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This is a guest post from Mark Wickersham, chartered accountant, and founder of Value Pricing Academy.
In the accounting and bookkeeping profession, many firm owners find themselves working too many hours for far too little reward.
In my experience, the root cause is almost always the same: the wrong pricing model.
Most firms still rely on time‑based billing. Others move away from hourly rates but simply copy what competitors charge. Neither approach works particularly well because neither reflects the value of the work being done.
Here’s the big problem: Even firms that abandon hourly billing often fall into another trap. They replace it with a single fixed price.
At first glance, that sounds sensible. But if you offer only one price, you will almost always be wrong.
Why?
Because different clients value the same service differently. A single price forces a rigid yes‑or‑no decision. Some clients would happily have paid more, while others walk away because the price feels too high.
Here’s the framework I use to solve this problem. I call it the 7 foundations of value pricing.
Foundation 1: Offer choices, not a single price
The first step is to design a pricing structure that allows clients to choose.
Instead of quoting one fee, you present options, for example, an Essential, Standard, and Premium package.
This approach captures something economists call price discrimination. In simple terms, it is charging different prices based on how much value different clients perceive.
Foundation 2: Build a clear value proposition
Many firms describe their services in terms of tasks. Bank reconciliations. Paying bills. Payroll processing.
But clients don’t buy tasks, they buy outcomes. Reduced stress. Better cash flow. Fewer tax surprises. More confidence in their numbers.
So the goal is to identify both the tangible benefits and the intangible benefits your service creates. And then add more of them.
Foundation 3: Communicate value, not features
Here’s something worth remembering: Clients rarely care about the mechanics of accounting and bookkeeping work. What they care about is the result.
Every feature of your service should be linked to a benefit. For example:
Monthly management accounts → better decisions.
Tax planning → potential tax savings.
Regular advisory meetings → fewer financial surprises.
In other words, you translate what you do into the outcome the client actually values.
Foundation 4: Get paid properly
Payment terms are often treated as an administrative detail. In reality, they are a powerful pricing lever.
Moving to monthly payments in advance, ideally collected automatically, can greatly reduce accounts receivable and significantly improve cash flow. It also changes how clients perceive the price.
A $3,600 annual service feels expensive. $300 per month feels manageable. Same price. Completely different perception.
Foundation 5: Base the price on value, not time
Traditional pricing links fees to the hours worked.
But this creates a strange outcome. The more efficient you become, the less you earn. Value pricing turns that logic on its head.
Instead of asking “How long will this take?” you ask “What is the outcome worth to the client?”
From there you build a package that aligns scope, value, and price.
Foundation 6: Make the price feel smaller
Pricing isn’t just mathematics. It’s psychology.
Buyers rarely know the absolute value of something. Instead, they judge prices relative to other numbers.
So, if you anchor your fee against the cost of the problem being solved, the price can suddenly look very different.
For example, if poor tax planning could cost a client $20,000 in unnecessary tax, a $4,000 advisory engagement suddenly feels much more reasonable.
Context changes perception.
Foundation 7: Reduce the client’s risk
Whenever a client buys a new service, they are taking a risk.
Will it work?
Will it deliver the promised outcome?
Will it be worth the investment?
Risk naturally creates hesitation. Smart firms introduce risk‑reversal strategies. Guarantees, clear service commitments, or turnaround promises can remove uncertainty and make the decision easier.
When the perceived risk falls, acceptance rates rise.
But what about price objections?
At this point, many accountants ask the same question.
What happens when a client says the price is too high?
Price resistance is not necessarily a bad sign. In fact, if you never encounter pushback on price, it usually means your prices are too low.
Most objections are not really about affordability. They are about perceived value. Clients are rarely purely price‑sensitive. They are value‑sensitive.
Think about brands like Apple or Starbucks. People willingly pay more because they believe they are getting more value. Your clients behave the same way.
The key principle is simple: When the value is clear, price resistance usually disappears.
A real example of value pricing in action
Let me finish with a quick example.
Phil Bessant, a sole practitioner from the UK, decided to implement value pricing across his firm. Naturally, he was worried about losing clients.
Instead of calculating fees based on time, he redesigned his pricing around the value delivered to clients.
The result? Phil increased his fees by 28% across the board.
Within a few months his firm generated $133,000 of additional fee income, almost entirely additional profit. And he lost just one client.
This is an example of what happens when pricing reflects value rather than hours.
Learn the full framework
The goal is simple: Stop defending your fees and start charging what your services are truly worth.
About the author
Mark Wickersham, Chartered Accountant and #1 bestselling author, is renowned as the accounting community’s leading profit improvement expert. With decades of experience, Mark has helped thousands of firms double their profits without working harder or resorting to uncomfortable marketing techniques.
Mark’s mission is simple: to revolutionize the way that accountants and bookkeepers price their services, ensuring their work is richly rewarded while delivering unparalleled value to clients.
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice. You should consult your own professional advisors for advice specific to your situation. This content was created in paid partnership with Mark Wickersham.
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice. You should consult your own professional advisors for advice specific to your situation. This content was created in paid partnership with Mark Wickersham.
