The Raised Rate Workbook

Step 1 of 6 · Learn it

Check the signs and write down where you stand

If you raise on a bad week's mood instead of real signs, you will either back down or never do it. The signs also tell you what to say when a client asks why.

How to do it

1. Read the six signs below and check every one that is true for you right now.
2. Write your current rate and the month you set it. If it was over a year ago, that alone is a reason.
3. List everything you added or earned since you set that rate: certifications, specialties, check-ins, video form reviews, messaging.
4. Circle the two biggest items on that list. You will put them in your raise text later.

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Step 2 of 6 · Learn it

Work backward to your new price

If you copy the gym down the street, your price has nothing to do with the life you want. Start at the income you want and the number of people you can coach well, and the price falls out.

How to do it

1. Write the amount you want to earn each month.
2. Write how many clients you can coach well at one time. Not the most you could cram in. The number you can do right.
3. Divide the first number by the second. That is your monthly rate.
4. In person, count sessions instead: sessions you can train a week, times 4, is your sessions a month. Divide your goal by that to get your session price.
5. If you sell a 12-week program, price it at about three months of your monthly rate. Then run the calculator to confirm the clients you need fit inside what you can coach well.

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Step 3 of 6 · Learn it

Run the break-even math

Fear of losing clients is a guess, and guesses keep trainers underpaid for years. This math turns the guess into a number you can see.

How to do it

1. Write your current monthly income: number of clients times what each one pays.
2. Divide that income by your new price. Round up. That is how many clients you need to keep to earn the same money.
3. Subtract that from your current client count. That is how many could leave before you earn less.
4. Multiply your current client count by the new price. That is what you earn if everyone stays.
5. Try one or two other prices in the table so you can see the trade-off side by side.

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Step 4 of 6 · Learn it

Test the new price on new clients first

Raising everyone at once means you find out the price is wrong after you've already told your best clients. New leads tell you first, and they never knew the old number.

How to do it

1. Check that new leads are coming in every week. If they aren't, fix that before you touch your price, because there is nothing to test on.
2. For your next five sales calls, quote only the new price. Say it once, plainly, then stop talking and let them speak first.
3. Log each call in the table: who, when, the price you said, yes or no, and what they said.
4. When a waitlist spot opens, offer it at the new price and log it too.
5. After five calls: if most said yes, your old price was too low. If almost nobody did, check your offer and how you ran the call before you blame the price.

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Step 5 of 6 · Learn it

Decide who keeps the old rate and for how long

If you grandfather everyone forever, your most loyal clients slowly become your lowest-paid hours. Decide on purpose, with an end date for every name.

How to do it

1. Pick the day you'll send notice. Count 30 days forward, or one full billing cycle if that's longer. That is your new rate start date.
2. List every current client and the month they started.
3. Apply the rules: prepaid packages keep their rate until the package ends. Clients with you a year or longer keep the old rate for three more months as a thank-you. Everyone else moves to the new rate on your start date.
4. Write the exact date the new rate starts for each person.
5. Add the yearly review line to your client agreement so the next raise follows terms they already signed.

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Step 6 of 6 · Learn it

Write your raise text and your replies

When I ran sales, I lived by one rule: "If they can pay their car note, they can pay for training." It's about priorities, not money, but you'll only hold that line if your words are written before the hard reply comes in.

How to do it

1. Use the same order every time: thank them, give the date, show what they keep, then stop talking.
2. Fill in the raise text for one real client first, with their real win and the date from your table.
3. Decide your "less, not cheaper" option before anyone pushes back: a smaller package at a lower price. Never the same coaching for less.
4. Fill in the pushback and cancel replies so you can paste them, not panic.
5. Save all three in your phone notes. When someone cancels, write down their answer to "What would have made it worth it?"

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The plan

Your next 7 days

Small steps, one a day. Day 1 is the one that matters most.

Your answers, in one place

One small job a day