When Too Expensive Is Not Expensive Enough!

The uncomfortable truth about middle pricing — and why you need to pick a side.

THE PARADOX

Getting Told You're Too Pricey? Good News.

Here's the thing nobody tells you: if potential clients regularly push back on your prices, it almost never means you're too expensive. It usually means you're not expensive enough! You've landed in a no-man's-land where nobody really wants to be.

Think about your local grooming scene. There are budget groomers charging bargain prices, and there are premium groomers who charge top dollar without blinking. Then there's... you. Hovering somewhere in the middle, hoping that the "reasonable" zone is where the business is. It's not.

You didn't go cheap because you have standards (good for you!). But you also didn't go premium because — be honest — it felt a little scary. So you split the difference, picked a "safe" number, and crossed your fingers. That's the middle seat. And the middle seat is miserable.

THE AIRPLANE ANALOGY

Nobody Actually Wants the Middle Seat

Picture yourself on a plane, sitting in a three-seat row. The window seat has a view and a wall to lean on. The aisle seat has legroom and freedom. And the middle seat has... nothing. No armrest to call your own, no view, and if you need to use the restroom? Oh, it's a whole production — excuse me, pardon me, sorry, thanks, ugh.

That's exactly what pricing in the middle feels like. You're cramped from both sides, not giving the budget crowd what they want (the lowest price), and not giving the premium crowd what they want (the perception of excellence). You're just there — wedged in, elbowing strangers, quietly regretting your life choices.

THE MATH PROBLEM

$75 Sounds Fair. To Absolutely. Nobody.

Say the budget groomers in your area charge $65 for a 10 lb dog, and the premium ones charge $85. You land at $75, thinking you're offering the best of both worlds. But to the bargain hunter, you're $10 overpriced with no obvious reason why — they're not comparing your blow-dry technique, they're comparing numbers!

Meanwhile, the premium client operates on a simple but powerful heuristic: more expensive means better. Your $75 rate quietly signals "I'm not quite sure I'm worth the top price." That's not a conscious thought they have — it's subconscious, instant, and extremely hard to overcome.

The brutal truth is that your middle price doesn't communicate confidence — it communicates hesitation. And clients, bless their hearts, can smell hesitation from a mile away.

"But my work is excellent — shouldn't people see that?"

They might! But pricing speaks before your work does. Your rate is the first thing clients judge you on — and a middle price whispers doubt before you've even picked up a brush.

THE FIX

Pick a Side. Any Side. Just Pick One.

The solution isn't complicated — but it does require a decision and the courage to commit to it. Research what groomers with a similar setup in your area are charging, figure out where you genuinely fit, and then go there fully. There's no wrong answer, but there is an honest one.

If you go budget: own it, compete hard on efficiency and volume, and build loyalty with deal-seekers. If you go premium: add visible value, build the experience, and charge without apology. Either works — but only if you commit completely.

The clients who say "you're too expensive" aren't your clients anyway. That's not a failure — that's just the wrong seat on the plane! Find your seat, get comfortable, and let the right passengers find you!

You're not too expensive. You're just not expensive enough. Now go raise those prices — or fully own the budget lane — with total confidence!

Written by: Marilou Lekanne

"Marilou's Method" (formerly known as Successful Grooming)

Author of "Grooming Gold - Secrets to a Lucrative Pet Grooming Career"

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