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Pricing Power Calculator

Know exactly where you stand and what's holding your rates back. Score 7 dimensions of pricing power, get your market tier, and see your rate raise ceiling.

Corp Tax Rate21%
SE Threshold$400
FICA Cap 2024$168,600
Pricing Power Score
54
/ 100
Established
Market tier
Typical range
$100–$175/hr
CommodityDevelopingEstablishedPremiumElite

Your Position

Competition level
Portfolio / case study strength
Primary lead source
Niche depth
Power Score
54 / 100
Established
Conservative Raise
+7%
→ $134/hr
Aggressive Raise
+15%
→ $144/hr
Rate Range
$100–$175
Typical for this tier

Score Breakdown

Specialization10.0 / 20
Competition7.5 / 15
Retention9.9 / 18
Portfolio8.3 / 15
Utilization9.6 / 12
Lead Source4.5 / 10
Niche Depth4.0 / 10

Top 3 Actions to Raise Your Score

lowSharpen your niche positioning

Update your positioning statement and LinkedIn headline to signal expertise, not availability.

mediumShift toward referral and inbound leads

Referral clients close faster, negotiate less, and accept higher rates — ask every client for one intro.

highDeepen your specialization

Pursue a certification or niche credential. Specialists command 2-3× generalist rates.

1

Specialization

weighted_score = raw_score × weight

50 × 20%

= 10.0 pts

2

Competition

weighted_score = raw_score × weight

50 × 15%

= 7.5 pts

3

Retention

weighted_score = raw_score × weight

55 × 18%

= 9.9 pts

4

Portfolio

weighted_score = raw_score × weight

55 × 15%

= 8.3 pts

5

Utilization

weighted_score = raw_score × weight

80 × 12%

= 9.6 pts

6

Lead Source

weighted_score = raw_score × weight

45 × 10%

= 4.5 pts

7

Niche Depth

weighted_score = raw_score × weight

40 × 10%

= 4.0 pts

8

Total pricing power score

score = Σ(weighted_scores)

10.0 + 7.5 + 9.9 + 8.3 + 9.6 + 4.5 + 4.0

= 54 / 100

Rating: Established

Key insight

Pricing power is earned, not claimed. The two highest-leverage levers are specialization (20% weight) and retention (18% weight) — they compound together. A deep specialist with 90%+ retention faces virtually zero price resistance. Lead source quality (inbound referrals vs job boards) is the fastest thing you can improve: ask every happy client for one introduction.

#ShowYourWork

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