March 18, 2026
An example of fixed pricing supercharging a brand story
Tom Lietz from Storylinking wrote in with an anecdote that illustrates what it’s like to be on the receiving end of a fixed fee. This one is especially apt if you’re a homeowner, but I think anyone can relate (shared with permission):
Jonathan,
Thanks again for coming on Storylinking a few weeks back! Our conversation about how consistency builds clarity has connected really well with my audience.
I had to loop back because I think I just lived through a classic Jonathan Stark pricing moment.
I got a new roof. Multiple vendors quoted. I chose the one who seemed trustworthy and gave me a fixed fee. After a few weeks of low-grade worry about how disruptive the whole process was going to be, the crew showed up today and completed a full tear-off, cleanup, and installation in two and a half hours. Two and a half hours. The project was done before my kids got home from school.
I was stunned. And then I had to laugh, because I could hear you in my head.
If I’d been quoted an hourly rate, I would have tried to do the math, gotten anxious, and started asking a million questions. But the uncertainty was removed up front, and the value showed up in a way I never expected. Now I’m exactly the kind of client you talk about, and I’ll be sending people this roofer’s way for years.
What I keep thinking about is how the trust was built before anyone set foot on my roof. I found them through a referral from a neighbor. But from that first contact forward, everything they did told a coherent story about who they are. You could feel that this was someone who had explained how to get a new roof to a lot of people, and had done it enough times that the story was tight, credible, and completely authoritative. They were professional, responsive, and offered a long list of references without prompting. Every touchpoint reinforced the last one. By the time the crew pulled up, I already trusted them completely.
That’s the feedback loop we talked about in the episode, playing out in a sales conversation and then backed up by two and a half hours of extraordinary lived experience.
For you I imagine this is a pricing story. For me it’s a storytelling systems story. I think we’re describing the same thing: get clear, build trust, and then do the work in an authentic way that gives you more chances to iterate and improve.
Anyway, I know you’ve probably heard your share of home improvement stories coming back from the list, but I thought you might enjoy one more.
All the best,
Tom
Thanks for sharing, Tom!
This is a great story of a company that knows how to deliver on its brand promise with confidence and the way it contributes to high levels of customer satisfaction.
BTW - If any home owners on the list need a new roof, DM Tom on LinkedIn for a recommendation ;-)
Yours,
—J