Proximity-Based Offer Pricing
Price offers by access, service load, and the value of the room
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 95%
Price increases should correspond to observable changes in how an offer creates value. Begin with the promised transformation, then score the delivery model across expert proximity, team access, participant count, service responsibility, customer maturity, and room quality. A self-serve course can serve many people with standardized instruction, while group coaching adds contextual guidance, implementation help, and direct access. A mastermind may rely less on teaching and more on curated peers, relationships, strategic exchange, and emergency access to the expert when a consequential problem appears. The higher price is therefore not simply payment for more content. It reflects scarcer access, more personalized servicing, greater business stakes, and a more valuable network. Pricing and positioning should make these differences explicit so buyers understand what changes between each tier.
Origin
Extracted from The Jasmine Star Show as Julie Solomon and Jasmine Star compared a $599 course, a $2,000 hybrid academy, $5,000 group coaching, and a $25,000 advanced container.
Core principles
- 01Greater expert proximity supports a higher price
- 02Team access adds service capacity and implementation value
- 03Smaller or more curated rooms increase access and relevance
- 04Group coaching and masterminds deliver different forms of value
- 05Customer maturity should determine the container and service model
How to run it
- 1
Anchor the Transformation
State the business result and customer stage the offer serves. Confirm that the problem is valuable enough to justify a paid solution.
Pro tip Describe the before-and-after state without relying on the delivery format.
Watch out Do not use additional content as the sole justification for a higher price.
- 2
Score Expert Proximity
Determine how directly and frequently customers can access the expert. Distinguish recorded instruction, group access, direct feedback, and urgent intervention.
Pro tip Specify access boundaries so proximity remains operationally sustainable.
Watch out Unlimited access can create an unprofitable service burden.
- 3
Account for Team Access
List audits, feedback, implementation guidance, and specialist knowledge provided by the team. Connect each service to a customer constraint or avoided external cost.
Pro tip Show buyers what expertise they gain without hiring separate contractors.
Watch out Do not count team access as valuable unless the team performs relevant work.
- 4
Evaluate the Room
Assess participant count, selection criteria, business maturity, and opportunities for useful relationships. Decide whether the room primarily receives instruction or creates value through peer exchange.
Pro tip Curate participants around compatible stages and complementary experience.
Watch out A poorly matched room weakens the value of a mastermind.
- 5
Match Service to Maturity
Give developing customers more education and implementation support. Give advanced customers strategic peers, connections, visibility opportunities, and access during high-stakes problems.
Pro tip Use customer data to distinguish stages instead of relying only on aspiration.
Watch out Advanced pricing without advanced customer problems produces a weak value proposition.
- 6
Set and Explain the Price
Price the offer according to the combined scarcity and value of proximity, servicing, curation, and strategic stakes. Clearly explain why the tier differs from lower-priced alternatives.
Pro tip Compare tiers by access and decision support rather than by module count.
Watch out An unexplained price jump can make a coherent suite appear arbitrary.
In the wild
Julie moved from standardized course delivery into Shine, where customers received live coaching, closer access to her, and audits from her team. Customers no longer had to rely only on classes or hire every specialist independently.
→ Higher proximity and team implementation support supported a $5,000 price point.
A developing owner needed education and implementation help, while an advanced owner valued relationships, peer ideas, connections, visibility, and confidence that Julie would be available for a serious problem. The containers were separated to reflect these different value mechanisms.
→ A premium mastermind could be positioned around curation and high-stakes access rather than more instruction.
Common mistakes
Pricing by Content Volume
Adding modules does not necessarily increase transformation value, access, or implementation support.
Calling Group Coaching a Mastermind
A teaching-led program and a peer-led strategic room create value differently and should not be positioned as interchangeable.
Selling Proximity Without Boundaries
Premium access must be clearly defined or the offer can overwhelm the expert and disappoint customers.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for coaches, consultants, and education businesses moving from self-serve products into group coaching or masterminds.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for commodity products where expert access, team support, participant curation, and peer relationships contribute little value.
From the transcript
“It was higher proximity to me, which dictated the higher price point, and it was also access to my team.”
“Group coaching was Julie and her team disseminating information. Mastermind is I'm going to come in and I'm going to connect with other people in…”
“How many people drive up the cost? Who is doing the servicing and what kind of room are you cultivating? Drives up the cost.”
From the episode
Developing and Refining Offers That Lead to a Killer Transformation with Julie Solomon [14 min]
Julie Solomon