About this event
Pricing is one of the most common challenges speakers face — not because we lack expertise, but because pricing is deeply tied to confidence, perception, and value.
This PSA South East evening brings together practical insight, real-world application, and community learning to help you approach pricing with greater clarity and confidence. You’ll explore how clients make buying decisions, how price is interpreted, and how to negotiate without discomfort.
The evening also features the South East heat of PSA’s Emerging Speaker of the Year competition, giving you the opportunity to support developing speakers and learn from live examples in a supportive environment.
Keynote Speaker – David Abbott
How to Price Your Platypus (The Psychology of Pricing)
You’ve landed a keynote.
A corporate wants a session.
A school, charity, or organisation gets in touch.
There’s just one thing left to agree: the price.
In this highly practical keynote, David introduces the science and psychology behind pricing decisions — and shows how understanding buyer behaviour can help you price more confidently, negotiate more effectively, and increase your average fee without damaging relationships.
This session is designed for speakers at every stage who want to stop guessing and start pricing with intention.
You will learn:
- How customers actually make pricing decisions
- One simple change that can increase your average price
- How to present your prices to strengthen your negotiating position
- Why losing a zero can sometimes boost your sales
- How to reduce how much you give away in negotiations — without feeling uncomfortable
You’ll leave with clear, actionable ideas you can implement quickly and easily, often at no cost.
Emerging Speaker of the Year – South East Heat
We’re also delighted to be hosting the Emerging Speaker of the Year competition as part of this event.
Emerging Speaker of the Year is a flagship PSA initiative, designed to:
- Support developing speakers
- Showcase fresh talent
- Provide high-quality feedback in a supportive environment
During the evening, selected speakers will deliver a short talk and receive feedback from experienced judges and the PSA community. One speaker will progress to represent the South East region in the national finals.
Whether you’re:
- Considering entering in the future
- Supporting fellow members
- Or simply keen to learn by observing
This is a fantastic opportunity to see the next generation of speakers in action and be part of a key PSA moment.
Also Joining Us – Michelle Mills-Porter
We’re also pleased to welcome Michelle to the evening. More will be shared shortly.
By attending this event, you can expect to:
- Gain confidence in how you price and position your work
- Understand the psychology behind pricing and negotiation
- Learn practical techniques to increase your average fee
- Reduce discomfort around pricing conversations
- Support and learn from emerging speakers within the PSA community
- Strengthen your connection with fellow PSA South East members
Why This Event Matters
Pricing isn’t just about numbers — it’s about confidence, value, and how we see ourselves.
This evening combines commercial insight, practical tools, and community learning, making it relevant whether you’re refining an established speaking business or building momentum.
Join us for an engaging, practical, and community-focused PSA South East event that will change the way you think about pricing.
Keynote speakers
David is an international speaker, helping audiences to discover simple ways to improve their pricing.
After studying Engineering Science and Economics at Oxford he worked in marketing and business management. He ran a £56m mail order company where pricing is crucial, and has held senior marketing roles in a wide variety of industries. He currently helps clients develop and execute marketing strategies that help them to out-compete their competition.
He applies psychology research into consumer behaviour to business and marketing. He illustrates everything with real examples of marketing in action.
Michelle is known as The People Reader – a behaviour expert specialising in unleashing potential. As the creator of a suite of profiling tools, she speaks, consults and trains in values, motivation, communication, performance and collaboration. She works with organisations to help increase engagement, performance and results through empowering their people, alongside her family of Certified Practitioners.
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