Most professional services experts are pricing themselves into obsolescence.
Not because their work lacks value—but because they can’t quantify it.
This became painfully clear in a session with an executive coach I’ll call Sarah.
She’d spent 20 years transforming leadership teams and facilitating strategy, but had no idea she’d generated millions in client value.
Until I asked her one question:
“What was the measurable business impact of your last engagement?”
She paused for a good while.
“Well… the team was dysfunctional. They weren’t talking. Six months later, they hit all their targets.”
“And what was that worth financially?”
Another pause. Then it clicked.
“The division had been losing money for years. After our work, they turned a profit. That’s… millions.”
Sarah’s £15,000 coaching engagement had helped generate millions in annual profit.
She wasn’t overcharging; she’d been massively undercharging.
But here’s the real issue:
She’d never made that connection until I asked.
And in today’s world, this matters more than ever because AI is changing professional services permanently.
If you can’t quantify your value, you can’t defend it, especially in an AI-driven market where clients are more cost-conscious, tech-savvy, and quicker to switch. When the value isn’t clear, they default to price or someone else.
Right now, you have a choice:
Keep hoping clients recognise your value.
Or start measuring and communicating it.
