💎 Price based on value (not by the hour)
Charging by the hour creates a cruel paradox: the more better you stay, deliver faster—and less wins. Value-based pricing flips this around. The price is based on the value the client receives, not the time you spent. An automation that saves R$ 4.000/month justifies a price well above the “cost to build.”
🎯 The right anchor is ROI
A fair price falls between your cost (the floor) and the value to the client (the ceiling). You want to anchor near the ceiling, not the floor.
- •Floor: what it costs you to deliver (time + tools).
- •Limit: how much the automation is worth to the client per month.
- •Price: a fair share of the limit—both of you profit.
✓ Value-based
- ✓Efficiency increases your margin.
- ✓A conversation about outcomes, not hours.
- ✓Price grows with the impact.
✗ Per hour
- ✗Efficiency cuts your revenue.
- ✗Turns into an auction over “how much do you charge per hour?”
- ✗Income ceiling = hours in the day.
Price based on the gains.
The cap is the value to the client.
Fair share of the impact.
Effort doesn’t dictate price.
🧾 Billing models
There are four basic ways money comes in — and the best strategy is almost always to combine them. The healthiest pattern for automation is setup (once) + recurring (every month): you recoup the initial effort and build predictable income.
Setup fee (one-time fee)
Pays for building the automation. Covers your upfront effort and creates client commitment.
Recurring revenue (monthly fee)
Pays for maintenance, support, and keeping the service running. It's the heart of predictable income (MRR).
By usage / volume
You charge per processed lead, message sent, or document generated. It scales with the client’s success.
By outcome (performance)
% of the gain generated. Attracts risk-averse clients, but requires reliable metrics and mutual trust.
💡 Practical tip
Start with setup + recurring. It's the easiest to explain, the most predictable for you, and the most common in the market — avoid exotic models until you have a track record.
Charge for the initial effort.
Predictable MRR.
Scales with volume.
Combine to strike a balance.
🧮 Calculate the client's gain
The ROI calculation is your most powerful sales tool. When the client sees in numbers that saves R$ 4.000/month and costs R$ 800, price stops being an objection and becomes obvious. You’re not asking for money—you’re offering a multiple.
ROI calculation (single-model example)
GANHO MENSAL DO CLIENTE Tempo economizado: 40 h/mês Custo da hora: R$ 50 → Economia direta: R$ 2.000/mês Leads recuperados: 8/mês × R$ 300 ticket → Receita extra: R$ 2.400/mês GANHO TOTAL: R$ 4.400/mês (R$ 52.800/ano) SEU PREÇO Setup: R$ 2.500 (uma vez) Recorrência: R$ 800/mês PAYBACK: < 1 mês ROI 1º ano: ~5×
📊 Don’t forget the cost of inaction
The client is already losing this money every month without automation. Present the gain as "what you're leaving on the table today" — urgency sells better than future savings.
Hours × cost + revenue.
How long it takes to pay for itself.
Cost of inaction.
×12 is impressive.
📄 Proposal structure
A well-crafted proposal sells itself when you're not in the room. The order matters: start with the client's pain point (not your own), show the result and calculated savings before the price, and end with one clear next step.
Proposal skeleton (mono)
1. CONTEXTO / DOR ← a situação dele, nas palavras dele 2. RESULTADO ← o que ele vai conseguir 3. ESCOPO ← entregáveis + o que fica de fora 4. GANHO (ROI) ← a conta: economiza X, paga Y 5. INVESTIMENTO ← setup + recorrência (3 pacotes) 6. PROVA ← demo, caso, depoimento 7. PRÓXIMO PASSO ← 1 CTA + prazo de validade
✓ Proposal that closes
- ✓Lead with their pain point.
- ✓Price comes after the gains.
- ✓A single CTA, with a deadline.
✗ Proposal that stalls
- ✗Lead by talking about yourself and your stack.
- ✗Price without context about value.
- ✗Five options and no direction.
An order that persuades.
Just one next step.
A deadline drives a decision.
Reduces perceived risk.
📊 Anchoring and packages (good / better / best)
When you offer three options, the client stops choosing between “yes” and “no” and starts choosing “which one.” The expensive option anchor the value and make the middle one — where you want it to land — look like a great deal.
- • Main automation
- • Email support
- • 1 adjustment/month
- • Everything in Good
- • Priority support (WhatsApp)
- • Unlimited adjustments
- • Monthly impact report
- • Everything in Best
- • 2 extra automations
- • 2-hour SLA
- • Monthly strategic meeting
💡 Practical tip
Design the middle package to offer the best value for money. The "Great" option rarely sells—your role is to make the "Best" seem reasonable by comparison (the decoy effect).
The expensive part makes the rest worthwhile.
The option that guides the choice.
Three clear levels.
Where the ticket is aimed.
🛡️ Common objections and responses
An objection isn't a rejection—it's a information request. People with a calm, prepared response save most sales. The secret is always to re-anchor the conversation in the value and the cost of doing nothing.
"It’s expensive."
→ "Compared to what? You're losing R$ 4.400/month on this today. The service pays for itself in less than a month—after that, it's all profit."
"What if it breaks?"
→ "That's why there's a monthly fee: monitoring, support, and fixes are included. If something fails, I'll resolve it within the SLA."
"I’ll think about it."
→ "Sure. Just so I understand: what would you need to feel confident making a decision? I can send you a demo using your own data."
"I already have someone who does that."
→ "Great that you already automate. What I bring is a focus on your niche and guaranteed support—can I review what you have and show you what you could gain?"
Change the angle of the conversation.
A demo kills "I'll think about it."
An SLA eases the fear.
Re-anchor on the current loss.
💵 Module Summary
Next Module:
5.3 · Deliver, maintain, and scale — from signing the contract to growth with recurring revenue.