Undercharging is the most common mistake coaches make. The second most common mistake is charging inconsistently — different rates for different clients, ad hoc discounts, one-off sessions with no structure. Both habits make your income unpredictable and your business harder to grow.
Selling session packages fixes both problems at once.
Why Packages Beat Per-Session Pricing
When you sell individual sessions, clients can drop off after one appointment. There's no commitment on their side, and no predictability on yours.
Packages change the dynamic. When a client buys a bundle of 6 or 12 sessions upfront, they're committed. They've already invested. They show up prepared, engage more seriously, and get better results — which makes your work more rewarding and your referrals stronger.
On your end, package revenue lands in your account before you've delivered a single session. That's predictable cash flow you can actually plan around.
A Simple Pricing Framework
Start with value, not time. Ask yourself: what is the outcome worth to the client? A career coach who helps someone land a $30,000 raise should charge more than the hourly rate implies. Price to the transformation, not the hour.
From there, build two or three tiers:
- Starter package — 3–4 sessions for clients who want to test the relationship
- Core package — 6–8 sessions for clients ready to do meaningful work
- Deep engagement — 10–12 sessions for clients working toward a significant goal
Each tier should feel like a clear step up in commitment and outcome — not just more of the same.
How to Set the Numbers
A common approach: set your hourly rate, build a package at a slight discount (5–15%) to reward commitment, and make the discount meaningful enough to motivate the upgrade.
If you're just starting out, start at the high end of what feels uncomfortable and work from there. Most coaches raise their prices as they get more confident — which is fine — but it's easier to discount selectively than to reposition upward.
How TimeTap's Package Credit Model Supports This
Once you've defined your tiers, TimeTap makes selling them simple. You create packages in TimeTap and assign session credits to each tier. When a client purchases a package through your booking page, they get credits in their account. Each session they book deducts a credit automatically.
You don't need to track usage manually or invoice after every session. The system handles it. Stripe processes payment at purchase, and clients can book from their credit balance whenever they're ready.
TimeTap offers a 90-day free trial with no credit card required. If you're ready to move from ad hoc billing to a package model that supports predictable income, it's worth setting up today.