Pricing, your role, what you deserve.

Pricing, Your Role, What You Deserve.

Pricing is a topic that attracts much debate and the shift away from charging by the hour to a fixed-fee model has made pricing effectively quite a skill. Fixed-fee arrangements offer clients clarity and predictability, and positively enable the closing a sale but there is often confusion around the methodology. To help we have broken this down into distinct categories.

Fixed fee

Fixed fee services are easy to understand for clients, as they create certainty around the business overheads. Typically fixed fees will be for one-off or annual services, by spreading out the associated client cost of these services over a 12-month period creates predictability. This type of pricing is the most popular among small accountancy firms.

Monthly retainer 

Monthly retainers typically cover ongoing services related to bookkeeping and compliance. The figure is usually calculated by the volume of transactions or a percentage of turnover.

Offering associated services in three distinct monthly packages, for example, basic, standard, or premium, each with its own hierarchical price, makes it easier for prospective clients to choose the accounting and tax services package most appropriate to them.

However, be aware of scope creep and make sure you have frequent review points diarised though out the year.

Value-based

A value-based approach sets the price for services based on what the client is prepared to pay. While this can include fixed packages, not everyone sees the same value within a particular service offering. For example, the price that one client would be prepared to pay for their tax return may be different to another.

This is the case for advisory-led services where clients may be prepared to pay a premium for working with professionals with expertise within their industry or for activities such as raising finance.

Contingent

Contingency fees are based on taking a percentage of funds for a particular outcome. For example, this could include R&D claims, access to capital or debt finance.

This can make related engagements feel risk-free for clients and sometimes result in higher fee collection than by charging for time or a set cost. If you are pricing this way, be sure to have your method of revenue collection covered in your T&Cs.

Creating a professional brochure detailing your full-service offering will enhance the perception of your firm’s quality to potential clients. This will make them less price sensitive and can result in more effective conversations around value pricing. The brochure can also function as a great crib sheet during sales conversations to make sure you articulate the full benefits of whichever services you are trying to sell. If you offer a tiered service offering, clearly articulate how each package delineates from the others.

However you choose to charge your clients make sure you get paid! As an example, bill monthly and use GoCardless for collection. Ensure all clients sign a mandate during onboarding, if they refuse then do not progress the relationship. Ensuring a Direct Debit is in place not only significantly improves cash flow and stops time being wasted chasing payment, but it also filters the non-payers before it is a problem.