How should I price a cold email/LinkedIn outreach service for B2B consultants, and are my proposed prices too high?
I’d start with a setup fee in the $2,500‑$5,000 range and then charge per meeting—something like $200‑$400 each—or take a modest revenue‑share of 5‑20%. Those numbers aren’t crazy as long as the lifetime value of a client justifies them. Expect push‑back; no one sells a system without objections. A setup fee in that range is reasonable for the value you’ll deliver. For context, a full‑service B2B consulting package can run $15K a year, but freelance consultants typically charge less. If you can close a $5K deal a month and charge $200 per meeting, even with a low conversion rate (say 1 in 8 meetings), the cost per deal drops to about $1,600, leaving room to price around $3.2K and still be competitive. If you’re unsure, check out my video on value‑based pricing for a deeper dive.
He explains that the best pricing models are nuanced and combine multiple elements: an upfront setup fee, a monthly retainer, pay-per-meeting, and possibly a revenue share. He describes his former business partner Grender, who uses all three—setup fee, monthly retainer (around $5,000 per month), and either pay-per-meeting or revenue share—on annual contracts. He prefers month-to-month arrangements to avoid being tied down, charging per meeting and differentiating fees based on client value—for example, higher compensation for meetings that lead to larger deals (e.g., $15,000 versus $5,000). He cites a community member who introduced a lead that resulted in a $700,000 deal, noting a 5% revenue share would yield $35,000. He concludes by thanking viewers for joining his journey to 300,000 subscribers and looks forward to reaching 1 million.
I ran a wedding videography agency, then diversified into corporate events, but the model is location‑dependent and not very scalable. Cold email gives global reach, yet forces you to stay local unless you build a contractor network. You can send about 5,000 emails a day, which is your entire addressable market in a day. Videographers cost $50‑$100 per hour with a six‑hour minimum, so a day’s labor is roughly $300. Charging $2,500 per job leaves a ~40% cost margin, which is acceptable.
My standard offer was a $1,980 setup fee plus 7 % of the revenue generated. I also had a higher‑priced option at $2,930 setup plus $120 per lead, and a pure pay‑per‑lead model. I recommend starting with a setup fee, then adding a monthly retainer, then moving to pay‑per‑lead, or for tight‑budget clients offering a setup plus a revenue share (like I did) to align incentives and get your foot in the door while you gain experience.
Congratulations on landing your first client. For pricing, avoid tying your compensation directly to their revenue, especially as a first‑time provider. Revenue‑share can leave you out of control unless you already trust the partner. Instead use a pay‑per‑lead (or per‑meeting) model. Estimate the lifetime value (LTV) of a closed deal—let's say $25k on the low end. Determine a realistic conversion rate (CVR) from meetings to closed deals; a typical client might say 2‑3 out of 10, so you can conservatively assume 10% (0.1). Then decide your cut, usually between 10‑20%; 15% works well. Your price per lead = LTV × CVR × cut = 25,000 × 0.1 × 0.15 = $375 per qualified lead or booked meeting. You can adjust the percentage for larger or smaller deals (e.g., 10% for big deals, 15% for smaller ones). Consider offering a guarantee—e.g., guarantee 10 meetings in 60 days for $3,750, and refund if you miss the target—to align incentives and build trust. Avoid pure revenue‑share at this stage and focus on clear, controllable compensation.