I attempted to negotiate a discount with my dentist only to be met with a firm response regarding their fixed price. The justification given was that the clinic had incurred expenses in acquiring equipment to enhance services provided and it’s the same price for everyone for the same services.

I didn’t try too hard to get a discount because I empathized with the dentist.

On the contrary, I respected the dentist because he was firm with his fees.

The price and the services provided did not depend on how hard or how well I bargained for a discount.

The dentist’s refusal to give discount gave me the assurance that I had not overpaid or being short-changed in respect of the services provided compared to others.

I think of this as integrity in pricing.

Similarly, in the legal profession, rather than basing fees on how hard a client negotiates to reduce the fees or how deep the client’s pocket is, pricing should be based on factors such as the scope of services provided, urgency of the matter and complexities of the issues.

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This post first posted on LinkedIn on 6 June 2024.