what, what the best prescription is, I guess, for
John Ray:your business, and then the pricing comes out of that.
Janice Porter:So with the type of clients that you work with,
Janice Porter:are some of them in businesses where they're kind of in and out
Janice Porter:with clients, like maybe they do, you know, a few hours work
Janice Porter:for them, and then they could be done. So because I feel
Janice Porter:sometimes that the work that I do is is just a blip along the
Janice Porter:way for these people to get them. You know, say looking
Janice Porter:better and and using LinkedIn more effectively because they
Janice Porter:don't really know how to use it. But I think sometimes it takes
Janice Porter:more time, or could take more time than it does, because they
Janice Porter:go as I have done in the past, where I've spent money on
Janice Porter:something to learn a system or something, and then I don't go
Janice Porter:back for the follow ups or the, you know, the the extra classes,
Janice Porter:because I think I know what I'm doing and I don't. So how do you
Janice Porter:think there's, there's opportunity there that, and how
Janice Porter:would you go back to that opportunity so that you are
Janice Porter:making those clients more long lasting clients, and therefore
Janice Porter:better at being referral partners for you, possibly,
John Ray:yeah, that's a great question. So there are some
John Ray:service providers who have short term engagements, and part of
John Ray:what I think you have to develop is staged work for clients. So
John Ray:what I mean by that is and develop options around those
John Ray:Okay, so that's another thing I talk about in the book, is just
John Ray:the power of options. You know, using a good, better, best
John Ray:model. I love that, yeah. So what you can do is you can take
John Ray:that, that model of of your the journey you take clients through
John Ray:and in your business, is a great example where you can do a
John Ray:profile overhaul, but that only takes them so far on LinkedIn,
John Ray:right? But there are some other things that you can do, which in
John Ray:terms of helping them learn how to connect, build their network,
John Ray:that kind of thing, right? And then there's, you know, how do
John Ray:you know what to post? How do you do that? How you know? How
John Ray:do you create content that's that's resonant, right? How do
John Ray:you make comments that help build your network? I mean, so
John Ray:this is something a lot deeper, right, we've just described a
John Ray:good, better, best model right there. And so what you can
John Ray:simply do is create a model that has these three options. And the
John Ray:good is for folks that are just getting their sea legs on
John Ray:LinkedIn, you might say or have ignored it for quite some time,
John Ray:right? They're just not ready to take the full punch, right? But
John Ray:what happens is, is that you've those good clients, the ones
John Ray:that you've done that profile overhaul for, they're sitting
John Ray:there waiting, yes, to the next level, whenever they're ready.
John Ray:Yes. And given your skills at relationship tending, shall we
John Ray:say, you're going to be following up with them in a in a
John Ray:non salesy, elegant way to say, hey, hey, not bugging you. Just
John Ray:hear when you're ready.
Janice Porter:Yeah, yeah. It's good to say that it's good
Janice Porter:because I have the good, better best i It's always good for it
Janice Porter:can always be overhauled. It can always be tweaked. But I think
Janice Porter:I'm just like everybody else. I think I'm leaving money on the
Janice Porter:table. I think I need to, you know, there's only so much time
Janice Porter:in the day. And it's funny I say that I just, I'm going into a
Janice Porter:weekend this weekend, where we're looking after my
Janice Porter:granddaughter, who's five, and my daughter told me last night
Janice Porter:that she went she woke up at 230 in the morning last night, never
Janice Porter:went back to bed. And I'm like, seriously, this child doesn't
Janice Porter:sleep, yeah, so I'm thinking about time in the day. It's time
Janice Porter:in the night as well, right? Anyway, no, this is all good.
Janice Porter:This is all good.
John Ray:So Well, let me, let me make one other suggestion, if
John Ray:I can, is that this is what you what you're developing here is
John Ray:something that you're agnostic on. Where people come out is
John Ray:that you don't care the way you're going to price. It is you
John Ray:don't care whether they pick good, better or best. It's just
John Ray:like when you pull into Starbucks, they could care less
John Ray:what what particular drink you get. They could care less even
John Ray:though they've got preferences off what they make the most
John Ray:money on, right? So that's where your head needs to be, because
John Ray:if you're that kind of professional of value, which you
John Ray:are, people are going to come back to you. So they're going to
John Ray:come back, because, hey, this is so good, and I've gotten results
John Ray:out of this. I need more. I need more than what, what I signed up
John Ray:for, right?
Janice Porter:No, I love it. That's that's so true. It's
Janice Porter:like, and at the same time, if they just, for example, chose
Janice Porter:the good option, and then you spent that time with them, they
Janice Porter:built the trust. You've built the trust with them that will
Janice Porter:will also open that door to doing some more work when the
Janice Porter:time is right. Yeah, they trust you for sure. Okay, this is an
Janice Porter:interesting piece. I thought selling to your own wallet. I
Janice Porter:liked that. Can you speak to that? Do you want me to read
Janice Porter:anything here? No. I mean,
John Ray:yeah, I think a lot of us that have done this kind of
John Ray:know what we're talking about, right? That what we're doing is
John Ray:we've, we've got, we're pre judging whether the client is
John Ray:going to think this is, quote, unquote fair or not fair. I hate
John Ray:that word. In this context, we we're deciding for the client
John Ray:whether they can afford it or not, yes, yes, or whether
John Ray:they've got the budget for it or not, and a whole big proportion
John Ray:of small businesses don't even keep a budget. So please don't
John Ray:tell me it's not in your budget. You don't even have a budget,
John Ray:right?
Janice Porter:If you feel there's enough value, you'll
Janice Porter:find the money, right?
John Ray:It isn't amazing how that works. And actually,
John Ray:budgets are priorities. Priorities change, yes,
John Ray:priorities Yeah. They change based on value and value that's
John Ray:perceived. So that's how you have to think about that budget
John Ray:objection that people
Janice Porter:give you. Yeah, some people, somebody once said
Janice Porter:to me, it's not that I can't afford it. I choose to say, or I
Janice Porter:say I, I choose to spend my money somewhere else, right now,
Janice Porter:right? Yeah, yeah.
John Ray:So, so, yeah. If people want it bad enough,
John Ray:they'll find the money. Even if it's not in the business.
John Ray:They'll find the money. Yeah, so true, isn't it? Yeah. So what
John Ray:we've got to get to a point as service providers is that we're
John Ray:not prejudging what people can afford, how they'll pay for it,
John Ray:anything like that. The question is, the comparison here is the
John Ray:the value that that I'm delivering as a service provider
John Ray:relative to pricing that takes just a little piece of that
John Ray:value and that suddenly this is an investment. It becomes an
John Ray:investment. It becomes a a linked exchange that I'm
John Ray:delivering value, and you're getting a big outcome for the
John Ray:price that you're paying.
Janice Porter:I was thinking about the trap of hourly
Janice Porter:pricing, and when you are providing a service and you're
Janice Porter:you've already brought the value conversation, and you know, you
Janice Porter:understand where the clients coming from, and what the
Janice Porter:transformation needs to be, and how do you get because it's a
Janice Porter:it's a stickler for me sometimes trying to think of, okay, if I'm
Janice Porter:not charging by the hour, how do I set my pricing? So can you
Janice Porter:speak to that?
John Ray:Yeah, yeah. So the where you need to be is, this is
John Ray:where the questions come in. Is getting clients to verbalize
John Ray:where they see value in transformation and how much that
John Ray:value is. So let's go back to our example of the guy whose
John Ray:business supposedly had no problems, right? And suddenly it
John Ray:does have problems. And the biggest one is his business
John Ray:partner, his wife, yes, so, you know. So when you when I hear
John Ray:that, what the way I should have responded to him is to say, you
John Ray:know, hey, what would it look like, and if you had a lot more
John Ray:peaceful home life, what would that look like? And you see, you
John Ray:start people down the road of thinking about what
John Ray:transformation looks like and feels like, and how it changes
John Ray:things for them. And. And you, what you get to is a point where
John Ray:it's not just about how much more money the business made, or
John Ray:are like, if your accountant how much taxes you saved, or
John Ray:something like that. It's it's not just the the outcome of the
John Ray:engagement, per se. It's what you're able to do because of the
John Ray:transformation that is much bigger than the work itself. So
John Ray:what does peace at home look like? It's priceless, right? So,
John Ray:what does that do? What that does is it, it, it, it's a much
John Ray:higher value. It's it's value that's priceless, of course, but
John Ray:it increases willingness to pay.
Janice Porter:Yes, yes, I see. So
John Ray:here's a little cheeky example for you. You don't
John Ray:think, when you factor in what the cost of college education
John Ray:is, yes, condoms certainly don't seem more too expensive anymore,
John Ray:right? So see, this is the point. It's like you've got to
John Ray:get to a point where people are thinking about the long term
John Ray:implications of the transformation and what that
John Ray:enables them to do with their business, with their with their
John Ray:lives. What does it mean that I can take the family to Rome,
John Ray:Italy, where we've always wanted to go instead of, you know, the
John Ray:usual vacation we've always done, right? What does that
John Ray:mean? Yeah, right. So see the it's, it's these things you've
John Ray:got to get to, and when you can get to that, it just changes
John Ray:everything in terms of willingness to pay and the kind
John Ray:of pricing you can achieve.
Janice Porter:I think we've come full circle, because I
Janice Porter:think that's that, again, goes back to the value conversation
Janice Porter:first. So, right? So, so when you work with a client and help
Janice Porter:them set their pricing strategies, like, how do you
Janice Porter:pick numbers out of the air if they're not based on, you know,
Janice Porter:an hourly piece? Is it just adding more things, or is it
Janice Porter:just the perceived value? If that makes sense.
John Ray:No, that does make sense. It's actually both. And
John Ray:so it so it's certainly getting at where clients perceive value,
John Ray:sharpening this the saw when it comes to asking the questions
John Ray:that uncover where clients see perceived value. But frankly, a
John Ray:lot of clients that I work with, what they what they don't see is
John Ray:all the different ways they and different kinds of ways they
John Ray:deliver their service that have value. I mean, for example, how
John Ray:fast is this engagement going to work or unfold?
Janice Porter:How fast will that, right? Okay, that's
Janice Porter:another example in your book. Yes.
John Ray:Okay, so speed, yeah. So Janice, are you and I working
John Ray:over? You know, we're my hair is on fire to take, take care of my
John Ray:LinkedIn issues. Yeah, and I need as much of Janice as I can
John Ray:get for the next two weeks. Yeah.
Janice Porter:I had a client recently that just did that. She
Janice Porter:wanted to. She paid the top price, she said, But I have to
Janice Porter:get it done by the end of March.
John Ray:There you go. Yeah. So somebody that's in a hurry,
John Ray:yeah, they've got a higher willingness to pay. Am I working
John Ray:with Janice or my working with Janice's assistant? You know,
John Ray:there's, there's another one. What's my access to Janice?
John Ray:Okay, do I do I get email access. Only can I call you
John Ray:baby, what's my access? See, they're all sorts of different
John Ray:ways that the service is delivered.
Janice Porter:Yeah, that's perfect. And I think you also
Janice Porter:had an example in the book as well about, I think it was the
Janice Porter:was she? It was either the the bookkeeper or it was the
Janice Porter:organizer where you had a chart in there, and you showed the
Janice Porter:percentages, and you, you, you, you're a finance guy, so you
Janice Porter:looked at the money as well. But the the chart was good. And I
Janice Porter:think that's, there's so many good things. I said there's so
Janice Porter:many good things in this book. So am I right there? Yeah, that,
Janice Porter:yeah, okay,
John Ray:well, yeah. Well, and here's one example that I used
John Ray:in in the book too, that that might be helpful. Is, you know,
John Ray:I had a garage door problem. Oh, I love this story, yeah. And
John Ray:long, long story short is, you know, the guy came out right
John Ray:that afternoon, and, you know. But he could have charged me a
John Ray:whole lot more than He charged me.
Janice Porter:He still overcharged you. Well, he
John Ray:his, his, well, his problem was, is that, is that he
John Ray:didn't ask enough questions. Yes, understand why I was
John Ray:motivated to get it done that day. Yeah, and so, and the
John Ray:motivation was, my wife wanted this thing done
Unknown:now, do it now, now. And so
John Ray:I would have paid a lot more than He charged me.
John Ray:Yeah? He could have paid me a rush charge, yes, yeah, yeah.
John Ray:Or, you know, put that on my invoice. I would have paid it
John Ray:gladly. Or he could have said, you know, if you want to save
John Ray:some money, we can get out there next week. Yeah, and,
Janice Porter:yeah, but you know, I It's funny because you
Janice Porter:just made me think of something that I'm not going to go into in
Janice Porter:this conversation, because it's just makes my blood boil. But
Janice Porter:what I noticed about it was, when you're first dealing with
Janice Porter:some people, and it's the first exposure. It's the first
Janice Porter:transaction that you're going to have, and that's exactly what it
Janice Porter:turns out to be as a transaction. And then something
Janice Porter:goes wrong, and now you try to get it fixed. It's murder,
Janice Porter:trying to get it fixed. Murder. Nobody cares. Nobody owns it,
Janice Porter:and nobody will call you back. And it goes on and on. And
Janice Porter:anyway, that's what I'm dealing with. So it's very annoying, and
Janice Porter:you can't do business that way, you know? But yeah,
John Ray:well, people do and they don't forget that. What
John Ray:they forget is like, who's going to refer you if you do business
John Ray:that way? Yeah, you expecting clients to refer you. Who's
John Ray:going to write your Google reviews that you're covet, that
John Ray:you're trying to build up? Yeah, who's going to do that? I mean,
John Ray:there's, there's all sorts of ways this comes back to you.
John Ray:Yes, exactly, yeah. And so why? Why do business that way?
Janice Porter:I love this conversation. I think we I'm
Janice Porter:going to have to have you back, because we could go on forever,
Janice Porter:but I'm going to have to wrap it up, and I would like to ask you
Janice Porter:a couple of quick fire questions at the end. One, do you I
Janice Porter:noticed you quoted a lot of books that I recognized in your
Janice Porter:book, some of the good ones from way back and still classics. Do
Janice Porter:you read today? Do you read business books? Do you read
Janice Porter:novels? Do you read in book form? Do you read audibly?
Janice Porter:Listen? Do you watch? What do you do?
John Ray:I typically read is what I do, but, but I also I
John Ray:like Audible for on the go, it depends on the book.
Janice Porter:Okay, okay. Do you listen to podcasts? Oh, yes,
Janice Porter:absolutely. What's your favorite one?
John Ray:What relationship rules?
Janice Porter:Gotta get it right though. It's relationships
Janice Porter:rule. Yeah, there you go. There you go.
John Ray:Though, yeah, yes. I love, I love podcast and I love
John Ray:listening to, seriously, I do listen to the to the I get
John Ray:hooked on podcast host and what, just like any other podcast
John Ray:listener. And so I've listened to a number of years. I love
John Ray:them. And so, you know, I That's what gets me a lot of the
John Ray:podcast I listen to, I end up talking to fans, right?
Janice Porter:Yeah, that's another piece, actually, that I
Janice Porter:loved in the end of your book about podcasting as a marketing
Janice Porter:tool, because it is. It's amazing what the where it takes
Janice Porter:you and the people that you meet. So I love that, and I
Janice Porter:think that's how we met, in a sense, because we both had a
Janice Porter:podcast, and it was an opportunity for us to talk. So
Janice Porter:thank you, John, thank you for being here. Last question, best
Janice Porter:piece of business advice you would share with my audience,
Janice Porter:which is the same as your audience, really, business
Janice Porter:owners, entrepreneurs, solo printers, service providers,
John Ray:just understand that clients see more value in you
John Ray:and what you do for them than you see yourself. And if you
John Ray:understand that and make that a part of how you communicate, how
John Ray:you deliver your service, how you position your service, your
John Ray:business development, it will change everything. It'll change
John Ray:your pricing. It'll change how you market, how much you have to
John Ray:market. It will change everything in your business. So
John Ray:to me, that's a powerful idea.
Janice Porter:It's it certainly is. Thank you so much. Thank you
Janice Porter:for being here today, and I know that it's about showing up with
Janice Porter:intention, clarity and service, and in a world where Trust is
Janice Porter:everything, your your insights offer a blueprint for building
Janice Porter:client relationships rooted in value and respect. If we want to
Janice Porter:learn more about your work, John, where can they? Find you.
Janice Porter:I will put it in the show notes, of course.
John Ray:Well, thank you. And first of all, thanks again for
John Ray:for having me. It's just been such a delight my pleasure.
John Ray:Yeah, I really have enjoyed our conversation. And thank you
John Ray:again for your great work, so you can reach me on my website
John Ray:is one place to connect. John ray.co, J, O, H, N, R, A, y.co,
John Ray:connect with me on LinkedIn. I'm John Ray one on LinkedIn. I
John Ray:write a lot about these issues on LinkedIn and post there. And
John Ray:then my podcast, as you mentioned, is called the price
John Ray:and value journey, and you can find that that podcast wherever
John Ray:you access your
Janice Porter:podcast, so perfect, and your book The
Janice Porter:generosity mindset, the
John Ray:generosity mindset.com to learn more about my book,
John Ray:perfect.
Janice Porter:Thank you so much, John, again, it's been a
Janice Porter:pleasure talking to you and thank you to my audience, please
Janice Porter:remember to stay connected and be remembered. Thanks for
Janice Porter:joining us. If today's show inspired you to make a new
Janice Porter:connection, why not start with me? Head over to LinkedIn and
Janice Porter:connect with me. Be sure to let me know you are a podcast
Janice Porter:listener, because I select one listener each month who connects
Janice Porter:with me on LinkedIn for a complimentary profile audit. And
Janice Porter:you know, I love to meet new people, so I hope you take me up
Janice Porter:on it. Don't forget to stay connected and be remembered.
Janice Porter:You.