017 WHY CHARGING LOW FEES WILL GIVE YOU EXPENSIVE PROBLEMS (AND OVERBEARING CLIENTS)

Every architect knows that moment — when a client looks you and says,

“Your fee is too high… I can't pay this!”

It feels like a small compromise, a harmless adjustment to secure the job. But that’s often where the real problem begins. Because when you lower your fee to please a client, you don’t just reduce your price — you reduce your power.

In this episode of The SILL TALKS Podcast, Arc. Egbeiyon Leonard, shares raw, real, and hard-earned lessons from practice — about how charging low fees often attracts overbearing clients, drains your confidence, and keeps you stuck in survival mode instead of growth.

He breaks down:
 ✅ Why lowering your fee doesn’t make clients value you more — it makes them question you.
 ✅ The hidden cost of “cheap” projects that steal your time, peace, and creativity.
 ✅ Practical ways to shift from survival pricing to value-based confidence.
 ✅ Why having fewer, well-paying clients leads to deeper trust and lasting respect.

This isn’t just a conversation about money — it’s about self-worth, boundaries, and building a practice that reflects your true value.

🎧 Tune in now, and remind yourself:

You’re not charging high — you’re charging your worth.
You’re not expensive — you’re Valuable.

Have a challenge in your practice, business, or professional journey that you’re currently navigating?

Send us a message at info@silldesigns.com
and share what you’re dealing with.
Your insight may shape a future episode or help us point you toward clarity, structure, and practical next steps.

Transcript

WHY CHARGING LOW FEES WILL GIVE YOU EXPENSIVE PROBLEMS (AND OVERBEARING CLIENTS)

THIS IS SILL TALKS, EPISODE 17!

🎵 [Soft reflective music fades in]

so, there is this experience I am sure we have all had at some point as an architect.

You meet a new client, they love your work, they’re excited to work with you and all is good until you send in your invoice or call your price with mouth (which I don’t advice)— but then the long silence starts or if you are lucky, you hear the famous words

“Your fee is high”.

And that statement or the silence makes you uneasy. Because behind it, is fear — the fear of losing the job, the fear of not having work, the fear of watching yet another opportunity slip away from you.

So, you panic and you scramble to reach out to the client and, in the process, you sell yourself short and lower the price. You tell yourself, “At least I’ll stay busy.”
But what you don’t realize is that you just started a cycle — one that trades peace for pressure, and value for validation.

We’ve been there too.

Hi, I am Egbeiyon Leonard, and you’re listening to The SILL TALKS Podcast, the show dedicated to helping architects build businesses that are profitable and sustainable.

Today’s episode is titled:
👉🏽 “Why Charging Low Fees will Give You Expensive Problems (and Overbearing Clients).”

Before I go any further, let’s be honest — I wasn’t always this confident about our fees at Sill Designs or Render Like A pro.

This isn’t theory for me. I’ve lived it.
 I’ve been on both sides — the side that fears losing clients, and the side that chooses to stand firm.

I know what it feels like to wake up with no projects on the board and bills waiting to be paid.
 To open your phone, see a potential inquiry, and think, “If we just reduce our fee a bit on this one, maybe we’ll get it.”

You’re not weak for thinking like that — you’re simply human.

We’ve done it too. We’ve charged low fees out of excitement, out of fear, out of the hope that maybe it’ll bring more work or referrals.
 But every time we did, it backfired.

You know that saying that the client that will pay you well will not stress you? It is soo true.

The clients who paid the least often demanded the most from us.
 They called endlessly, questioned our every decision, delayed payments, and still made us feel like they were doing us a favor.

That’s when we learned something that changed everything for us:

“It’s not the fee that earns you respect — it’s the conviction behind it.”

Let me tell you about one moment that really tested this principle for us.

I’ll never forget it — it happened in Port Harcourt.

We had a client who loved our work and said all the right things. She admired our designs — until it came to the matter of fees. after discussions,

She sent a deposit — but not what we agreed on. She sent what she thought we deserved.
And she said something many of us have probably heard before:

“Don’t worry, there’s a lot more work coming your way. Just do this one for now.”

And honestly, at that time, things were rough.
 We could have easily said, “Let’s just take it.”

But something inside said, “If we accept this, we’ll never be taken seriously again.”

So, we refunded her money — politely of course — and walked away.

It wasn’t easy to be honest. We questioned ourselves for days after. We had doubts. We asked ourselves, “Did we just make a mistake? Was it a silly move?”
 But that decision became a turning point.

It built something no client could ever pay for — self-belief.

That day taught us that walking away doesn’t mean losing — it can mean growing.
 And once you’ve proven to yourself that you can walk away, you start negotiating from a place of strength, not fear.

And you know what’s funny? The universe always tests your resolve about it.
 Not long after that, another client came with the same story — a beautiful project, great energy, but when it was time to discuss fees, he wanted a discount.

We calmly explained the value behind our pricing and stood our ground.
 He wasn’t happy. So He left.

A few weeks later, he came back — this time, without any argument.
 He simply said,

“You know what, let’s proceed. Send me your invoice.”

Since that day, he has come back repeatedly and has never questioned our fees.
 He pays promptly, sometimes even ahead of schedule. And the same goes for the people he refers to us.

He’s become one of those dream clients — the kind that trusts your judgment, respects your process, and gives you room to do your best work.

That’s what happens when you stand firm.
 When clients realize you’re not desperate, they start seeing you as dependable.

And that’s one statement I tell people in my mentoring group, “Never negotiate from a point of desperation because when you do, you will accept anything that is thrown your way.

That experience taught us something powerful —
 you don’t need every client to win; you just need the right ones.

At Sill Designs and Render like A Pro, we don’t have hundreds of clients.
We’re not the busiest firm in Nigeria — and that’s okay. (because we are always book anyways)

Because the few clients who work with us… truly work with us.
 They pay well, they value our process, and they trust our expertise.

And because of that, we can give them time, attention, and quality that others cannot.

Those clients become like family.
 They call us long after the project is done — not for work, but to ask for advice, to check in, to share updates.

They don’t just buy drawings.
 They buy peace of mind.
 They buy confidence.
 They buy partnership.

That’s how reputation is built — one meaningful client at a time.

So yes, we might not have plenty, but we have quality.
And quality sustains you far longer than quantity ever will.

Now, we know what some of you are thinking right now —
 “That sounds great, but what if I don’t even have enough clients to choose from?”

And that’s fair. Because fear is still real.

The fear of losing clients.
 The fear of going broke.
 The fear of being invisible in a competitive market.

But here’s the truth — charging low doesn’t give you security.
 It gives you strain and stress.

You’ll end up needing five projects to make what one well-paid job could’ve earned you.
 You’ll be constantly busy, yet constantly broke.

No time to rest. No time to think. No time to grow.

And slowly, you start losing confidence in your own value.
 Because when you keep accepting less, you start believing you deserve less.

And that’s when burnout creeps in.

You see, you don’t build stability by being cheap — you build it by being clear.

So, how do you begin to change that story?
 Because you can’t just wake up tomorrow and double your fees — that’s not realistic to be honest.

Let’s talk about something practical.

First, explain your value clearly.
When clients understand why your work matters to them, pricing takes the back seat.
Instead of saying, “Our fee is ₦5 million, with your mouth for staters”,

You can give them the benefits of having you on the project and one of the benefits could be you saying “This design will reduce heat gain, cut long-term maintenance costs, and prevent construction errors worth millions.” Then you send them the invoice worth the amount.

That’s not selling — that’s educating.

Second, show results.
Clients believe what they can see.
Use before-and-after pictures, testimonials, and completed projects to demonstrate value.

Third, build structure.
Stage your services — for example, concept development stage, design development, if you are doing visuals/ state it, then supervision.
That approach communicates professionalism and reduces the chance of clients undervaluing your process.

Fourth, raise your fee gradually.
if you currently charge low, you can raise your fees gradually, Even a 10% increase with every new project builds confidence.
Your growth should be consistent, not abrupt. For example when we started commercial visualization at Render like a pro in 2016, we were charging 30 thousand naira per view for our Renders, but today, we charge over 7 figures per view for our visuals

And finally — be willing to walk away.
Because every “no” creates space for a better “yes.”

This isn’t about arrogance; it’s about alignment.
 You can not build a sustainable practice on resentment.

At the end of the day, this isn’t just about pricing — it’s about your peace.
 It’s about building a practice that respects your talent, your time, and your team.

Charging low fees might help you survive the month…
 but it can trap you in years of exhaustion.

You won’t build wealth or respect by being the cheapest —
 you’ll build both by being the most valuable.

So stop being afraid to lose clients.
 Sometimes, losing the wrong client is what frees you up to attract the right one.

You may not have many, but the few that truly value you will pay you well, refer you often, and treat you like family.

And that’s the sweet spot — fewer clients, deeper trust, better outcomes.

So the next time someone says, “Your fee is too high,”
pause and remember:

“You are not charging high — You’re charging your worth.”
 “You are not expensive — You are valuable.”

🎵 [Soft outro music fades in]

If this episode spoke to you, share it with another architect who needs this reminder today.
 And if you want to go deeper into mastering your business mindset, grab your copy of The Practical Guide to Business for Architects — available now at silldesigns.com.

Until the next SILL TALKS, this is Leonard, reminding you that…

You don’t get paid for drawings — you get paid for decisions.

bye

🎵 [Music fades out]