Ah, the old conundrum…when to talk about money. Back in the old days, say, a couple of years ago, talking money and price was something that was saved until the last possible minute: you waited until after you had presented your sales shpeal, and if they wanted pricing you said, “I’ll give you a proposal!”
But the times they are a-changin’. As people shop on the internet, they want to know price NOW. I know I do. This may be a scary proposition to some business owners, though. Don’t let it be. Even if you have a business that provides a service that can not be purchased online—say, a mechanic shop—giving potential customers a price of some sort can have them calling to set up an appointment.
“But,” you protest, “There are too many variables in my business! I can’t give a firm price like that!” That’s okay. You can give starting points, such as, “My Amazing Widgets Start at $XXX.”
You may have noticed that there are a lot of companies that offer “tiered” package pricing, especially companies that are offer ongoing services of some sort. So, if you want X, you pay $100, if you want X and S, you pay $200; if you want X, S and R, you pay $300…you get the picture. This is a great marketing strategy, because it allows people to decide what they want right up front, and gives them the chance to think about it and contact you… and at that point, they’re ready to buy!
A psychological perk: showing people your pricing up front also conveys confidence in your product and your services, especially if you’re able to specifically delineate exactly what they’re going to get. Another perk: less time having to close the deal.
Let your website and other marketing collateral be your sales shpeal AND your price proposal—it may surprise you and bring you more business!
