After years in practice, one truth has become painfully clear: underpricing is one of the biggest traps architects fall into. We do it with good intentions, always wanting to win the client, secure the project, or simply stay busy. But in reality, underpricing is not a strategy, it’s a slow poison. It eats into your profits, undermines your credibility, and leaves you working twice as hard for half the reward.

In this episode of The SILL TALKS PODCAST, I speak from both experience and observation about how underpricing silently kills architectural businesses. It doesn’t just affect your bottom line, it also reshapes how clients perceive you and sets a dangerous precedent for the entire industry.

Here’s what we’ll explore together:

• The silent cost of cheap fees: How they drain your energy, time, and reputation.
• Why good architects underprice: The fears and pressures that push us there.
• The bigger picture: How underpricing lowers standards and weakens the profession as a whole.
• Reframing value: Understanding that clients don’t just buy drawings, they also buy expertise, trust, and outcomes.
• Practical steps: How to break free from survival pricing and confidently charge what your work is worth.

👉 If you want actionable strategies to step into higher-value pricing, I encourage you to also listen to Episode 13: Strategies to Charging Premium Fees for Architects, where I share practical steps to help you transition.

This episode isn’t about blame. It’s about awareness.

 I have been there, and I know how tough those conversations with clients can be. But I also know that the moment you stop underpricing, you take back control of your practice, which is the goal we are here to achieve.

Have a challenge in your practice, business, or professional journey that you’re currently navigating?

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