Discount

A reduction from the standard price, given to win or keep a client. Easy to offer, but it comes straight out of margin and can anchor expectations low.

For example, an agency knocks 15% off a $20,000 project to close it. That $3,000 comes entirely out of profit - and the client may expect the same rate next time, making the discount more expensive than it first looks.

Why it matters to your firm: discounts feel like a small concession but they cut straight into margin and reset the client's sense of what your work costs. Trading a discount for something in return - a longer term, a deposit, a referral - protects both price integrity and profit.