Happy Tuesday. On Sunday, we had brunch with some good friends Jordan and Whitney at Tommy O’s in downtown Vancouver. Kubae and I split a delicious Kahlua Pork Quesadilla and had a great time with conversation about firing ranges and civil liberties. We then spent the rest of the day driving around contemplating if it is time to move to another spot as we are fast approaching our 2 years in downtown. How time flies when you are having a great time.
One of the things I think that worry small business owners is what price to charge. And since most small business owners start their small business after leaving their employer, they typically follow the model they were taught there. This works, but I think there may be a better way.
When I was working with VSource in the startup of Argentstratus, I decided to approach the pricing model differently. Instead of first saying, “here is our price”, I suggested the sales team start by asking what the prospective buyers budget was for things like
- Server replacement
- Desktop PC replacement
- Software updates
- System security
- Downtime for server maintenance
- etc
The typical response was a blank – deer-in-the-headlights- stare because most small business owners don’t stop to think about those things. Depending on their answer though, the sales team could help create a frame of reference for the costs of doing everything in-house versus outsourcing their entire IT.
This had two benefits: First we avoided having the investment discussion too soon and second we ensured that the prospective buyer understood what they were really purchasing. In essence, we established the value of the offer and then provided a price which was dramatically lower than that value.
To be clear, there is no such thing as the right price. What the small business faces are buyers with absolute maximum and minimums to their pricing decision. Many start-ups are willing to pay legal counsel several thousands of dollars: Some will not pay a dime. Established businesses are willing to pay a million dollars to buy out a competitor but won’t spend $100,000 on an advertising campaign. Each party perceives the value differently but I honestly believe the main point of differentiation is how the investment is packaged to the buyer.
By the way, I intentionally use the word investment over “Price” or “Cost”. For most of us, especially in the service industries, we are often considered a “Cost of Doing Business” – an expense. I go out of my way to explain that using my services is an investment. By paying my firm you get access to some of the best business, tax and accounting minds in the area. By deliberately removing loaded words we can continue the conversation in ways that benefit all parties. If I say your tax return is going to cost you $1,800 you will try to shop me. If I say that your investment in assistance in running, managing and reporting on your business is $1,800 and I will throw in a tax return for free… you see my point.
So some guidelines I have learned along the way when it comes to pricing. Where I can remember the source I will give credit and if I do not actually remember the source I apologize in advance and if you can send me a message with the actual source I will update this post for that information.
- Do not charge by the hours worked, but by the years it took to get you to this point. Harry Beckwith
- Price high and offer amenities – it is easier to remove add-ons than raise prices
- It is always easier to offer discounts than to raise prices
- Determine what your customer can pay and then figure out if you can service the client profitably.
- Offer tiers of service (Bronze, Silver, Gold or the like) with very clear differences between them so you can cater to a larger audience
- Ask the prospective buyer their budget and try to hit it. Jeffrey Gitomer
- People hate to be sold but they love to buy. Help them buy. Jeffrey Gitomer
- Your number one competitor is apathy, price accordingly.
- Your costs are not your customers problem.
What these guidelines suggest is to be open and creative when it comes to pricing your solution. You are offering a solution to someone’s problem so don’t be afraid to be creative about what they pay for their investment. As a general rule, if you are looking for new or more business opportunities, look at how your competition is pricing and then do something different. Make your pricing easy to understand and consistent for a set of prospective buyers. Test your price and if you are getting 100% of prospects saying yes, realize your price may be too low. If you are getting 100% saying no, your price is too high.
Somewhere in between is that sweet spot for that group. You can find it. If you are interested in thinking about ways to create new pricing models, try talking with your current accounting professional about ways to make your solution and pricing more effective. If you are looking for a new accounting professional or would like a second opinion, feel free to contact me for a free no obligation consultation.
Have a great day and enjoy the challenge of charting a new course on pricing your solution.
Accounting Clarity 