Most business owners believe their finances and messaging are entirely separate matters. You handle the financial matters with your bookkeeper and advisor, and you collaborate with a copywriter to create your website and sales copy. There is no world in which these two skill sets affect each other, right?
Believe it or not, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
When financial insecurity sits at the forefront of your brain, it doesn’t just affect your pricing decisions; it seeps into every piece of sales copy you write, every pitch you make, and every conversation you have with potential clients.
If your copy sounds vague or apologetic instead of confident and compelling, your money mindset might be influencing how you talk about your business and your services.
Here are four common patterns I see that signal underlying issues with financial boundaries.
(And don’t worry, once you address the money piece, the copy fixes become obvious!)
Problem #1: Watered-down, unspecific messaging
Shows up as: Super vague positioning and generic copywriting, you hope applies to everyone, so you don’t miss out on a single lead. It’s impossible to tell precisely what you do and who you do it for. You may not even have formal offers outlined, and you are hiding behind words like “bespoke” and “custom”.
The money connection: When you’re financially insecure, every potential client feels like money you can’t afford to lose. However, your numbers can reveal which client types and service offerings are profitable, and which ones drain your resources and dilute your messaging.
Quick fix: Use your financial data to identify your most profitable client segment, then speak directly to them. “I specialize in high-traffic restaurant design” is more compelling than “I work with all types of commercial businesses.”
Problem #2: Raising your prices without elevating your copy to match
Shows up as: Copy that sounds like the old, cheaper version of yourself. You’re charging a premium, but you’re still talking like the budget option.
The money connection: Accurate bookkeeping reveals the true cost of doing business—taxes, expenses, and time investment. When you see that $20K consulting project only nets you $10K at the end of the day, you’ll realize you need to raise your rates and write copy that attracts higher-budget clients.
Quick fix: Audit your copy when you raise prices. Your messaging should evolve with your pricing, because you can’t charge like a premium service provider while sounding like you’re “just getting started.” If you’re charging $20K, your copy should reflect $20K-level confidence, specificity, and outcomes.
Problem #3: Justifying a price increase instead of positioning your value
Shows up as: Over-explaining with defensive language: “Due to increased costs and market conditions…” Leading with reasons why you had to raise prices instead of why you’re worth the new price.
The money connection: Your books show exactly why you need to raise prices—increased costs, better results, higher value delivery, increased demand. The numbers give you confidence to communicate the increase as business growth, not desperation. If you’re raising your rates, you must change your mindset and your clients’ mindset around the value of your services.
Quick fix: Confidently communicate what’s different about your business today. “My rates reflect my proven track record of saving my clients 20% more than industry standard,” or “This investment reflects the premium level of strategy I now provide.”
Problem #4: Sales call self-sabotage
Shows up as: Stumbling over your price, over-explaining what’s included, or offering a discount before they even ask. You leave the call thinking, “Did I overshare? Did I undercharge?”
The money connection: When you don’t know your financial baseline—your margins, minimums (how much a service needs to cost to remain profitable), and how close you are to your financial goals, you’re more likely to negotiate from fear instead of strategy. You might say yes to work that isn’t sustainable for your business model.
Quick fix: Get clear on your profitable pricing before the call. Then practice your written value statement that connects what you do to what they want. When your inner financial CEO is calm and grounded, your outer sales voice follows suit.
When you know your numbers, you stop operating from financial fear and start operating from financial facts. This confidence naturally shows up in how you communicate your value. Suddenly, your copy becomes less about convincing and more about connecting with the right clients who understand the value you bring to their table.
Want to know if your money mindset is leaking into your sales copy? Book a Copy Tune-Up session or visit my website to peruse my Brand Messaging & Copywriting Services. If you’d like a dose of messaging truths in your inbox every other week, sign up for my newsletter, Letters From Your Editor, for insights that will help you sell more while still sounding human.
