The most important price option: low, mid, or high?

I’ve said before that offering three price points (options) is usually better than one.

Mostly because it changes the question from “yes or no?” to “which one?”

That idea isn’t new. Nor am I trying to re-argue it.

What I’ve been thinking about lately is something just adjacent to it.

When you offer more than one, which price point actually matters most?

At first, my instinct was: all three.

But the more I’ve thought about it, I’ve landed on this → one price point (option) tends to drive most of the buyer behavior, while the other two either support that story or quietly work against it.

I think this happens because three price points usually come in different forms.

• Sometimes services are just different entry points. Subscriptions, retainers, ongoing services. Easy to start. Easy to change your mind.

• Sometimes services come in the form of alternatives. A one-time decision. Pick a path and live with it.

• And sometimes services are designed as phases. Step-by-step work where each phase builds on the last. You can stop, but the value compounds if you keep going.

Different structures. Different buyer mindset. Different risks for the business.

Looking at my own buying decisions (and what I see with clients) I’ve started to notice a pattern.

With entry points, it often feels like the lowest price matters most.

Not because it makes the most money (it usually doesn’t), but because it sets expectations. It’s the one that answers “Is this safe to start?” and often becomes the last stop before someone cancels entirely.

With alternatives, I keep noticing how much the middle price shapes behavior.

When buyers have to choose once, they seem less focused on getting the “best” deal and more focused on avoiding the extremes or seeking visible value. The middle alternative becomes the place where things feel reasonable, even defensible.

With phases, I’ve found myself paying more attention to the highest price.

Not because everyone buys it, but because it signals where this work is supposed to end. It shapes whether the early phases feel like a path forward or just a standalone project.

None of this feels like a rule. More like a set of half-baked observations I can’t quite unsee. But enough to share with you, so you can use it to shape your pricing more strategically.

That’s what I got for now on the topic. I’m sure more to come. If this sparked any thoughts send me a note. Would love to hear from you.

Happy 2026. Here’s to more different thinking (and fewer recycled ideas) in the year ahead.

Be well. Talk soon.

— Peter

P.S. If you’re stuck on whether you sell entry points, alternatives, or phases, send me a quick note. I want to make sure you see what your buyers see, so you know which price actually deserves your attention.

P.P.S Maybe 2026 is the year you finally run a pricing audit (with me). A little outside perspective…can go a long way.