When selling high-ticket services, don't raise prices incrementally. Instead, make a significant jump (e.g., from $3,800 to $8,000). If it doesn't sell, you've gained valuable market data and can simply re-price the next cohort. The upside of finding a new price ceiling far outweighs the risk of a single failed launch.

In the early days, Baer negotiated deals to live rent-free in the homes she was staging. This clever arrangement solved her personal housing crisis and eliminated overhead, allowing her to bootstrap her business and build a client base with zero capital.

Instead of asking for a budget, which can feel confrontational, state a typical investment range for your solution. This anchors the price, makes the conversation less awkward, and positions you as a transparent consultant by asking where they fall within that range based on their research.

To access high-end inventory without capital, Baer convinced a rug dealer to use her staged homes as showrooms for his products. This consignment model provided her with free, premium inventory and generated direct sales for her partner, creating a win-win.

The fear of charging for your expertise can be overcome with a simple mental model: be fully prepared to refund the money if you feel you didn't deliver sufficient value. This removes the pressure of perfection and reframes the transaction around genuine value exchange, empowering you to start monetizing.

Don't let your personal perception of what's 'expensive' limit your earning potential. Set your price high based on the value you provide. It is easy to lower a price that gets no buyers, but impossible to know if you could have charged more if you start too low. Never say no for the customer.

The way a price is presented alters a consumer's emotional response, even if the total cost is identical. Breaking a large sum into smaller installments, like Klarna does, makes it feel more manageable and less intimidating, thus boosting sales.

Baer accidentally started her staging company using her personal furniture to decorate a friend's house for sale. This barter-like arrangement solved her immediate need for storage and a place to live, kickstarting an entirely new business model.

Instead of hiding price until the end of the sales cycle, be transparent from the start. Acknowledge if your solution is at the high end of the market and provide a realistic price range based on their environment. This allows you to quickly qualify out buyers with misaligned budgets, saving your most valuable asset: time.