There are two ways to approach agency pricing. → You can focus on becoming more
By Johnghiorso · October 14, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
There are two ways to approach agency pricing.
→ You can focus on becoming more efficient so you can charge clients less. Automate more work, reduce your delivery costs, and compete on price.
→ Or you can figure out how to provide dramatically more value. Solve bigger problems, take on more strategic work, and build a service that justifies a much higher price.
I'd choose the second every time.
Especially now that AI is making so much of the production work agencies do cheaper and easier to automate.
If your value comes primarily from executing that work, you're going to have an increasingly hard time defending your pricing.
The opportunity is to move toward more complicated, nuanced strategic work. Work that requires real judgment and a deep understanding of your client's business.
A useful way to think about this is to take whatever you're charging clients today and multiply it by five.
Now imagine your clients are genuinely happy to pay that amount. They don't feel like they're getting ripped off. They believe the work is worth every dollar.
What would your agency need to be doing differently to justify that price?