The Sliding Scale: How To Implement a Sliding Price Scale Online
I love writing about the sliding scale and financial accessibility, but I didn't expect that my two previous posts on the subject would not only be some of my most read of mine, connecting me to lovely folks all over the world. There's still a big need for resources on the sliding scale and financial accessibility in business so I'm working on expanding my original posts into a bigger community course (i.e. a donation-based course on sliding scale, financial accessibility, and thinking about money in a way that makes sense for you and your community). If that sounds like something you're interested in then sign up for my newsletter for updates.
In the meantime, I wanted to write a short post on one of the questions I've been getting again and again:
A sliding scale sounds great, but how do I implement one on my website?
First of all - great question! There are a few options that I've used myself and come across online. Of course, anything you choose to do depends on the type of platform you're using, so I've tried to keep my recommendations general enough to allow for their usefulness across multiple platforms. However, no matter how you end up offering a sliding scale online, a lot of the success of your clients using the scale in a way that benefits you both is by being clear about your expectations and parameters of use. You can learn more about these things in the first, second, and third part of the sliding scale and financial access series. Now, on to the practical bits!
image via @ninaluong
Managed vs Unmanaged
If your platform allows it, the easiest way to implement a sliding scale is to list multiple price tiers for a single item with each price corresponding to one part of your sliding scale. There are two variations to this: the unmanaged sliding scale and the managed sliding scale. An umanaged sliding scale would mean that you offer your service from $0 on up without restrictions on either end (i.e. someone can pay $5 for a service while another person pays $65 and there is no minimum or cap to what someone can pay). You'll sometimes see this type of sliding scale called "Name Your Price" or "No One Turned Away for Lack of Funds." Some online shop platforms allow a Name Your Price option, but if yours doesn't a workaround is to use a third party platform to set up a donation button for your services where folks choose their own price that way. I have a donation button set-up on my support the work page if you want to see an example of this (and some questionable poetry).
I have used the unmanaged sliding scale model both online and in-person in the past and found that clients have found the amount of un-guided choice to be very stressful which is why I tend to use a managed sliding scale. A managed sliding scale involves listing a few prices that you choose and that reflect different points on your sliding scale (i.e. $5 for the low end of the scale, $10 for the middle, and $15 for the top end). Managed sliding scales can be as wide or narrow as you like and you can see an example of a wider sliding scale on my Begin With the Breath course and a narrower sliding scale for my Solace course. You can also check out my old listing for my Samhain Oracle where I listed out dollar amounts from $1 to $21. I talk more about the managed sliding scale and why I like it over here.
image via @jorae
Discount Codes
The other way to offer your sliding scale online is to list one standard price and then offer discount codes for folks to use to access different parts of the sliding scale. I first learned about this technique within the world of knitters (specifically through Jessa Maed who now offers access to discount codes once you sign-up for their mailing list which is a great way to build a newsletter community). You can see an example of a sliding scale accessed via discount code on Francoise Danoy's Aroha Knits page (also, you're welcome, dear readers who are also knitters and who have not yet discovered Francoise's or Jessa's knits). I recently used this technique for my annual fundraiser - where I sold a series of ebooks - and on the backend it was super easy to implement and folks seemed to find it easy to use. Here is the language that I used on my listing:
Check out my Sliding Scale Guide below to help you find the price for you. The suggested price is $9. You are invited to pay less or pay more as you are able.
The current listing price is set at $12 which is the Pay-It-Forward price.
Use the coupon code JOYFUL to purchase at $9.
Use the coupon code ABUNDANT to purchase at $3.
image via @dirtjoy
The Language of Your Scale
The language we use around money, financial access, and our sliding scales is one of the ways you help folks not only understand your own values, but a way to help folks feel empowered. I'm always adjusting the language on my course sales pages as I learn how to more clearly articulate how to use the sliding scale, why I use the sliding scale, and the feeling of confidence I hope folks feel when they're engaging with my sliding scale. It is a constant work in progress and I even spent a long time trying to figure out for this post if "managed" versus "unmanaged" was too formal and binary but then reminded myself that I can use the language I have right now and adjust again in the future.
For me, it's important to try and tie the concept of my scale and pricing to the greater Worts & Cunning learning community, so I use words like "support" and "community supported" to describe different levels of my scale (you can see this in action for my Solace and The Plant Ally Library courses). I also use the concept of Pay It Forward in my sliding scale because it feels empowering to folks who have the means to not only access a course they want to take but help others access it, too. Here is the current language I use for my sliding scale:
Standard Membership: The actual cost of the course
Supported Membership: For students on the low end of the sliding scale
Extra Support Membership: The most supported membership price for those on the lowest end of the sliding scale. (This is only available for part of the year - see details below.)
Pay It Forward Membership: Cost of the course plus a little extra to help create access to the course
Through my sliding scale I hope to communicate to folks that I want to support their ability to access my work and want them to feel welcomed in from the start of their journey as a student in my courses. As you create and adjust your sliding scale its important to not only keep in mind the financial parameters of the exchange but what you're feeling about your sliding scale and how people are using it as well as how you hope those accessing your sliding scale might be feeling.
Expanding and Contracting Your Sliding Scale
At different points of the year, I extend my sliding scale options for folks who need extra financial support and this allows me to create deeper access in a way that is also sustainable for my business. I announce sales, extended sliding scale, and payment plans at the end of one calendar year for the next calendar year which helps to reduce feelings of scarcity or pressure buying. For example, twice a year you can access Solace, which is a $36 course, at an "Extra Support Membership" of $12. I make sure that information is posted about this year round on the FAQ as well as the Creating Access section of the Solace sales page.
Either version of a managed or unmanaged sliding scale (or a mildly managed sliding scale to be more accurate) can have boundaries put in place including limits around how many tickets, sessions, products or whatever it is that you offer are available at each price point. I go into this more on my post How to Make the Sliding Scale Better for You & Your Clients but essentially with a managed sliding scale you can say that three spots are available at $5 versus five spots available at $10 while a unmanaged sliding scale might look more like three spots are available at the $5 and under option and five spots are available within the $6 to $10 range and so on. I host my classes through teachable and they allow you to cap enrollment for different price points and I'm sure other online course hosts offer the same. I especially like creating these boundaries with my sliding scale for my in-person offerings where I have to cover expenses like travel, renting a space, class supplies, and so on.
I've expanded and contracted my sliding scale through the seasons for a few years now and I enjoy the rhythm of knowing that I can create more access in as stress-free and sustainable a way as possible. As you experiment with what works for you, know that your sliding scale and the way that you exchange money for resources and define your pricing is a living energy within your business that needs to be honored, changed, and adjusted as needed.
Some questions to consider when incorporating a sliding scale into your practice:
Why do I want to use a sliding scale?
What form of sliding scale feels the most supportive to me and my community?
What worries me about using the sliding scale?
What excites or interests me most about using the sliding scale?
How does using the sliding scale support my ability to create a sustainable and values-aligned practice?
How do you want a possible client to feel when they are learning about and participating in your sliding scale?
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These are the easiest ways I have seen the sliding scale implemented online, but let me know in the comments if you do things a different way. This post was inspired by questions left in the comments of my previous sliding scale posts, so if you have questions about the sliding scale, implementation, and financial accessibility in general, leave them down in the comments and I'll get to them as I can.
Thank you for all of your support, encouragement, and kind words about my work around the sliding scale and especially for letting me know that so many of you have found it useful. That's the best feedback and I hope you find the system that supports your ability to thrive in your work.
As we imagine a culture beyond the confines of capitalism, I hope that you’re able to access these visions of a more just and more kind world with greater ease and steadfastness. May our acorn dreams be the trees which shelter our descendants.
This post was made possible through patron support.
❤ Thanks, friends. ❤
