If you’re feeling underpaid, overworked, and quietly resentful toward your clients… there’s a good chance your pricing strategy is the real villain here.
Today, we’re breaking down the 7 deadly pricing mistakes that keep health coaches broke, burned out, and stuck on the income hamster wheel — and what you can do instead.
(Warning: This might sting a little. But you’ll thank me later.)
1. Charging Too Little (aka The Clearance Rack Coach)
When you undercharge, you don’t just hurt your wallet — you destroy your credibility.
Low prices make people question your value. Think about it: Nobody brags about finding their life coach in the Walmart bargain bin.
Higher prices = higher trust.
Plus, cheap clients are usually the highest maintenance: endless emails, blown boundaries, and a never-ending stream of “Can I just pick your brain real quick?”
It’s not about being “affordable” — it’s about being positioned correctly in the eyes of your ideal client. If you’re undercharging, you’re probably:
- Attracting people who don’t respect your time
- Struggling to pay yourself properly
- Feeling resentful toward your own clients
Newsflash: That’s not sustainable. It’s not noble either. You can’t help people when you’re operating from a place of scarcity.
2. Charging by the Hour (aka Hamster Wheel Pricing)
Hourly pricing traps you in a grind where your income is limited by your energy.
The more you want to earn, the more you have to work.
Imagine being a hamster sprinting on a wheel wearing a headband and drinking lukewarm coffee — that’s you with hourly rates.
The only way to make more money? Stack more sessions. Which leads to:
- Burnout
- Exhaustion
- Lower quality of service
Instead, package your services into outcome-driven programs that deliver a full solution to a painful problem. Stop charging for your time. Start charging for transformation.
3. Not Having a Premium Offer
One-off sessions, low-ticket bundles, “pick-my-brain” calls… none of these create consistent income or real client transformation.
A premium offer solves one painful problem fully and deeply, through a clear, results-driven process.
When you sell premium, you:
- Create real transformation for clients
- Make more money with fewer sales
- Work with more committed, serious people
One offer. One focus. Bigger transformations. Bigger paydays.
Need help crafting a premium offer? This is what we build inside Health Coach Accelerator.
4. Offering Too Many Choices (aka The Cheesecake Factory Menu Syndrome)
When you give people a 10-page menu of options, you don’t “serve their needs.”
You confuse the hell out of them.
Imagine walking into a restaurant with 300 options. You panic, pick something random, and regret it immediately. That’s what happens when potential clients see 5 different coaching packages and 12 optional add-ons.
Confused people don’t buy.
Offer ONE clear solution (maybe two tiers, max). Make it stupidly simple for them to say “yes.”
Clients want leadership, not a buffet.
5. Not Raising Your Prices Over Time
Your experience, skills, and client results have grown — but your prices haven’t?
Big mistake.
Inflation exists. (Eggs are basically a luxury item now.)
If you haven’t raised your rates in the last 12 months, you’re undercharging by default.
Signs it’s time to raise your rates:
- Clients are getting great results
- You’re consistently booked out
- You’re feeling resentful or overworked
Pricing isn’t static. It evolves with you.
Set a schedule for incremental raises based on your experience and the value you deliver. You owe it to yourself (and your clients, who benefit from your growth).
6. Pulling Prices Out of Thin Air
Choosing your rates based on vibes, comparisonitis, or what your “intuition” told you… is a straight line to burnout.
Pricing needs to be based on math:
- Your monthly expenses (business + personal)
- Your income goals
- The realistic number of clients you can take on
Quick Math Example: If your monthly expenses are $5,000, and you’re charging $500 per client, you need 10 clients just to break even. And more to actually pay yourself.
Now imagine charging $2,500 per client. You need 2 clients to break even. See the difference?
When you ground your prices in reality, you set yourself up for sustainable success — not just wishful thinking.
7. Panicking When Someone Says “I Can’t Afford It”
“I can’t afford it” is NOT a reason to crumble into a pile of self-doubt.
Sometimes it’s about money. Sometimes it’s about trust. Sometimes it’s about your sales skills.
Your job is to:
- Stay calm.
- Offer payment options if appropriate.
- Stand firm in the value you provide.
Permission-Based Selling Tip: If someone says “I can’t afford it,” you can say:
“Totally understand, Jane. I never want you to feel pressured. Would you like to end the call here, or would you like to explore payment options together?”
Give them a respectful way out — but also leave the door open to a solution.
Pricing Isn’t Just Numbers — It’s Your Positioning
Your pricing tells your audience:
- How serious you are
- How confident you are
- How valuable your offer is
When you price too low, you sabotage all three.
When you price strategically, intentionally, and with authority? You magnetize the right clients — the ones ready to get results and happily pay for them.
Common Coaching Pricing Mistakes Recap
| Mistake | Why It’s a Problem |
| Charging too little | Destroys credibility and attracts low-quality clients |
| Charging by the hour | Limits income and leads to burnout |
| No premium offer | Hard to create transformation or make real money |
| Too many options | Confuses potential clients |
| Not raising prices | Fails to match your experience and inflation |
| Random pricing | Leads to financial chaos and burnout |
| Fear of “too expensive” objections | Misses opportunities to sell based on value |
Ready to Stop Underselling Yourself?
If you’re tired of:
- Attracting low-commitment, high-maintenance clients
- Hustling for pennies
- Feeling invisible in your niche
Then it’s time to fix your offers, fix your pricing, and fix your business model — once and for all.
This is exactly what we do inside Health Coach Accelerator.
Inside HCA, you’ll:
- Nail your profitable niche
- Craft a premium offer with a unique methodology
- Build real demand without dancing on Instagram for free
- Create a pricing model that supports your dream life
👉 Let’s chat and see if HCA is the right fit for you 🙂
You’re one smart decision away from ditching the hamster wheel and actually living the life you coach others to have.
Let’s make it happen. 💪
