Ben Zettler - Pricing Tactics For Digital Agencies

Ben Zettler, owner and founder of Zettler Digital, joined me on Ditching Hourly to discuss pricing tactics for agencies.Ben's Links:Zettler DigitalBen's LinkedInAI-Generated Stuff:SUMMARYBen Zettler, owner and founder of Zettler Digital, joins Jonathan Stark to discuss value pricing for agencies. Ben shares his background in sports and how he transitioned into building his agency. They discuss the initial conversations with potential clients, the importance of understanding their needs and goals, and how to convert those conversations into proposals. Ben also talks about the value of offering free work, conducting audits, and providing strategy sessions to build trust with clients. They explore the use of data to quantify the potential impact of their services and the challenges of pricing for smaller businesses. Ben Zettler discusses the ideal clients for his agency and the different options he offers them. He emphasizes the importance of working with decision-makers and the challenges of communicating value in proposals. Ben also talks about the shift in his business from project-oriented work to retained services. He shares his experience with client churn and the need to constantly find new opportunities. Ben provides insights into pricing and the difficulties of structuring fees for ongoing services. He concludes by highlighting the value of LinkedIn for marketing and networking.TAKEAWAYSUnderstanding the client's needs and goals is crucial in creating a proposal for value pricing.Offering free work, such as audits and strategy sessions, can help build trust with potential clients.Quantifying the potential impact of services using data can help justify pricing.Smaller businesses may be more hesitant to share revenue information, but it is important to understand the potential impact of services.The market has shifted towards longer decision timelines and more evaluation of service providers. Working with decision-makers is ideal in most situations, regardless of the size of the business.Communicating value in proposals can be challenging, especially when clients compare prices to other services.Shifting from project-oriented work to retained services can provide stability and consistent revenue.Client churn is inevitable, so it's important to constantly find new opportunities and maintain a marketing engine.Pricing ongoing services can be difficult, and it's important to consider the value provided and the client's budget.LinkedIn is a valuable platform for marketing and networking in the services industry.CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction and Background08:14 Offering Free Work to Build Trust17:17 Converting Conversations into Proposals23:03 Quantifying the Potential Impact of Services27:26 Challenges of Pricing for Smaller Businesses31:07 The Shifting Market for Service Providers35:44 Shifting to Retained Services41:15 Dealing with Client Churn46:19 Pricing Ongoing Services53:11 Leveraging LinkedIn ----Do you know you need to niche down, but keep hesitating because you're afraid of picking the wrong niche, cutting off good opportunities, or boxing yourself in?You DON'T need more convincing that vague positioning is a problem.You DO need a way to make positioning feel less risky so you can finally choose a direction, test it in the market, and adjust without blowing up your business.On Tuesday, September 8th, 2026, at noon Eastern Time, I'm running a live workshop called Positioning For Soloists Having A Hard Time Niching Down.That's what we'll tackle in this workshop.It's the second session of my Fall 2026 Soloist Growth Workshop series for expertise-based business owners just like you.Live attendance is limited to 20, so don't wait.Learn more at: https://jonathanstark.com/sgsEnroll in Positioning For Soloists now »Hope to see you live in Zoom on Tuesday.