Welcome to another episode of the podcast that teaches you how to be a ridiculously good virtual assistant.
Today I want to talk about your pricing – especially if you are stuck at a low rate.
Today’s Quote: “Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.” – Malcolm S. Forbes
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Connect with Tracey D’Aviero, VA Coach and Trainer
Episode Notes:
Today we are talking about something that I bet a lot of VAs don’t even think is a problem. That is, staying stuck at low rates. A lot of VAs don’t even realize their rates ARE too low, that’s why they don’t realize it’s a problem for them.
I’m not talking about VAs who are getting started. A lot of us started with rates lower than we should have.
I mean if you register for my Getting Started as a VA self study program, you probably started better than I did! It’s only $97, go get it and it will help you get the right foundations under your business right now! But getting back to today’s topic…
Setting Rates That Are Too Low
When you are in that awkward getting-started phase where you are figuring things out, it can be easy to set rates that are too low.
So I’m talking about VAs who are years into business and still charging beginner rates, still feeling nervous about increasing their prices, still attracting clients who question every invoice, and still wondering why things feel so hard.
If that sounds like you then take a deep breath. This is fixable!
This is a really important conversation because I think a lot of VAs assume low rates are just a pricing problem.
Like their rates are set and they can’t do anything about it. Wrong.
Like there aren’t clients out there who will mean more. Wrong.
Like they have to change what they offer to charge higher rates and get new clients. Wrong again!
Low rates are usually connected to confidence, positioning, habits, boundaries, fear, and the way you see yourself as a business owner.
And if you do not deal with those things, you can stay stuck for a very long time.
I have seen incredibly talented VAs charging far less than they should while newer VAs with less experience are charging significantly more. That tells you right there that this is not just about skill level.
So today I want to talk about why some VAs stay stuck at low rates for years, what is actually happening underneath the surface, and what you need to shift if you want to finally move forward.
I did exactly this guys, and I promise you I did it longer than you. My rates were too low for 8 years. I had all those same thoughts. I had NO idea it was a ME problem. Until someone told me it was. Then I was like duh, of course it’s me, I see it now! Clear as day. I had to change my opinion of me,my confidence and the fear I had, in order to do better.
Are You Ready To Raise Your Rates (Yes, You Are!)
One of the biggest reasons VAs stay stuck at low rates is because they keep waiting to feel “ready.” Ready to raise their prices. Ready to specialize. Ready to call themselves an expert. Ready to pitch bigger clients. Ready to stop offering everything to everyone.
Not being ready is the best excuse, isn’t it? I have to do this first, or that.
But you don’t. I doubled led my rates overnight. I didn’t have to change a thing except my belief in myself, in my ability. And I saw with clarity how I helped my clients. But I didnt have to wait till anything else was ready. And neither do you.
I made a decision. My rates were $25/hr. Now they are $50/hr. Done. Took less than 5 seconds! I was ready. Was
I confident? Nope!
But the decision was made, and then I just had to say it in my next discovery call.
Confidence does not magically arrive one morning. You build confidence by taking action before you feel fully ready.
A lot of VAs think higher rates are something you earn after years and years of experience. But what actually happens is that some VAs spend years repeating the same patterns instead of growing.
If you are charging the same rates you charged three years ago, offering the same services, marketing the same way, and talking about your business the same way, then of course things are going to feel stuck.
Time in business alone does not create growth. Intentional growth creates growth. And sometimes that means doing uncomfortable things.
Change How You Talk About You
It means changing how you talk about your services. It means improving your client experience. It means showing up more visibly. It means learning how to position yourself differently. It means asking for more money maybe even before you fully believe you deserve it.
You know you deserve it, but you can still not believe it. That part matters.
Because a lot of VAs are waiting for confidence before they increase their rates, when actually the confidence often comes after they do it. The confidence comes when the next client says ‘sure, sounds good’. It’s amazing!
Are You Building Your VA Business Around Strategy or Fear?
Another reason VAs stay stuck at low rates is because they build their business around fear instead of strategy.
This one is huge. It sucks, but it is super common.
They are afraid of losing clients. Afraid no one else will hire them. Afraid people will say no. Afraid they are not good enough. Afraid they need to be cheaper to compete.
So instead of building a business intentionally, they build a business reactively.
They undercharge to get clients faster. They say yes to work they don’t even like doing, or don’t do well.
They take on too much for too little money. They avoid difficult conversations. They tolerate bad client behaviour because they are scared to lose income.
And over time, that becomes their normal.
The problem is that low rates usually create low-quality business situations. Not always, but often.
Clients who hire primarily based on price are usually more demanding, more last-minute, more likely to question your value, and less likely to see you as a strategic part of their business.
Meanwhile, higher-level clients are often looking for reliability, communication, expertise, professionalism, and results.
They are not sitting around searching for the cheapest VA they can find.
But if you keep marketing yourself like a budget option, you will continue attracting budget-minded clients.
After I doubled my rates, I worked with my coach to create packages that clearly described how I helped my clients, whatbthey got for a certain amount of money.
My very first conversation with a new client after I raised my rates, they said yes. I couldn’t believe it! I messaged my coach right away!
Because I had been working with those low budget clients for so long, I had no idea that better clients were out there that valued me and my work.
I was marketing myself as a budget option. I did all kinds of stuff I hates. I learned SO many new softwares and programs, just to get the work. Instead of focusing on my strengths.
I love to show you how to do the same thing. Do what you love. What you are amazing at! And find clients who will value that and pay you well to do it.
Focus on Outcomes, Not on Tasks
Another thing I see all the time is VAs focusing too much on tasks instead of outcomes.
This is a really important shift. I’ve talked about it in a few recent podcast episodes.
When a VA says: “I do email management, scheduling, Canva graphics, inbox cleanup, social media posting…” that sounds very task-based.
But when a VA says: “I help busy business owners stay organized, visible, and consistent so they can focus on growth.”, that feels different.
One sounds like a list of tasks. The other sounds like business support with a result attached to it.
Clients are not really buying tasks.
They are buying relief. They are buying organization. They are buying consistency. They are buying time back. They are buying peace of mind. They are buying support that helps their business run better.
If you only describe what you do in terms of tasks, it becomes very easy for clients to compare you based on price alone. But when you communicate value and outcomes, pricing becomes less about hours and more about impact. And this is one of the reasons some VAs stay stuck financially. They never evolve the way they position themselves.
They keep talking about themselves like a beginner long after they are no longer a beginner.
Don’t Act Like Your Client’s Employee
That brings me to another very common reason VAs stay stuck at low rates- l because they do not fully step into the role of business owner. They still think like employees.
Employees get assigned work. Employees wait for approval. Employees worry about asking for raises. Employees focus on completing tasks exactly as instructed.
Business owners think differently.
Business owners look at solutions. Business owners create structure. Business owners improve systems. Business owners communicate strategically. Business owners understand the value they bring.
This mindset shift changes everything.
Because if you still see yourself as “just helping out,” it is very hard to confidently charge professional rates.
When you recognize that your work helps businesses function better, grow faster, stay organized, and create consistency, you start to understand that what you offer has real value.
And yes, there are absolutely skills involved in growing your rates.
You do need to improve your communication. You do need stronger boundaries. You do need better positioning. You do need confidence in sales conversations. You do need to understand your ideal client more clearly.
But all of those things are learnable. I teach them, so I know they are. But I also had to learn them too! And yes I needed help to learn them.
What Is Keeping You Stuck Where You Are?
The problem is that many VAs stay in passive mode for too long. They hope things improve instead of intentionally improving them.
Hope doesn’t bring change.
You keep waiting for better clients to somehow appear without changing anything about how you market, package, or communicate your services.
And unfortunately, staying comfortable keeps people stuck. And it will keep you stuck too u less you finally do something about it.
I also think some VAs stay stuck at low rates because they are constantly consuming information but not implementing.
They are listening to podcasts. Watching trainings. Saving Instagram posts. Reading tips. Learning strategies.
But they are not actually making decisions. They are not changing their services. They are not updating their pricing. They are not talking to clients. They are not networking. They are not putting themselves out there consistently.
Yes you can do this stuff on your own, but where has that gotten you till now?
Information without action does not create momentum. And it isnt even lack of knowledge that keeps you stuck. It is avoidance.
Avoiding visibility. Avoiding rejection. Avoiding discomfort. Avoiding the possibility of hearing no.
But growth in business almost always requires some discomfort.
You can’t build a higher-level business while trying to stay emotionally safe all the time.
At some point, you have to decide that staying stuck is more uncomfortable than trying something new.
And honestly, one of the hardest things about staying stuck at low rates is what it does to your energy.
When you are undercharging, you often need too many clients to make decent money.
That leads to overwhelm. Too much juggling. Too many small tasks. Constant context switching. Exhaustion. Resentment.
And when you are exhausted, it becomes harder to market yourself confidently, harder to improve your business, and harder to think strategically.
That is why raising your rates is not just about making more money.
It is about creating sustainability.
It is about building a business that actually supports your life instead of draining it.
And no, I am not saying everyone should suddenly double their prices overnight and hope for the best.
I doubled mine because they were WAY too low after 8 years in business. I was supporting 6 and 7 figure business coaches at a very high-level. I was way underpriced.
But you can raise yours. You just need the strategy to do it.
You need to improve your positioning. You need to understand the problems you solve. You need to communicate professionally. You need to deliver excellent service. You need to market consistently.
But you also need to stop seeing low rates as your only option, because they simply aren’t.
There are clients out there looking for reliable, professional, strategic support.
When you start presenting yourself as someone who provides that level of support, they will see it.
And sometimes the biggest shift is simply deciding that you are no longer available for the old version of your business.
That version where you constantly second-guess yourself. That version where you say yes to everything. That version where you feel guilty charging properly. That version where you hide behind low prices because it feels safer.
You do not have to stay there forever.
Do You Need Help?
The first sign that you are ready to grow is realizing that the way you have been operating is no longer working for you.
If you are listening today and nodding your head
and thinking, “Yep, I am stuck, and I don’t want to be stuck anymore,” start small.
Look at how you describe your services. Look at your confidence in sales conversations. Look at your boundaries. Look at your visibility. Look at your pricing. Look at whether your business actually reflects the level you want to grow into.
Analysis of what you are doing now is always the first step, and you can do it right after this episode is finished!
You do not have to change everything overnight.
But you do have to start making intentional decisions instead of operating on autopilot.
Because the VAs who grow are usually not the ones with perfect confidence, they are just the ones willing to make a decision, to take action, even if they don’t feel fully ready.
Let’s circle back to today’s quote: ‘Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.’
You need to work in your brilliance. Do what you are great at.
I’ve told you before ‘What comes easiest to you is what you should be charging the most for,’ and I mean it every time.
You will SHINE when you help your client with your own expertise.
If you want help polishing that up, join me for the Booked and Busy Bootcamp. It’s a 3 month group coaching program where will figure out what you do best, and price it appropriately, and find the people who need your help.
It’s as simple as that.
I’m going to leave it off here for today.
Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode of The Ridiculously Good VA Show.
If you are ready to stop playing small in your business, start charging more confidently, attract better clients, and build a VA business that actually feels sustainable and profitable, get in touch with me to talk about how I can help you do just that.
I’m here to help you become a ridiculously good virtual assistant.
I’ll see you next time!