How to set rates and collect payments when clients book: a consultant’s guide

As a consultant, your time is your product. Yet many consultants spend hours each week quoting rates, sending invoices, and chasing late payments. That time cuts into billable work and creates stress when cash flow dips.

The good news is you can set clear rates, publish them once, and collect payment at the moment of booking. This guide gives you a practical playbook built for consultants. You’ll learn how to choose pricing models, write a clear payment policy, and use Doodle with Stripe to get paid on time with every appointment.

By the end, you’ll have a simple system that fits your practice: clients book, your calendar updates, and funds land in your account — so you can get back to advising.

The challenge facing consultants

Consultants often juggle discovery calls, paid sessions, and project work across multiple clients. Without a system, a few common problems show up fast:

• Inconsistent rates between clients

• Scope creep when time isn’t tied to price

• No-shows and late cancellations without compensation

• Manual invoicing and slow payment

• Time zone confusion and missed calls

• Double bookings across calendars

Each issue chips away at billable hours and weakens the client experience when rules are unclear or payment is difficult.

Why this matters for consultants

Clear rates and payment at booking do more than protect your cash flow — they elevate your brand and speed up client decisions.

• Clients see upfront pricing and know what they’re getting

• Deposits reduce no-shows and last-minute changes

• You spend less time on admin and more time advising

• Your calendar stays accurate across tools

When you connect your calendar in Doodle, clients only see available times. When you add Stripe to your Booking Page or 1:1 setup, you can collect deposits or full payments automatically. That creates a seamless path from interest to paid appointment.

Choose the right pricing model and set your base rate

Your pricing model should reflect the value and risk of your work. Pick one or two models and stay consistent for clarity.

Common pricing models for consultants

If you’re unsure where to start, offer one paid session type and one free or low-cost discovery call. Simplicity helps clients book faster.

How to set your base rate

Use this quick formula to avoid underpricing:

1. Set your target annual income (e.g., $150,000).

2. Estimate your total billable hours. Example: 48 weeks × 30 hours = 1,440 hours. If only 60% are billable, that’s 864 hours.

3. Add overhead and taxes (e.g., +30%).

4. Base rate = Target income × 1.3 ÷ Billable hours.

Example: $150,000 × 1.3 = $195,000 ÷ 864 = $226/hour.

Round to a clean number like $225 or $250.

For flat fees, multiply your estimated hours by your rate and add a small buffer. A 90-minute session with 50 minutes of prep and recap totals 2.3 hours at $225/hour → about $520. Price it at $495 or $550 for simplicity.

Write a simple payment and booking policy

Your policy protects your time and sets expectations. Publish it on your website and booking pages so clients see it before paying.

What to include

• Payment terms: Full payment or deposit required at booking

• Cancellation window: e.g., up to 24 hours before start time

• No-show policy: Missed sessions charged in full

• Rescheduling: One reschedule per booking

• Late arrivals: Sessions end at the scheduled time

• Taxes and currency: Clarify inclusions and currency

• Refunds: Define when payments are refundable

Example policy you can adapt

Payment: Full payment is due at booking through secure checkout.

Cancellation: You may cancel or reschedule up to 24 hours before the start time.

No-shows: Missed sessions are charged in full.

Late arrivals: I’ll wait up to 10 minutes; the session still ends as scheduled.

Taxes: Prices include applicable taxes and are listed in USD.

Keep it short, consistent, and visible across all booking links.

Configure Doodle to collect payment when clients book

You can set up Doodle in minutes to publish rates and collect payments automatically.

Step 1: Connect your calendar

• Connect Google Calendar, Outlook, or Apple Calendar

• Select calendars Doodle should check for conflicts

• Set your working hours and time zone

This keeps your availability accurate and prevents double bookings.

Step 2: Create your Booking Page

• Add meeting types (e.g., Discovery Call 20 min, Strategy Session 90 min)

• Set buffers before/after sessions

• Limit daily sessions to protect focus time

• Add intake questions for goals or links

Doodle Pro lets you add your logo and colors. You can also use AI-generated meeting descriptions for faster setup.

Step 3: Connect Stripe and set prices

• Link your Stripe account

• Choose a currency per meeting type

• Set your price or deposit

• Choose full or partial payment at booking

For deposits, note how and when you’ll collect the remaining balance (e.g., 50% upfront, 50% after the session).

Step 4: Add reminders and booking rules

• Enable automatic email reminders

• Set booking deadlines (e.g., no same-day bookings after 3 p.m.)

• Define a minimum notice period (e.g., 12–24 hours)

• Display your cancellation policy

Doodle automatically adds your video links for Zoom, Google Meet, Webex, or Teams to the calendar invite.

Step 5: Use 1:1 for limited or premium slots

Offer fixed time slots for VIP sessions, launches, or audits. Clients pick and pay through Stripe — no back and forth.

Create packages and session types clients understand

Clarity sells. Use clear names and simple tiers to help clients choose confidently.

Build three core offers

• Starter: 60-minute consult with written notes — for quick wins.

• Core: 90-minute strategy session with a one-page action plan.

• Premium: Four 60-minute sessions over six weeks with email support.

Each should have a clear price and description in your Doodle Booking Page.

Use discovery calls intentionally

Offer short discovery calls (15–20 minutes) to qualify leads — not to give free advice. Add required questions (e.g., budget, goals) in the booking form.

Handle time zones and travel

If you travel or work globally, set time zones and booking notice windows. For in-person work, create a dedicated meeting type with location fields and a higher rate to account for travel time.

Practical tips to reduce no-shows and late payments

• Require payment at booking

• Offer deposits only for multi-session packages

• Send reminders 24 hours before meetings

• Include reschedule links in confirmations

• Add 15–30-minute buffers between calls

• Disable same-day bookings for prep-heavy sessions

• Use intake questions to save prep time

• Automate data flow with Zapier

With Doodle, reminders and booking deadlines are built in. You can even invite up to 1,000 participants directly for group sessions or workshops.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Underpricing by forgetting prep or follow-up time

• Quoting inconsistent rates

• Invoicing after calls instead of at booking

• Missing or vague scope in session descriptions

• No visible cancellation policy

• Back-to-back meetings without buffers

• Ignoring taxes or currencies

• Offering discounts without limits

Fix these with one central source of truth — your Doodle Booking Page.

Tools and solutions that help consultants

• Booking Page + Stripe: Collect payments at booking.

• 1:1 scheduling: Offer fixed time slots for VIP sessions.

• Calendar connections: Show only open times across all calendars.

• Video links: Auto-generate Zoom, Meet, Webex, or Teams links.

• Custom branding: Add your logo and brand colors.

• AI descriptions: Generate polished session descriptions.

• Reminders and limits: Reduce no-shows automatically.

• Group Polls: Find meeting times with up to 1,000 participants.

• Sign-up Sheets: Manage training sessions or workshops.

• Zapier integrations: Send booking data to your CRM or sheets.

• Privacy and security: Enterprise-grade protection for client data.

Real-world consultant examples

Marketing consultant: paid strategy sessions

Tara offers a 20-minute discovery call and a 90-minute strategy session.

• Rate: $225/hour → $495 per session

• Payment: Full payment via Stripe at booking

• Setup: 20-minute buffer and 24-hour notice

• Tools: Zoom + reminders

Result: Fewer no-shows, payment upfront, easy rescheduling.

IT security consultant: retainers and urgent calls

Andre supports small IT teams with both retainers and ad hoc calls.

• Retainers: Private Booking Page (no payment; monthly invoice)

• Urgent calls: $500/hour with 50% deposit for new clients

• Limit: Two urgent slots per day

Result: Clear expectations and paid bookings before time is reserved.

Career consultant: group sessions and follow-ups

Maya runs a monthly job-seeker workshop and 1:1 follow-ups.

• Uses Sign-up Sheet for 20 seats, hides participant data

• Sends Group Polls to partners to pick dates

• Follow-ups: $175 via Booking Page + Stripe

Result: Easy workshop management and automatic paid follow-ups.

Measure and adjust your pricing

Rates aren’t permanent. Use data to refine over time.

• Track booking conversion rates

• Monitor no-shows and late changes

• Raise prices for high-demand sessions

• Retire low-demand offers

• Adjust session length or price

• Review quarterly and update in Doodle

Edits apply instantly to new bookings — no rework needed.

Key takeaways

• Choose simple, transparent pricing models

• Write and publish a clear payment policy

• Use Doodle + Stripe to collect payments automatically

• Add reminders, limits, and buffers to protect your time

• Review rates and policies regularly

Get started with better scheduling

You don’t need a complex tech stack to set rates and collect payments. With Doodle, you can connect your calendar, add your session types, and link Stripe to collect payments instantly. Clients pick a time that works, pay securely, and get the invite — while your calendar and cash flow stay in sync.