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For Coaches: To the Coach Who Is Afraid to Raise Their Rates

Oct 3
5 min read

Updated: Oct 15

For Coaches: To the Coach Who Is Afraid to Raise Their Rates

LETTER TO THE ATHLETE · FOR COACHES · BY COACH FRITZ

You know your rates are too low, and you keep not saying anything.

Maybe another new client just signed at the old price. Maybe you spent Sunday night writing programming and reviewing video for people paying what you charged on day one. I get why you stay quiet. You like these people, and you worry a number on an invoice will change how they see you.

This is a letter, not a lecture. I'm a newer coach myself and I'm still learning this part of the job. Here is what I would tell you across the desk: how to find your real number, how to announce it, and a four-week plan with dates so it stops living in your head.

IN THIS ARTICLE

The Hour You Bill Is Not the Hour You Work

Most coaches price the session, the class or the monthly package. Nobody prices the rest. Writing the week, answering messages, watching a 40-second video clip three times to find the one cue, planning, updating a spreadsheet. That time is real, and if you are not paid for it, you are quietly subsidizing your athletes.

Here is the part that surprised me. Staying cheap does not protect the relationship. It wears on it. A coach who is tired and a little resentful writes thinner feedback and answers slower. Your athletes feel that before they ever see an invoice.

So raising your rates is not a betrayal of the people you coach. A coach who can afford to keep coaching, and keep learning, is the best thing you can offer them.

Find Your Real Number First

Do not pick a price from a feeling. Pick it from a week of honest tracking. I'm not an accountant, so talk to one about taxes and costs. This just gets you the number.

  1. Track one normal week. Log every minute of coaching work, billed and unbilled. Programming, messages, video review, prep, admin.

  2. Divide. Take what you earned that week and divide it by total hours. As an example only, 20 billed hours plus 12 unbilled is 32 hours. If you earned $1,280, that is $40 an hour before costs and taxes.

  3. Name a target. Decide what hourly figure would feel fair and sustainable, and check it against what coaches with similar credentials and experience charge near you.

  4. Choose the size of the step. For current athletes, a modest step such as 10 percent is easier to absorb than one big jump. For new clients, quote the full target price from day one.

Write the number down. Seeing it on paper takes a lot of the fear out of it.

Say It Plainly: The Script and the Rules

The mistake I see most often in how coaches handle this is over-explaining. Three paragraphs of justification tell the athlete you expect them to argue. A short, warm, confident message does the opposite.

  • Give 30 days of notice. Put it in writing, and say it in person or by call when you can.

  • Name the price and the date. "Starting June 1, the monthly rate moves from the old figure to the new one." No fuzzy language.

  • Protect what they already paid for. Any block they have prepaid stays at the old rate.

  • Send it one-on-one. A group blast feels cold. Individual messages feel respectful.

  • Do not stack discounts on top. If you raise and discount in the same message, you have not raised anything.

Here is the version I would send: "Hi [name], a heads up that starting [date], my monthly rate moves to [new price]. I've loved working with you on [something specific], and I'm putting more into programming and feedback. Your current month stays the same. Happy to talk if you have questions."

Coach's cue: Say the new number, say the date, then stop talking. The silence is not a problem you need to fix.

A Four-Week Plan You Can Actually Follow

  1. Week 1: Know the number. Track your hours for seven days, do the math, pick your target and your step size. Set a review date once a year so this never builds up again.

  2. Week 2: Draft and rehearse. Update the price for new inquiries today. Write your message, then read it out loud to a friend or another coach until you can say it without apologizing.

  3. Week 3: Send the notices. Two or three athletes a day, individually, with the effective date 30 days out. Do not send them all on a Friday night and then go dark.

  4. Week 4: Answer and hold. Reply to questions kindly, keep the number the same, and keep coaching well. Review how it went 90 days after the effective date.

Some people may leave. I would rather you go in expecting that than be shaken by it. If someone cannot continue, thank them, wish them well and point them to a lower-touch option if you have one. Do not chase.

Then deliver. A rate increase lands best when athletes can see what they get: a clear response window for messages, a regular check-in, feedback with a specific cue in it. Better service is the honest side of a higher price.

Where I Stand

I disagree with the advice to wait until you are fully booked before raising your rates. By then you are usually exhausted, and you end up raising from resentment. I would rather you raise while you are steady and prepared, with a script and a date, than wait until you are burned out and blurting it out.

Try this today: Track every minute of coaching work for the next 7 days, billed and unbilled, then divide your weekly income by that total to see your real hourly rate.

Raising Your Rates Quick Recap

  • Count the unbilled hours. Programming, messages and video review are part of the job and part of your price.

  • Use data, not feelings. Track one week, divide income by total hours, and set a target you can defend.

  • Keep the step manageable. A modest increase for current athletes, the full price for new ones.

  • Give 30 days of written notice. Name the price and the date, protect prepaid blocks, send it one-on-one.

  • Do not over-explain. Short and warm beats long and defensive. Say it, then stop talking.

  • Back it up with service. Clear check-ins and quality feedback make the new price feel fair.

The Number You Stop Apologizing For

You did not get into coaching to haggle. You got into it because you like watching someone hit a rep they could not hit last month. A fair price is what lets you keep doing that for years instead of months.

Pick your week, do the math and write the message. It will feel awkward for about one day. After that, it is just part of running a coaching business you can sustain.

If you want a coach in your corner for programming and video feedback, or you want to see how I run things, take a look at ATHLETESPHERE coaching.

Your turn. When did you last change your rates, and what has stopped you from doing it since? Tell me in the comments below. I read every one, and your answers shape what I write next. If this helped, tap the heart so it reaches more athletes.

Keep reading

Further reading: CrossFit

Coach Fritz Bautista · Head Coach, ATHLETESPHERE

CrossFit Level 2 Trainer (CF-L2) ✓ · CrossFit Programming Certificate · MBA Graduate · Digital Marketing Certified · Coaching athletes from all walks of life online

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