July 23, 2025
How do I increase my fees in a competitive market?
Let’s start with a definition:
What is a market?
In business terms, a market is a place where buyers and sellers come together to trade goods and services.
Generally speaking, if there are lots of buyers in a market, lots of sellers will show up to serve the demand.
So...
Any busy market is, by definition, a “competitive” market.
When someone says to me...
“I’d love to raise my fees, but I can’t because I’m in a competitive market!”
What they’re really saying is...
“The buyers in my market don’t see any meaningful difference between me and any of the other sellers.”
What happens in a case like this?
You end up competing on price.
(Translation: you have to lower your price to beat the cheaper sellers.)
What can you do about it?
BE DIFFERENT from your competitors in a way THAT MATTERS TO your ideal buyers.
There is no alternative.
Yours,
—J