Professional brand strategist Suzanne Dufault, also known as the 'Essentialist CEO,' is seen at her desk writing in a planner. A framed print nearby reads, 'Profitability isn't a guess. It's a strategy. Price backward from the shelf.'

Pricing Strategy for Service Businesses: What Sears Canada Taught Me About Walking Away

/ Marketing & Visibility Strategy / By

Why do smart founders undercharge? Most build a pricing strategy for service businesses backwards. They count their hours, then guess at a fee.

I learned the exact opposite as VP of Sales, Merchandising, and Product Development, presenting product lines to major retailers across North America. We never started with our costs. We started with the price on the shelf.

How Do You Price from the Market Instead of Your Hours?

In retail, every product starts with one fundamental question: what will the customer actually pay? From there, we worked backward through the retailer’s margin, freight, duty, and manufacturing. As a result, we always knew what a product could cost to produce while still protecting our profitability.

  • Do this: “My ideal client invests in a business result worth far more than my fee. What must my offer and brand include to earn that price?”
  • Not that: “I work 20 hours at $100 an hour, so I charge $2,000.”

When Should You Walk Away from Big Volume?

Around 2010, we pursued the white linen space at Sears Canada. For an importer, it meant massive volume. But when we worked backward from their target price point, the numbers simply didn’t hold. We couldn’t meet their terms and stay profitable.

So we walked away. It felt risky to turn down a major retail name, but walking away from unprofitable volume is the only way to protect your brand.

We also sensed a structural shift in retail. Massive box stores kept the volume programs and handed suppliers whatever margin scraps were left. Chasing that business meant competing purely on price, not value.

Seven years later, Sears Canada began liquidating. From where I sat, a retailer squeezing every supplier margin while carrying heavy, aging inventory was an obvious early warning sign. When one side takes the whole pie, the partnership rarely lasts.

What Does a Pricing Strategy for Service Businesses Mean for Founders and Executive Women?

I see the exact same trap in service businesses today. Founders say yes to the client who pays too little because the incoming revenue looks good on paper. However, volume is not value. The operational strain grows, and your positioning quietly slips.

  • Do this: Decline the project that forces a discount your hard-earned experience doesn’t deserve.
  • Not that: Accept every inbound inquiry because “exposure” might lead somewhere tomorrow.

Does Your Brand Justify Your Price?

Premium Brand Strategy roadmap and luxury market positioning audit for established female founders

Clients judge fast, so your website has to defend your executive fees before anyone ever hops on a discovery call. If your digital presence says “affordable option” while your career track record says “expert,” clients negotiate with what they see. That perception gap is where premium brand positioning does its vital work.

Google makes a similar point in its technical documentation. Its guidance on helpful, people-first content rewards real, firsthand industry experience over generic aggregation. That is why I share this retail story instead of a list of abstract tips.

Not sure where your online perception gap lies? My Luxury Growth Audit identifies what is costing you high-ticket clients. You can also explore strategic foundational frameworks in Brand Identity & Positioning, or anchor your visual authority with a custom color palette.

Where Should You Start with Value-Based Pricing?

Ask yourself three quiet questions:

  1. Where do I actually want to sit in my market?
  2. What would a high-end client at that level expect to see from me?
  3. Which current clients am I saying yes to that pull me away from that exact spot?

Get the Free Guide: The Seamless Client Experience Framework

If your website receives steady traffic but people quietly slip away, take a moment to audit your layout using our Executive Brand Alignment Guide to spot the gaps.

To help you fix these invisible leaks today, I created a new, highly actionable guide: The Seamless Client Experience Framework.

Inside this quick, simple PDF, I break down exactly how to fix the four biggest friction points in your business:

  1. Connect All Your Pieces: How to make everything look and act like one single brand.
  2. Automated Onboarding: What needs to happen the exact minute a client pays you.
  3. Intuitive Product Ladders: How to make it instantly clear what a client should buy first.
  4. Nurture Flywheels: How to stay in touch and build trust without being annoying.

The guide includes real-world “Before and After” examples for every step, plus a simple “Fix-It List” you can complete in just a few minutes today.

P.S. Steve Jobs once said, “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” Your premium brand is exactly the same way. You do not have to work harder to fix how your business works; you just need to connect the dots. Grab my new free PDF guide, The Seamless Client Experience Framework, to find and fix your invisible leaks today. So download your free PDF guide.

Suzanne Dufault Brand Strategist

Warmly, calm confidence,
Suzanne Dufault
sue@suzannedufault.ca
suzannedufault.ca