Pricing Services

Major Airlines are now charging solo flyers up to 70% more; here are some tips on how you can avoid paying extra American Airlines, Delta, and United are reportedly charging more when you book by yourself as opposed to with a group or as a couple. The reason? Revenue managers believe you are more likely to be a business traveler when flying by yourself, as opposed to a group more probably leisure customers. There is nothing new about airlines targeting routes and timing that are lower in price elasticity. I have noted for decades that you pay a big premium for a same day round trip on European business routes for example. In the USA, the "Saturday night Stayover" rule has unlocked significantly lower fares under the assumption that a business flyer will not want to give up their weekend away from home. Now what about this "solo flyer pays more" new "enhancement?" The frequent flyer blog site "View from the Wing" provides examples on AA routes out of Charlotte, where identical timings return the following fare quote: $511 per person if booked for two people $765 for one person Continuing to look at AA and flights out of Charlotte, 2 passengers flying together in August to Fort Meyers pay $210 each, while a solo flyer pays $422. In other words, "1 for the price of 2," ++! The Economist noted this week that "American is deploying the technique the most enthusiastically, sparking outrage in the travel blogosphere." USA Today in their business travel column expanded: "We stumbled upon a new pricing strategy that was not very widespread but no less troubling at the nation’s three largest airlines." As businesses watch their T&E budgets more carefully than ever before, and managers are hesitant to spend on flights, here are a few suggestions that the creative frequent flyers have come up with: 1) Book for two passengers 2) Call the airline and split the PNR (Passenger Record) in two 3) Cancel the second passenger and refund the ticket Note that this could lead to an audit however and you being required to pay the fare difference, which is far from an optimal outcome. A better approach: 1. Use flight search engines in the "incognito" mode (Google Flights I find to be especially good for this.) 2. Avoid airlines that are applying the surcharge (so especially AA at the moment it seems.) 3. Understand if you can arrange to fly with a colleague (if possible.) If you are planning overseas trips, note it is thought to be more expensive if you reserve your ticket on a Sunday (regardless of day of travel,) and/or if you use an iOS device. Why? Handheld device (especially Apple) customers are thought to be less price sensitive it seems. Lastly, consider alternatives: for example, in Europe and much of Asia, High Speed Rail is far lower impact environmentally. If you are organizing a conference, select locations where fares are lower. What are your approaches to saving on business travel? Photo: Shot on my iPhone. Strategy is Mastery.

I just had one of those calls again yesterday. A prospective client told me their fee structure was 15%. I had to stop them right there. A new prospect walked me through their horror stories with previous recruiting firms. No communication.  Poor candidates. Searches that dragged on for months with zero results. Then they mentioned their fee structure: 15%. I had to pause and ask them a simple question: "If a firm is willing to work for those rates, what does that tell you about their priorities?" Here's the reality most companies miss. When you pay bottom-dollar fees, you're not just getting budget service. You're getting firms that can't afford to focus on your search because they must spread themselves thin across dozens of low-margin deals just to keep the lights on. We start at 25% minimum. Not because we're greedy, but because quality work requires focused attention.  When we commit to a search, we don't give up until it's done. That level of service isn’t sustainable at discount rates. The math is simple: Pay for cheap recruiting, get cheap results, and high attrition. Pay for quality, get candidates who actually move the needle. In the long run, the "expensive" option is often the one that saves you money.

Global Amazon agencies might look impressive on paper. But if you dig a little deeper you might find that you’re paying for their overheads, not their expertise. Often, big agencies have to charge high fees to fund their massive marketing and sales teams, trips to global conferences to meet prospective clients, big offices, and layers of account managers. Here is my personal viewpoint: ⤷ More headcount doesn’t mean better results. It just means higher fees. I run an agency with less than 5 FTEs, yet we scale brands to millions. Here’s how: ➜ Processes – Clear, repeatable systems ensure consistency and efficiency. ➜ Automations – We leverage tech to eliminate manual, low-value tasks. ➜ Workflows – Defined steps keep projects moving without bottlenecks. ➜ Hiring – I work with the best in the business—contractors, specialists, and experts—brought in at the right time, for the right tasks. No unnecessary overheads. No bloated teams. That means my clients aren’t paying for fancy offices or full-time salaries—they’re paying for results. They are also not exploiting low paid staff from the Philippines (contraventions point I appreciate) Scaling isn’t about headcount. It’s about structure. What’s the smartest move you’ve made to scale efficiency?

Airline Ticketing system exploiting customers with Dark patterns? The Consumer Protection Act of 2019 defines dark patterns as unfair trade practices that can undermine consumer autonomy, decision-making, or choice. They can also amount to misleading advertisements or violate consumer rights. As per Central Consumer Protection Authority  Section 2(e) “Dark patterns” shall mean any practices or deceptive design patterns using UI/UX (user interface/user experience) interactions on any platform; designed to mislead or trick users to do something they originally did not intend or want to do; by subverting or impairing the consumer autonomy, decision making or choice; amounting to misleading advertisement or unfair trade practice or violation of consumer rights;. The Guidelines on Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, issued under the act's section 18, specify 13 examples of dark patterns, including: False urgency, Basket sneaking, Confirm shaming, Forced action, Subscription trap, Interface interference, Bait and switch, Drip pricing, Disguised advertisements and nagging, Trick wording, Saas billing, and Rogue malwares.  The guidelines allow the Competition and Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to intervene and order the discontinuation of dark patterns. Failure to comply with the CCPA's directives can result in a fine of up to 20 lakh rupees or imprisonment for up to six months, or both. Exploitation of Dark Patterns in Airline Ticket Sales    1. Scarcity Tactics. 2. Hidden Costs 3. Bait and Switch 4. Pre-Selected Upgrades 5. Confusing Cancellation Policies 6. Compulsory seat selection instead of random allotment How to Avoid Dark Patterns and Buy Cheap Airline Tickets    1. Clear Your Cookies: Regularly clear your cookies or use incognito mode when searching for flights, as prices can increase based on your search history. 2. Use Price Comparison Websites: Utilize reputable flight comparison websites to check fares across multiple airlines and booking platforms 3. Book in Advance: While not always the case, booking well in advance can often secure better rates 4. Be Flexible: If possible, be flexible with your travel dates and times. Flying mid-week or at less popular hours can result in lower prices 5. Read the Fine Print: Always read the terms and conditions carefully to avoid unexpected charges and understand cancellation policies 6. Set Price Alerts: Many travel websites and apps allow you to set alerts for price drops on specific routes 7. Join Loyalty Programs: Airline loyalty programs can offer discounts, perks, and early access to sales for frequent flyers 8. Avoid Rushing: Take your time when booking and double-check each step to ensure you haven't opted into additional costs 9. Book your tickets from a de-googled phone or a simple desktop #consumeract #darkpatterns #ecommerce #law #publicpolicy #IT #UX #media #news

We're more expensive than most #shopify agencies in the UK. There, I said it. But does this mean we're money grabbing sh*t bags driving ferrari's? Unfortunately not, but here are the reasons we charge more. 1. You get access to a team, not just a project manager - Project Managers are the internal advocates for clients and the glue for the internal team. It's too much for them to be strategising, implementing and communicating. When brands work with us, they typically have a project manager, strategist, email marketing strategist, designer and developer who will be working with them directly. 2. Proactivity - One of the biggest reasons that we used to lose clients and that many agencies still do is complacency. We used to be an 'order taking' agency i.e. what do you want us to do with your hours this month? If you flip this and give retailers a prioritised list of what we think needs to happen based on our experience and data, that stuff takes time and cost, but has a big impact on succcess. 3. Quality Control - It's not sexy, but one of our USPs is our QA/QC procedure. So what? Well if you've ever been handed over a project or piece of work from an agency that goes back and forth for 3 weeks without the site going live, you'll know why this is so damn important. Please, for the love of cheese, ask your new agency what their QA/QC procedure is. Want to see more on this? Take a look here 👇

💬 “Do you feel our pricing was too high?” 
Not at all. If anything, I think the gap lies in education—not overpricing. I’ve had clients ask if I could run the full marketing campaign without an agency. And I was fully transparent in saying: No. Because the value of an agency isn’t just in execution—it's in the thinking, the network, the pressure-tested systems, and the ability to turn chaos into campaigns that convert. The real issue? Many people genuinely don’t know what agencies charge, what’s standard, or why those fees exist. That’s why transparency isn’t just nice to have—it’s essential. 💬 “So how do agencies charge?” Great question—and one more clients should feel empowered to ask. Most agencies charge using one (or a mix) of the following models: 1. Management Fee (15–25%)
This is the cost of running the campaign: project management, reporting, admin, client servicing, influencer briefing, tracking performance, and being accountable for delivery. It’s not fluff. It’s what keeps the machine moving. 2. Service-Based Retainer
This is a fixed monthly fee for ongoing services—often strategy, content, community management, or creative support. You're buying access to a full team and their consistent brainpower over time. 3. Markup on Media/Influencer Costs
Some agencies will add a markup on influencer rates or media buying as part of how they recover costs. This isn’t shady—it’s standard practice globally. But transparency here is key. 4. Project-Based Flat Fees
For clearly scoped work (e.g., one-off campaigns, events, or design), a flat fee can be easier to manage—but often still includes baked-in margins for delivery time, resourcing, and logistics. 🧠 The truth is, a good agency doesn’t just cost you—they protect you. From underperforming talent. From poor briefs. From wasted budget. From misaligned metrics. So the next time you’re looking at a marketing proposal, don’t just ask “Why does this cost X?” 
Ask instead: “What’s the value I’m getting for that X?” Because when you work with the right team, you’re not paying for time—you’re paying for outcomes.

A 450-person company's head of finance told me she knew something was going on with their travel spend. She just couldn’t prove it. “Cloak and daggers,” she called it. "A lack of transparency,” she said. “I know they're taking the price we're booking at and re-shopping it to the hotel somehow. We're just not getting the benefit pushed to us." Her gut was right. These are the three questions you need to ask to get to the bottom of this pricing model problem. (1) What's the actual hotel rate vs. what you're charging me? You set a max rate of $300 per night in Dublin. An employee books at $280. Sounds good. But is the platform booking that room at $280? Or at $250, pocketing the $30 gap, and still taking 10% commission on top? You set upper limits. They control what happens below them. (2) Are you getting margin from both sides? Platforms say they negotiate volume discounts with hotels on your behalf. But they're also taking commission from you on every booking. So who's the customer? You, or the hotel? Platforms profit when you spend more. A $400 room generates more commission than a $250 room. That's not alignment. The "volume discounts" rarely materialize because the margin sharing happens behind closed doors. (3) Can you show the math on the savings we were promised? Every platform claims they'll save you 20%. But ask them to show the math and watch the conversation get uncomfortable. Real example: A company's travel platform quoted $17,000 per person for a U.S. to India trip. They booked the same trip directly for $4,500 per person. That's a $12,500 gap. And it only surfaced because someone bothered to check themselves. Demand transparency from your travel software vendor. Ask to see the actual hotel rate vs. what you're paying. Ask where the margin goes. Ask for the math behind the savings. If your platform can't answer those questions clearly, you're not working with a partner. You're working with a middleman who profits from your confusion.

💣𝗛𝗥 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵 #13: “𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗳 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁.” 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 “I wasn’t ready and they weren’t either.” “Applied, got called in the next day, interview lasted 15 minutes" “By the end of the week, I was hired. No JD, no intro, just ‘start ASAP’.” “There was no briefing, no clear expectations, manager kept saying, ‘Just figure it out.’” “Within a month, I was told I wasn’t performing and didn’t even know what the target was.” “I was thrown into the deep end and blamed for not swimming fast enough.” Guess what, I left and they started hiring again… just as quickly. 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 “We need someone now just get them in.” “We’re short-handed, can't wait for the ‘perfect’ candidate.” “Anyone with experience should be able to do the job.” “If they don’t work out, we’ll just replace them.” 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 > A hire → fire → hire again cycle (fire means fire at work not termination) > Wasted recruitment costs (vicious cycle) > Lost time, lost productivity > Team morale drops every time a new person “doesn’t work out” 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗧𝗛 Hiring fast may fill a seat but hiring wrong creates a hole. The hidden cost of bad hires in any business > They frustrate your existing team > Managers waste time correcting avoidable mistakes > Spends more time, money, efforts rehiring than if you did it right the first time 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 1️⃣Define the job clearly before posting it, even a 1-page JD helps with clarity & expectations 2️⃣Focus on fit, not just skills & attitude, ask will this person thrive in our culture? Can they adapt to how we work? 3️⃣Test before you commit, give small task, case study or skills test before offering the job 4️⃣Involve the team, let future teammates meet the candidate they often spot red flags faster 5️⃣Onboard properly, even basic onboarding (welcome email, training plan, buddy system) increases new hire success by 50% 𝗜 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 A software company rushed to hire a salesperson just before launching a new product. Didn’t check cultural fit & just grabbed someone with “good industry contacts.” Three months later 💥No sales 💥Clients were confused 💥Internal team was frustrated 💥Warning letters & PIP Wasted so much time & energy, had to let the probationer go, restarted the hiring I made sure a clear JD, better interview process & team involvement. The next hire stayed, is delivering results & built trust. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 Fast hiring may 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻 but poor hiring 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲. Don’t just fill the seat, fill with the right person. One wrong match can set the whole team back. ******** I am Kevin Goh, Empowering People & Businesses | Building Modern HR for the Evolving Workplace

Had dinner with another recruiter friend last night and (shocker) we started talking about work. One thing we both kept circling back to was this: A lot of hiring managers and business owners still misunderstand what they’re actually getting when they partner with a recruiter. There’s this idea that you’re just paying a fee to get resumes. And listen, I understand why it might look like that from the outside. But if that’s what you think you’re paying for, you’re overlooking the parts of the process that actually determine whether your new hire stays or leaves. Here’s what’s actually happening behind the scenes: ✔️ You’re not getting flooded with resumes. You’re getting the 2–3 that were handpicked after deep screening. Not just “can they do the job,” but “will they click with your team, your pace, and your expectations?” ✔️ We manage risk before it reaches you. Counteroffer? Already handled. Candidate second-guessing? We had the hard conversation. You never even knew there was an issue (because it didn’t have to reach you!) ✔️ We deliver the tough stuff - kindly and clearly. Rejections don’t turn into bad Glassdoor reviews. Ghosting doesn’t happen because we’re in constant communication. Your employer brand is protected because someone is translating feedback like a human. ✔️ We’re constantly recalibrating expectations on both sides. Salary, timeline, flexibility — we’re managing those conversations daily so you don’t lose great people over something fixable. And the big one: A bad hire is expensive. It’s not just about salary - it’s time, productivity, morale, starting over. When you work with a recruiter who gets it right the first time, you avoid all of that. So no, this isn’t about who charges the lowest fee. It’s about who you trust to guide the process, close the right person, and protect your business along the way. If you're going to outsource something as important as hiring, make sure you're outsourcing it to someone who treats it like it's theirs. #recruiting #hiring #recruiterlife #jobmarket #talentacquisition

I’m really not against over-servicing. Done right, it’s a really powerful sales tool, but done wrong with little understanding or control it’s a margin killer and by the time it shows up in your P&L the damage is already done. I think we can all agree that it feels like clients have been conditioned to expect more recently, putting teams under more pressure, and previously “profitable” accounts aren’t really what you think. So controlling your account burn is becoming more important. If you feel you are overservicing but you don't have great timesheet data it can become tough to spot issues. But if you want a hint at where to start looking before it hits the numbers, here’s where I'd look: 1️⃣ Scope creep in disguise Extra calls, amends and “quick” requests. None of them in the contract, so when it becomes routine it’s gone beyond goodwill, you are handing a client cash. Aim to quickly reset expectations internally and externally. 2️⃣ Your best people are overloaded If the same senior talent keeps jumping in “to get it over the line”, you’ve either got a leadership gap or a training gap. Find it and fix it fast before those people burn out. 3️⃣ Project timelines mysteriously expand That 6-week job is now 10… and then suddenly it's 16. Every extra week adds hidden cost you haven't accounted for. Track daily, not just at the end, and reprioritise before the scope creeps further. 4️⃣ Silence from the client Sometimes, silence means satisfaction because you’re doing everything. If your client is thrilled but your team’s drowning, you’ve got an issue. A strong AM can bring focus back to agreed goals. 5️⃣ Staff working “off the books” Evenings, weekends, after-hours messages… If it’s not in timesheets, your utilisation data is lying to you. Make it clear to everyone, hidden work hurts everyone because you can’t resource for what you can't see. Over-servicing can feel like great client service in the moment, but unchecked, it’s the fastest way to burn profit, morale, and retention. The agencies that win set boundaries early and stick to them.