Say the value before the price

Did you know that 37% of professionals avoid difficult conversations entirely?

Fee increases are one of those conversations.

Most lawyers and consultants know they should address them early. Still, it is tempting to wait. To soften the message with explaining too much. To hope the timing somehow gets easier.

It usually does not.

Delaying a fee conversation does not protect the client relationship. It gives the client less time to understand the change, less context for the value behind it, and more room to feel surprised.

The better approach is to treat it as a clear, professional client conversation, not as a conflict. Directness, context, and calm confidence matter more than over-explaining.

Before you announce a fee increase, write one sentence that answers this: “What value does the client receive that justifies this change?” Then keep the message short and say it plainly.

For example:
“To keep delivering the level of senior attention, responsiveness, and strategic support this work requires, we are adjusting our fees from [date].”

That is not pushy. It is clear.

In the Accelerator, we work on difficult client conversations like this, because commercial confidence includes both winning new work and protecting the value of the work you already do.

Best,
Anja Kreutzahler
CEO & Founder of peakleap

P.S. The longer you wait, the more emotional the conversation becomes. Early and clear is usually kinder than late and careful.