How could one think about paying for online programs.

Contributor: Abhishek Thakore 

1. Of late a lot of online programs have come
2. There are various pricing formats: what should you pay?
3. It's beyond market transaction - post-capitalist.
4. What’s your internal valuing (feels comfortable)?
5. Energy exchange: How much space do you want to create in yourself?
6. How does it impact your (participants) commitment to the space?
7. Other ways of paying it (forward and back)
8. Why is it important from a sustenance angle? Why is it political?
9. Do consider these when you pay

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Of late, there has been a boom in the number of online programs. Webinars on every topic from yoga to graphic facilitation and mental health to cooking are flooding the WhatsApp messages and Facebook news feeds. And given the lockdown, people are embracing them wholeheartedly.

One of the most interesting aspects of these webinars is their pricing models. You can see a range of ways in which these are charged. There are a lot of them which are free, typically one-session webinars with speakers and panel discussions. The entire world of MOOCs is also free, where money is required only if you need a certification.

Then, there are learning sessions and journeys that have a ‘pay from your heart’ model’. They rely on participants gauging the value of the program and paying for it. Beyond that on the spectrum is a “suggested contribution” that gives a range or a single amount of contribution that participants are expected to make.

Further up the ladder, there are price bands for students-individuals-executives, where the executive band can be charging up to 5 times the student band! Finally, there is a handful that follows the traditional pricing models, with early bird pricing, group discounts, and concessions for signing up for more programs.

As a learner then, you are spoilt for choice. There is value floating everywhere and is yours to take up. While those that have fixed prices or those that are free don’t raise any questions, the real question comes in the middle of this band.

The question is what or how much should you pay?

If one thinks about this question as a capitalist consumer, the answer is quite obvious - as little as you can get away with paying! It is all about maximizing value and the lesser you pay, the more value in traditional terms you’ve extracted from the offering.

This logic is well for an individual. But imagine, everyone, doing this. Very soon you will have facilitators who are no longer able to offer what they are. The logic of the market will mean that they are not nourished back adequately The bold experiments that are happening today will shrink.

What then, is the right way to think about it?

Pricing experiments like these are post-capitalist. They invite you to look at the price beyond just a number. They don’t reduce you to any other person nor the program to a commodity that can be bought and sold in the market.

Rather, they are more contextual. They are willing to patiently discover what your current circumstances are.

The intent is to make the program accessible to everyone, while also keeping it sustainable and going. The hope is that the facilitators are able to appeal to the ‘higher self’ in each one and trust the participant to honestly assess and contribute. While engaging in these types of exchanges (rather than ‘transactions’), there are several parameters that one can use.

• What’s your internal valuing of the offering (what feels comfortable?)

Think about the difference a program or a session can make to your life (potentially). While it may not be able to really do that, you can still get a sense of the amount of effort that is being put in.

The idea is to arrive at an amount that is not a stretch for you, and yet is not a ‘cheated’ amount that totally overlooks your capacity to pay.

• Energy exchange: how much space do you wanna create in yourself

Reiki practitioners use this term rather than saying ‘fees’ or ‘investment’ (a word that self-help circles love). I love this term. It says that the energy you give out creates space for new energy to come in. This means, the more energy you put out, the more space you’re creating for energy to come in.

This also looks at valuing the energy given out by the facilitator and honors a Universal principle of balance and harmony. Try and think of what you pay in terms of paying back “energy” of growth with the “energy” of money.

• How it impacts your commitment to the space

We have observed that the amount of money paid for a course does impact the perception of the course. The same course, at 10x the price, would have a different set of expectations and a different level of engagement from the same person.

Hence, giving a token amount can mean that you don’t really follow through on the course. You are subconsciously sending a message to your psyche - that this isn’t all that important.

What is a level of money that ‘ties you into the space and makes sure that you will follow through with all your sincerity?

• Other ways of paying it (forward and back)

In case money is a serious constraint for you, there are always options. One is a work-for-money exchange where you agree with the organizers to do something in return for the value they create for you.

The other is to pay in installments so that over time you are able to pay what the program asked for. Typically, financial situations do improve over time and so it should be possible to pay the money eventually.

There are also sponsored seats where you ask someone to pay for you or check with organizers if there are any ‘paid forward’ seats. That also means organizers need to create that option with participants who can pay.

• What is your capacity to pay?

Finally, taking the organizers at face value, what is your real financial capacity to pay? The financial means that each group has been different. The real intent of a sliding scale is neither price discrimination nor inviting everyone to the lowest price bracket.

Rather it is to invite individuals with greater resources to contribute towards those who find the same amount a stretch. Hence, in paying a higher slab, you are cross-subsidizing those who are paying lesser. This in itself is an act of giving.

So what is your capacity based on your life circumstances typically becomes the final basis of taking this decision?

Whatever you decide, do remember that this choice of payment is not only personal but political. You are putting money into what you would like to sustain. You are supporting yourself as well as others to engage with something valuable. And, you’re sending a message both internally and externally.

So, the next time when you pay for a program, do consider the deeper layers and meaning of that small action.