Recently I took part in Natalie Coombe’s Nail Your Pricing Course. This is my overview and review of the difference this course has made in my business!
At first, I was quite reluctant to join, because I’ve had several small businesses for over 10 years now, I thought “Well I know how to price products”.
Boy was I wrong, and was my mind blown. Not that I didn’t know the fundamentals of how to price products, however pricing for our butchery where there is a clear cost of production vs pricing for services where part of these services is ‘hidden’ in the world behind a computer screen is definitely a different kettle of fish.
let me talk you through what Natalie’s Nail Your Pricing course involved.
The initial module is about defining your business, your lifestyle, and what you ideally want your business to work towards providing you as a person and your family. How many hours, what your ideal salary would be. It was a really great way to get into blue sky thinking about how you want your business to function as part of your life so you can achieve what you want without burning out.
The following modules are the meat of the course. Natalie has created amazing calculators which take you through how to work out your true business overheads, how find your ideal hourly rate, how to use these figures to price your packages in a way that will suit your ideal clients. Natalie accompanies each module with several clearly explained videos which cover the topic, why that module is important for your overall pricing structure, and detailed tutorials on how to use her calculators. If you’re a spreadsheet nut, then you won’t be disappointed!
Once you’ve worked through each section of the calculators, Natalie takes you through how to build this into a 12-month profit strategy. Working through what are your most profitable offerings vs the time you have available to you, you can figure out which services you’re going to market to your ideal client…. Oh and she covers that too – what is your ideal client and what the value is you’re adding to their life and their business, and why your service to your client matters.
But, Natalie doesn’t leave you hanging. She also covers over how to speak to your clients about the changes in pricing you’re going to implement, and most importantly she rounds off with a great 90-day plan; probably one of the best I’ve seen actually. In the video she covers over practical steps of how to plan for implementing the new pricing in the follow.
Oh, and I forgot to mention the biggest part of it – weekly Zoom meetings (and a few extra for catchups). This keeps you accountable and on track to finish the work and make the changes you need to make to create a profitable and sustainable business. This was the game changer for me, having Ms. Coombe checking my homework!
So now the big question. What did I actually think of the course?
Natalie is clear and concise with her delivery of the course. The information is very well thought out. The videos are step-by-step and easy to follow.
The weekly Zoom meetings are the part that made the biggest difference for me. There were business owners in the group from a wide variety of industries, (and in the same industry as me) and all of them were kind enough to share their screens and figures with the group. This gave me confidence that what I was planning wasn’t just me in my head.
This is one of the biggest issues many business owners face; the solitary action of running a business, and yes I face this too. So being part of the community who were happy to share their experiences with the work, their road blocks, their money blocks, their fears, their strengths, their packages and service offerings and the income they hope to earn to feed, clothe, house and support their family… well it just shows that we’re all in a similar space in our lives with similar objectives, supporting our own customers in the best way we know how; through the love of what we do.
Would I recommend this course to others?
That would be a heck yes! Before I signed up, I was apprehensive. I was worried about the cost and “where would I find this money from”. Then I realised something. That I didn’t need to find the money. Once I had implemented what I had learnt into my business, I would have a better understanding of the services I want to provide our clients, be clearer in what tasks/steps are actually in those services, and I could price those services for the different needs of my clients. So even if I had my hourly pricing correct before (which I didn’t, but I wasn’t far off) through this course I was able to rethink the different levels of service offerings for the different levels of my clients’ needs.
Who is this course good for?
If you’re a business woman
+ struggling with the cashflow of your business,
+ struggling with how to price your services,
+ or if you’re like me and need a really good talking to about the value you provide with your business,
… then this course is great for you. Natalie has several other courses too, so have a conversation with her on her Facebook live or flick her an email and she’ll point you in the direction of the right course for you and your business.
Where can I find out more?
Check out Natalie’s website here at NatalieCoombe.com. She has load of valuable blog posts and information regarding pricing, packages, and what’s blocking you from moving to the next stage of your business.
Natalie often runs lives on her page Natalie Coombe – Pricing Expert where she covers over some of the most common questions she receives regarding pricing, money blocks and packages. If you want to introduce yourself to her, this is the best place to meet and chat with her.
I’ve also been part of Natalie’s workshops in the Virtual Assistant Online Summits 2021 and 2022, and I have found these invaluable in understanding how to calculate experience into pricing, both for myself but also for my current clients. This is important in creating a business that will last longer than the statistics!
Natalie’s goal is to support women led businesses to succeed, and after finishing her course and now at the stages of implementing the new pricing, I feel so ready for the next stage of Zesty Virtual Assistants growth!
NB: This post is not sponsored and does not contain any affiliate links. Natalie has not in any way asked me to publicly review her course and its’ content. However, this course has much such a difference for me that I want to shout from the rooftops!