Start With the Number You Want to Move
Backwards mapping starts with your firm's numbers, not your price list. Before you decide how much to raise fees, decide what you want the increase to accomplish. Maybe you want higher profit margins, more revenue per team member, or room on your teams for better-fit clients. Then plan your way back from there:
- Benchmark where you are and where you want to be. Look at your current revenue, profitability, recurring revenue, revenue per FTE, and owner hours, and set a target for the one that matters most.
- Identify how your numbers depend on each other. A price increase can lift revenue and profit at the same time, but it can also cost you clients, so think through the ripple effects.
- Choose your lever. Pricing is one option. Automation, hiring, service packages, and changes to your client list are others. Pick the one that moves your target number most directly.
- Put it on a timeline. Set milestones and celebrate them when you hit them.
- Pressure test the results and adjust. After the change, check whether the numbers moved the way you expected, then refine.
"KPIs without calls to action aren't valuable at the end of the day," Marcus says. Backwards mapping is how you turn a number on a dashboard into a decision. Download the Backwards Mapping Worksheet to get started.
Find the Clients on Legacy Pricing
In nearly every firm, some clients are still paying what they paid years ago. They're often good clients, which is exactly why their pricing slipped. No one wanted to rock the boat.
That was the situation at DBA in 2024. The firm's average monthly fee was about $2,100, but a handful of long-time clients were paying under $1,000 a month. DBA serves every client with a dedicated three-person team (called Team of 3), so a fee that low doesn't cover the work.
"We have to create budget for each of those three people," Marcus explains. His summary of the goal for those accounts was direct: "Get them profitable or get them out."
Rachel is clear that the goal wasn't to push good clients away. These were relationships DBA wanted to keep — just at a price that made sense for the level of service they received.
Decide How Big the Increase Should Be
Once you know which clients need an increase, look at what your peers are doing. At Collective by DBA's Gather conference in 2025, most firm owners in the room were planning increases of around 10% for the 2026 filing season, and some were going as high as 20% to 25%.
DBA aimed higher than usual, at about 14% for its monthly clients, because some clients had gone too long without a change. "We came kind of heavy because we had waited a little bit longer on some clients," Marcus says. A regular annual pricing review is the easiest way to avoid that situation. Smaller, predictable increases are easier for clients to accept than a large one after several years of no change.
Peer conversations also help with the hardest part, which is following through. Rachel says that hearing what other firms charge for the same work "confirms what you already know" and gives you the confidence to move forward instead of second-guessing yourself.
Explain the Increase in Terms of Value, Not Costs
The easiest way to explain a price increase is to point to your own rising costs, like software, salaries, and benefits. It's also the least persuasive. Clients don't hire you to cover your expenses, so that message gives them little reason to accept the change.
Instead, remind clients what they've gained from working with you. Rachel suggests talking about “the growth that they've had in their business, the tax savings that the team has found for them, and the value the team will keep providing in the year ahead.” If you've helped a client clean up their books before a loan application, find a tax savings opportunity, or simply stop worrying about deadlines, say so. Specific examples make the increase feel like an investment rather than a charge.
Plan for Some Clients to Leave
Any meaningful increase will cost you a few clients, and that's part of the plan, not a sign that something went wrong. At DBA, clients who chose to leave took about $12,000 in monthly recurring revenue with them. Even so, the firm netted a 4% increase in billings, with fewer clients to serve and no new hires.
The ripple effects showed up across the firm's numbers. "Revenue went up," Marcus says, and so did earnings before owner compensation (EBOC), because the firm was earning more without adding cost. Revenue per team member rose, and the teams had more room for new clients who fit the firm's pricing from day one.
When to Plan Your Next Price Increase
Timing makes a big difference. DBA does most of its planning during what it calls Improvement Season, the stretch from April 16 to August 15, when the team has room to step back and look at the numbers. The firm then pressure tests changes during the busy fall deadlines and makes final adjustments in November and December, before new pricing takes effect in January.
If it's already fall and you haven't started, you still have time for a simpler version. Pull your client list, sort it by monthly fee, flag the clients furthest below your average, and decide on an increase for each group before your engagement letters go out.
Next Steps: Plan Your Firm's Price Increase
A price increase doesn't have to be a once-a-year scramble or a number you pick and hope for the best. When you start with the result you want, the right clients and the right amount usually become clear, and the conversations with clients get easier because you know why you're having them.
- Pick the number you want to move. Decide whether the goal is profit, revenue per FTE, or capacity for better-fit clients.
- Sort your clients by fee. Look for long-time clients on legacy pricing and clients who are hard to serve.
- Check what your peers charge. Peer data helps you set the right amount and gives you the confidence to follow through.
- Lead with value in your client communication. Point to the growth, savings, and peace of mind you've delivered.
- Measure the results. Track how revenue, profit, and capacity change after the increase, and adjust next year.
Get Help Planning Your Price Increase
If you're not sure how much to raise prices, which clients to start with, or how to talk to clients about it, Collective by DBA's members and advisors have all been there. They can help you set a target, sort your client list, and plan the conversations before your engagement letters go out.
