INSIDE 1:1 MENTORING
How to Price a Paid Commitment
You are writing another proposal from scratch, and you can already feel yourself adding free support to get a yes. Ivanka Menken uses the Paid Commitment Test inside 1:1 Mentoring, a 6-month programme at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST, to turn one vague opportunity into a clear commitment: what is included, the price, the period and the decision date. In this case, that meant three months at $5,000, written before the call.
The Paid Commitment Test is a tool inside the programme, not a separate product.
AN EXAMPLE PROPOSAL
Every quote, from scratch.
- THE OLD QUOTEdiscovery, delivery and support mixed togetherOpen-ended
- THE EXTRASsupport and calls added to get a yesFree
- THE COMMITMENTthree months, scope and decision date written$5,000
THE RULE
“One paid period, one scope, one price. Written before the call.”
Your price and period will differ.
SOUND FAMILIAR?
A new proposal, the same doubt
- 01You write every proposal from a blank page.
- 02You add free support to get a yes.
- 03Mid-project, the scope and the price start to drift.
THE PROPOSAL, AS IT STANDS
- Template: none, every quote from scratch
- Scope: discovery, delivery and support mixed
- Paid period: not stated
- Free extras: added to win the work
- Decision date: none
A quote that could be renegotiated at any point.
THE EXAMPLE CASE
Every quote, rewritten and discounted
01
THE MOMENT
Another proposal from a blank page
The call went well and the client wants a proposal by Friday. You open a blank document again. Discovery, delivery and follow-on support all go in, with a little extra help thrown in so the yes comes easily. You know how this ends: a project that grows, a margin that shrinks and the same doubt on the next quote.
02
WHAT THEY HAD TRIED
A first-month discount and more calls
In this case, the founder of a small consulting firm still did most of the delivery and the selling. The obvious fixes were a discount on the first month and a few more calls in the package. Neither helped. The work stayed undefined, the extra calls became expected, and the same doubt came back on the next quote, along with the urge to add something free.
03
WHAT IVANKA NOTICED
No clear paid period anywhere
Ivanka noticed that every proposal mixed discovery, delivery and follow-on support without a clear paid period. There was no point where the client had committed to something with an end date, so scope and payment could blur at any time. The founder was not short of confidence in the price. The commitment itself had never been defined.
THE DIAGNOSIS
An undefined commitment, not a confidence problem
The real issue was not confidence in the price. It was an undefined commitment that let scope and payment blur, so every quote turned into a fresh negotiation, mostly with the founder’s own doubt.
The reframe: a client says yes more easily to a clear period than to an open promise. Define what is included, the price and the period, set a decision date, and the price has something to stand on.
A price without a period is an open invitation to renegotiate.
THE COST OF STAYING STUCK
Every undefined proposal costs margin twice: once in the free extras that win it, and again in the scope that grows after the yes.
THE TOOL
The Paid Commitment Test, for one proposal
The Paid Commitment Test is how Ivanka forces one vague paid opportunity into a clear shape before the founder commits. It runs on the Fortnight Loop of 1:1 Mentoring: name the opportunity, write the commitment, use it, and review it at the next session.
Tap a part. Your scope and price will be your own.
Paid Commitment Test · a framework by Ivanka Menken
What it is
It is one page with four lines: what is included, the price, the period and the decision date. Anything not on the page is a separate conversation. Under it, the next proposal that will use it.
What it replaces
It replaces a quote written from a blank page, a discount to get a yes and free support that quietly becomes part of the deal.
It sits inside 1:1 Mentoring, next to the monthly scorecard. The commitment is written in one session, used in the next proposal and reviewed against what actually happened. It is coaching, not a done-for-you pricing fix, and there is no separate checkout.
THE COMMITMENT, AS WRITTEN
- 01Included: the work for the period, named in plain words
- 02Not included: follow-on support beyond the period
- 03The price: $5,000
- 04The period: three months
- 05The decision date: when you and the client choose what comes next
- 06The rule: no renegotiation mid-period
HOW IVANKA WORKED WITH THEM
One page, used on the next proposal
In the session, Ivanka asked the founder to bring the next live proposal. They separated discovery, delivery and follow-on support, then chose what belonged inside one paid period. The founder wrote one page: what is included, $5,000, three months and a decision date. They agreed to use it as the basis of the next client call, with no free extras added to get the yes.
THE PAID COMMITMENT, AS WRITTEN
- Included
- The named work for the period, in plain words.
- Price
- $5,000.
- Period
- Three months.
- Decision date
- At the end of month three, with the client.
- Review
- At the next fortnight, then on the monthly scorecard
Your scope and price will be your own.
THE FOUR-STEP LOOP
- 1The one thingProposals rewritten and discounted every time.
- 2The numbers$5,000, three months, one decision date.
- 3The storyWhy free support felt like the safe way to win.
- 4The commitmentUse the page on the next proposal.
THE QUESTIONS
- What is the client really buying?
- What belongs inside the paid period?
- What stays outside it?
- What price will you say without adding extras?
- When will you and the client decide what comes next?
Before the next session, the founder used the page on the next client call, noted every request to add something and listed what the client asked for outside the period.
WHAT CHANGED
A defined commitment instead of a drifting quote
By month 6, proposals start from a written commitment, scope stays inside the period, and the next pricing decision uses the same test.
BEFORE
- Every quote written from scratch.
- Free support added to get a yes.
- Scope and payment blurred mid-project.
- The same doubt on every new quote.
BY MONTH 6
- A one-page commitment behind every proposal.
- A clear period, price and decision date.
- No renegotiation mid-stream.
- The commitment reviewed on the monthly scorecard.
THE 12 FORTNIGHTS
- 1Call
- 2Call
- 3Call
- 4Call
- 5Call
- 6Month 3
- 7Call
- 8Call
- 9Call
- 10Call
- 11Call
- 12Month 6
The programme is the container: 12 fortnightly 60-minute sessions, a monthly scorecard, and reviews at month 3 and month 6.
ILLUSTRATIVE RESULT
In this case, the founder wrote a three-month paid commitment at $5,000 for the next proposal and used it as the basis for the call. They stopped renegotiating mid-stream and reviewed the commitment on the monthly scorecard, with the scope and the price written in one place.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU
Define the commitment before the next proposal
Ivanka Menken built 1:1 Mentoring for founders of $500K to $3M businesses who keep carrying the same decisions. Every fortnight she helps you name one decision, write the commitment and check it two weeks later.
This fits if you still sell and deliver, and every proposal starts from a blank page. It does not fit if you want someone to price your work for you. The decision in front of you is one page. Write what is included, the price, the period and the decision date before the next call.
“Helps founders lead with clarity and integrity by modelling vulnerability, emotional intelligence, and grounded decision-making. Creates an environment where leaders can openly explore challenges and grow without fear of judgement.”
R.W., founder
WHO IT IS FOR
It fits
- You sell services and still do most of the delivery.
- You write every proposal from scratch.
- You add free extras to win the work.
- You will write the commitment and use it.
It does not fit
- You want accounting or financial advice.
- You want a done-for-you proposal or price list.
- You want a price guaranteed to win.
- You will not say no to scope outside the period.
THE INVESTMENT
AUD $1,500
per month ex GST
6 months · 12 fortnightly sessions
The Paid Commitment Test is part of 1:1 Mentoring, a 6-month programme at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST. It is not sold separately.
- 12 fortnightly 60-minute sessions
- A monthly one-page scorecard
- Reviews at month 3 and month 6
- The Paid Commitment Test on live proposals
Three founding places in total, shared across 1:1 Mentoring and its three focus programmes, are available at A$1,000 a month, in return for honest monthly feedback and a testimonial, which can be anonymous. Claim a founding place.
The Paid Commitment Test is part of the programme. It is not sold separately.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Questions about pricing a paid commitment
What goes in a paid commitment?
Four lines: what is included, the price, the period and the decision date. Anything outside them is a separate conversation. In this case, that was three months at $5,000 with a decision date at the end. Ivanka Menken writes it with you inside 1:1 Mentoring, 6 months at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST, using your next live proposal.
How long should the period be?
Long enough to deliver something the client can judge, short enough that both sides can decide what comes next. Three months is a common starting point for a services engagement. Ivanka Menken helps you choose it from the work itself inside 1:1 Mentoring, 6 months at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST, and the decision date goes on the page.
What if the client asks for a discount?
Change the scope, not the price. If the budget is smaller, take something out of the period and say what it was. A discount with the same scope teaches the client the price was never real. Ivanka Menken practises that conversation with you inside 1:1 Mentoring, 6 months at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST, before the call.
What happens at the decision date?
You and the client look at what the period delivered and choose what comes next: a new commitment, a smaller one or a finish. Nothing rolls on by default. Ivanka Menken reviews the commitment with you inside 1:1 Mentoring, 6 months at AUD $1,500 per month ex GST, and the next proposal starts from the same page.
Write the commitment before the call
If every proposal starts from a blank page and ends with free extras, start with 1:1 Mentoring. The Paid Commitment Test is inside it, and the 20-minute intro call is where you can see whether the programme fits.
Not accounting, financial advice or a done-for-you pricing fix.