How to Set Your Coaching Fees: Practical Guidance for Coaches

Table of Contents

• What this article offers
• Table of contents
• Before We Dive In – A Word of Caution
• Why pricing matters in Coaching
• Start with what feels comfortable
• Value for the client: results over hours
• Do the math: income goals, costs, and investment
• Be a working coach: time, experience and credibility
• Packaging and menus: how to present options
• Practice pricing conversations
• Be bold and client-centered
• Step-by-step checklist to set your Coaching fees
• Reflection prompts for coaches
• Conclusion

What this article offers

This article helps coaches make clear, confident decisions about their Coaching fees. It translates experienced practitioners’ advice into concrete steps: how to choose an entry price, how to think about value, how to do the math to reach income goals, how to design packages and menus, and how to practice the conversations that remove price anxiety. The aim is to give both new and seasoned coaches pragmatic tools so Coaching becomes sustainable, ethical, and aligned with the value being offered.

Table of contents

• Before We Dive In – A Word of Caution
• Why pricing matters in Coaching
• Start with what feels comfortable
• Value for the client: results over hours
• Do the math: income goals, costs, and investment
• Be a working coach: time, experience and credibility
• Packaging and menus: how to present options
• Practice pricing conversations
• Be bold and client-centered
• Step-by-step checklist to set your Coaching fees
• Reflection prompts for coaches
• ATTRIBUTION
• A NOTE FROM THE “AUTHOR”

Before We Dive In – A Word of Caution

Before you read on, please note that this article is an AI-generated summary of the above podcast episode. While prompted carefully, it’s possible that some views may be misrepresented and/or information incorrect. If you find any errors please report them to us by emailing report (a) existentialcoaching.net . If you find something that seems odd, untrue, or difficult to believe, my encouragement is for you to go to the source and listen to the episode to get the full context. If it turns out to be false or misrepresented, kindly let us know! Due to the volume of information and limited team resources, we can’t check all AI-generated articles for accuracy, but decided that these are good enough, and hence valuable resources.

Why pricing matters in Coaching

Pricing is not just a number. In Coaching, a fee communicates value, boundaries, and the kind of relationship a coach intends to have with clients. It affects who approaches a coach, the expectations placed on both parties, and whether the Coaching practice is financially sustainable. Good pricing supports ethical practice because it allows the coach to maintain professional development, supervision, and an energy level that benefits clients. Poor pricing—either too low or inconsistent—can lead to burnout, devaluation of services, or mismatched client outcomes.

Start with what feels comfortable

One straightforward starting point in setting Coaching fees is to ask: what feels comfortable? Many coaches report that the first number that comes to mind often reveals a realistic threshold. That number might be based on current earnings in another job, existing lifestyle needs, or what feels fair given their experience.

Yannick’s own example is instructive. When beginning, he charged 1000 for a three-month package because he was already earning roughly that amount at his day job, and the figure felt right. After working with 15 clients he felt confident to raise his price. The key lesson is that comfort is a useful guide early on. Comfort can grow with experience, practice, and small, deliberate increases.

Personal experience

Several coaches find their initial fee is not permanent. A coach who began modestly often raises prices incrementally as competence, reputation, and client outcomes accumulate. Others with deep industry experience sometimes enter Coaching charging higher fees from the outset because they bring transferable expertise.

Implication for practice

• Accept a starting point: It is acceptable to pick a fee that feels manageable and revise it over time.
• Use iteration: Test the price with a small group of clients and adjust based on response and results.

Value for the client: results over hours

Coaching is often best priced by the value of the outcome rather than the hours spent. The worth of Coaching can vary dramatically depending on the client’s goals. For a business leader looking to double revenue or secure a critical investment, the financial impact of successful Coaching can justify premium fees. For transformational Coaching—improving relationships, wellbeing, or life direction—the value is harder to quantify but no less important.

“Art is worth as much as somebody’s willing to pay for it.” — used as an analogy for how clients assign value to Coaching.

Practical framing

When setting a fee, consider the outcome the client wants and how much that outcome is worth to them. Instead of thinking in hourly slices, articulate the package as a pathway to a result. This reframes the conversation away from an exchange of hours and toward a transformation, which clients can evaluate more easily.

Do the math: income goals, costs, and investment

Pricing becomes practical when backed up by arithmetic. Coaches are encouraged to work out the lifestyle they want and reverse-engineer the fees required to achieve it. Important elements to include:

• Personal income goals: how much the coach wants or needs to earn annually.
• Working capacity: realistic number of billable clients per month or year, considering available time and energy.
• Costs and overheads: training fees, supervision, insurance, marketing, software, and workspace.
• Opportunity cost: time spent training or supervising instead of paid work.

When these numbers are combined, an hourly or package price emerges that is both defensible and sustainable. Coaches often discover they have invested substantial sums—both money and time—into their training and development. Pricing that fails to recognize that investment can create long-term strain.

Be a working coach: time, experience and credibility

One useful mindset is to view oneself as a working coach. This concept emphasises the journey: experience builds skill and credibility over time. Many successful coaches did not start at their current price. They accumulated hours, client examples, and referrals, and their fees rose accordingly.

A spectrum of readiness

Some coaches bring transferable skills and networks that justify higher early fees. Others build their reputation through a deliberate, lower-priced practice. Both paths are legitimate. Being intentional about the route chosen is what matters.

Packaging and menus: how to present options

How services are packaged affects client decisions. Presenting multiple package options is a simple psychological and sales technique that helps clients choose. Instead of asking “Do you want to coach with me?” offer a menu.

• Three-option model: basic, standard, and premium packages. People often choose the middle option when presented with a clear menu.
• Single-offer clarity: some coaches succeed with one clear, signature offer—this can be powerful for positioning.
• Non-linear pricing: packages need not scale strictly by time. A longer program with additional support, staff coaching, or bespoke elements can justify a premium without being a pro rata of hourly rates.

Example: a coach kept a high-value 40k package as a base offer for a CEO and created higher-tier proposals. Rather than shrink the offer, he extended it to a 100k two-year package and won the higher fee because he focused on service and outcomes for the client. This shows the potential of designing offers around impact, not just time.

Practice pricing conversations

Price discomfort is real, but it can be trained away. Coaches often find that repeatedly saying a price in conversations desensitises them and makes the number sound normal. Pitching a fee five times is different to pitching it once. By the tenth time the coach often feels more confident and accurate about the value being offered.

Practical exercises

1. Role-play the pricing conversation with a colleague or friend.
2. Write a one-sentence description of the transformation a package delivers and use it in the pitch.
3. Create a short FAQ that addresses common objections such as budget, time commitment, and outcomes.

These steps reduce anxiety and make it easier to attract clients who are aligned with the value being offered.

Be bold and client-centered

Bold pricing is possible when it is founded on a service mindset. When a coach frames a high-fee proposal around what will best serve the client—from scope to outcomes—clients can accept much larger fees than expected. Bold does not mean arbitrary. It means aligning the offer to client impact and communicating that alignment clearly.

At the same time, comparison with peers is a common trap. A coach may raise fees prematurely because someone else charges more. That can lead to fewer clients and unnecessary pressure. Price increases should match both skill and the coach’s ability to deliver results at that level.

Step-by-step checklist to set your Coaching fees

Use this checklist to create a defensible pricing strategy and a clear offer.

• 1\. Decide a comfortable starting point: pick a number you can present confidently.
• 2\. Do the math: calculate annual income needs, working hours, and overheads to derive a target hourly or package price.
• 3\. Define client outcomes: write a short statement of the transformation your Coaching achieves.
• 4\. Design packages: create 1-3 offerings that vary by scope, duration, and added services rather than by simple hourly increments.
• 5\. Role-play your pitch: practice the language until it feels natural.
• 6\. Test and iterate: pilot your prices with a few clients and collect feedback.
• 7\. Monitor and adjust: review pricing annually and adjust based on results, confidence, and demand.

Reflection prompts for coaches

• What would feel like a fair annual income for the Coaching practice I want to create?
• How much have I invested (time and money) to develop my Coaching skills and how should that influence my fees?
• What specific client outcomes do I deliver and how can I describe them in value terms?
• Do I offer a menu of options or a single signature offer, and why is that the best fit for my positioning?
• What small experiment could I run next month to test a new price or package?

Conclusion

Setting Coaching fees is a balance of personal comfort, client value, practical finances, and gradual professional development. There is no single right answer. A deliberate process—choosing a starting point, doing the arithmetic, designing outcome-focused packages, practising the conversations, and iterating—creates a sustainable pricing strategy. Over time, experience and clarity about outcomes will make pricing easier and more aligned with the work and the clients served.

ATTRIBUTION

Talking about Coaching is a podcast by coaches for coaches. It does what it says on the tin: We talk about coaching. We, that is Yannick, Siawash and Nicki. We love coaching, collectively got a tonne of experience, knowledge and charm; and we all felt it was time to give something back to our wonderful coaching community. Whether you’re a life coach, work with organisations or practice any other form of coaching, you can ask us anything and we’ll discuss it for and with you so you can learn, grow and develop your practice and business skills!

Committed to helping leaders and coaches do their best work and live their best lives, Yannick Jacob, the founder of Talking about Coaching, is a Coach, Trainer & Supervisor with Masters degrees in Existential Coaching and Applied Positive Psychology. He is part of the teaching faculties at Cambridge University and the International Centre for Coaching Supervision, and he’s the Course Director of the School of Positive Transformation’s acclaimed Accredited Certificate in Integrative Coaching, for which he gathered many of the world’s most influential coaches and earliest pioneers. Formerly Programme Leader of the MSc Coaching Psychology at the University of East London, Yannick founded and hosts Yannick’s Coaching Lab which gives novice and seasoned coaches an opportunity to witness experienced coaches live in action. Yannick presents at conferences internationally, his book An Introduction to Existential Coaching was released by a leading academic publisher, and his self-study online course on the subject is now available for instant access. Across four seasons as host of Animas Centre for Coaching’s popular podcast Coaching Uncaged Yannick engaged the thought leaders of our industry in dialogue, and he passionately hosts his own podcasts Talking about Coaching and Talking about Coaching and Psychedelics.

A NOTE FROM THE “AUTHOR”

I hope you enjoyed this article. If any of it resonates, make it swing! Start a conversation with someone about what came up for you, or let us know what you think. We’d love to hear from you! And please keep in mind that, while I’ve personally engineered the prompt for these articles and everything that’s written will be based on the above video, this content is AI-generated, so the general guidance is to go to the source and listen to the podcast.

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This article was created from the video How do you set your coaching fees? Talking About Coaching – Episode 17 with the help of AI.