Your worth. Your value. Your prices.

[Jason K]

People don't understand pricing in general. They think it's "What the market will bear," or, "Whatever I can get away with."

There's actually a straightforward method for figuring out with your prospect what the price should be. I wrote a post explaining this on another forum, which I'll reproduce here (this example was for selling mobile websites, but you'll get the point):

You guys are doing it all wrong. The hard way.

Selling websites should be the easiest, most brain-dead simple thing in the world: especially mobile websites.

It's NOT about dials and statistics. Well, I guess it is if your caller has no skill. You guys are probably doing what everyone else is doing, sounding like everyone else is sounding:

"Hey, wanna buy a website? It's two hundred and fifty bucks."


Seriously, that's exactly what most salespeople sound like to a prospect.

Mmmhmm.

WHY should the prospect buy? Why should they even be interested?


Let me show you how to create VALUE in your prospect's mind.

First of all, don't hop from dentists to restaurants to plumbers to exterminators to office supply companies to something else. Stick with ONE market or niche for at least a day. Hopefully a week. Maybe even for a month, if your list holds out.

So let's say you pick restaurants for this week. Heck, let's niche down and get real specific: Italian restaurants.

What's gonna happen is that you're going to have the same 3 or 4 conversations over and over again with these restaurant owners. After the fourth or fifth time, you're going to realize "Oh, I'm having that conversation again!" and know exactly how to handle it. Can you see how hopping from market to market hurts you?

This is one of the KEY techniques I share with my paying clients. It's called MONETIZING THE PROBLEM.

If you don't want to learn how to sell more effectively, go click on another post now.

OK so I hope you did your keyword research, or had a propeller-head do it for you. You ought to know how many people a month are googling for "italian restaurant <city>". Especially if you're doing mobile sites; you can search by how many people are googling on their iphones and cell phones and ipads for this term. If you can't sell a mobile site, get out of sales because it's not for you.

Now you have something. A hook.

So now we know that 2,000 people a month are searching for "italian restaurant nashville" or 1,200 people are googling "italian restaurant denver" on their mobile devices. Let's take a moment to review HOW people are making these searches. I mean, think about how you'd do it yourself: would you casually search for italian restaurants, sitting around in your PJs at 2AM on a Sunday morning? I think not. No, you (and these thousands of searchers every month) want to know where an Italian restaurant is RIGHT NOW. So they can go have lunch or dinner or schedule their office party there.

Make sense?

Point is, these are serious, qualified potential inbound leads. These people want to eat at this type of restaurant, and they want to do something about it now.

So you call up an Italian restaurant owner in our Nashville market. Has a website? Doesn't have a website? Doesn't have a mobile site? Does? Who cares? We're selling value, brothas and sistas. Even if they DO already have a site, it's probably not doing much for them.

You say, after determining that it's a good time for them to talk:

"Mr. Prospect, my name is _____ and I help Italian restaurant owners like you who are frustrated that their tables are empty in certain peak and non-peak times of the day. Now, because of the business I'm in, I did a little checking, and I found out--you might not be aware of this--but 2,000 people a month are googling "italian restaurant nashville". These aren't casual searchers, Mr. Prospect. They are serious and they want to find out where your restaurant is right now. They're ready for lunch or dinner at an italian restaurant, and they're not finding you! So, would you like to talk for a couple minutes about getting a slice of those 2,000 people a month?"

Whadya think they're going to say??

OK. So some of them are going to straight out lie to you and tell you they have tons of business. All prospects lie.

"I appreciate that, Mr. Prospect. ...Can I ask you one question before I go? (Yes) When I first spoke with many of the people who eventually became my clients, they told me exactly what you just did: that everything was going great. But after they gave me the chance to speak with them for a little while, they opened up and shared with me that things were not nearly as rosy as they had said. So I asked them: why did you tell me at first that business was going great? And they told me, ______, I just didn't know you. That's not what's happening here, is it?"

You didn't have anything, and you still might not. But given that we only get live prospects on the phone who are ready to talk 1/4 of the dials on average, you want to make a second effort to keep it going. Otherwise, qualify Out because there's no real interest.

But of course many prospects will say "Sure" to this request and want to know more about how they can get a slice of those 2,000 motivated people a month.

Continue with:

"Mr. Prospect, I want you to think of these 2,000 highly interested people a month as a rushing river. Every month 2,000 people who want to find out about your restaurant are rushing by. Unfortunately, right now, none of them are seeing you! Now I can divert some of that river of people to you. Let's go hypothetical for a moment. Imagine I do what I just said I could do, and a good number of new highly interested people are now finding out about your restaurant, calling your restaurant and booking reservations, and coming in the door. I'm not saying I can divert all 2,000 of those people searching every month to you; anyone who says they can is a liar. But I am saying I can divert some of them to you. A good portion. So imagine I do what I say I can do, and you've got all these new customers. Based on what you've heard so far, can you share with me a conservative number of new customers that you believe would come in every month?"

We want it to be a conservative number, because they may hold us to it. This number needs to be the "Duh, of course we can do that!" figure. And they have to say it, not us, because:

If they say it, it's true. If you say it, you have to defend it.

If they kick it back to you with a "You're the expert; you tell me," then make a second attempt to get them to give you the number.

"I appreciate that. And I AM the expert, when it comes to implementing this kind of technical solution. But no one is ever going to be as knowledgeable about your marketplace as you are: so please, could you share with me what you think a conservative number of new customers a month could be?" After all, you don't even know their fire code capacity limit!

If they push you a second time, then you have to give them a number. Otherwise, you'll piss them off.

Make sure the number is conservative, and get their agreement on it. If they give you a number that's too high or too low based on your experience, you have to adjust it. Gently. Nurturingly.

"Mr. Prospect, I appreciate your confidence in me. Now in my experience, 1,000 new customers a month at one location is a bit over the top. In my experience, with Italian restaurants like yours, we've been able to very comfortably bring in 200 new customers a month. That's just 6 or 7 new people a day. I'd like this number to be conservative and definitely achievable. Can we agree on 200?"

or

"Mr. Prospect, 50 new customers a month IS conservative. Maybe too conservative. I don't know. But what I do know is that for Italian restaurants similar to yours, we've been able to comfortably bring in 200 new customers a month. I mean, would that number be OK? Do you want to go with 50? Or 200?"

The important thing is that they suggest the number or agree with it.

So they tell you "200" the first time, and you're happy with that. "Yes, Mr. Prospect, you're right on. We've been able to achieve that conservatively for restaurants similar to yours. Let's go with that."

Second question for them:

"Could you share with me what the average amount is that a person spends when they come in here?"

We're monetizing the problem. This is when we apply the money.

Some people may say they're not comfortable sharing this figure with you.

"That's fine, I can appreciate that. Just keep this number in your head, OK?"

Or they open up and tell you, "Fifty bucks."

By the way, if a restaurant owner doesn't know their guest check average, RUN. Do NOT get into business with them. They have NO business owning a restaurant! These same people don't know what it costs for them to make a menu item, either. A guy like me checks into things and finds out they're spending $12 to make something they're selling for $8. "I'm getting lots of business, but I'm getting further into debt!" Hmm, wonder why??

Now the fun begins.

"Mr. Prospect, I'd like you to multiply those two figures together. The number of new customers times the average amount spent. What's that come out to?" Get them to do the math. Involvement breeds commitment.

"Wow, TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS A MONTH!!"

"That's right, Mr. Prospect. And that's a conservative figure. I mean--you wanna go back and change either of those numbers? No? OK. Now let's figure it out for a year. Multiply that number by twelve."

HOLY CRAP.

Now we're talking about:

"A hundred and twenty thousand dollars!"

"Yes, Mr. Prospect. And that's the lowball number. All in new revenue for you. --Say...what would you spend that money on?"

Oh, now we're having fun, aren't we? The prospect is sitting there with visions of sugarplums dancing in their head. They're not thinking about $10,000 a month anymore: they're thinking about $120,000 in a lump sum--and all the things they can buy with it. You're getting them to imagine HAVING this money, and the things they can get with it.

How are the other salespeople offering what you offer stacking up against this? ("Wanna buy a website? It's $250." Not a chance.

Now we have to get this guy back to reality so they can make a decision.

Note how we have not mentioned a single technical term! "SEO" and "mobile site" will freak your prospect out. They don't understand, they don't want, they're skeptical about and they simply don't have time for these things! Don't talk about your solution until the very end: concentrate on uncovering their problem!

Can you hear how different this approach sounds from what virtually everyone else is doing when selling? Compare it again to "Wanna buy a website? It's $250."

I'm gonna give you the next step, and then stop because this post is already waaaay too long. There are other steps after this next one, but they'll have to wait. Anyway, you could very well get to Yes with this:

"Mr. Prospect...wow. $120,000. I want to get that for you. I want you to have the powerboat and the new kitchen renovation. I want to help you, and I can. Based on what you've heard so far--and keep that $120,000 figure in your mind--what would you expect to invest to get to this point?"

Two key principles here:

1. Again, if they say something, it's true. If you say something, you have to defend it. So you say "It's $250," and you run into skepticism. "I don't believe you, I don't understand it, prove it to me." You're back on your heels. No thanks. I don't like stress. My way is relatively stress-free. Let's put the pressure on the prospect. Make them feel uncomfortable, not us--and have us as the way out. Do you think they're feeling a whole lot of emotion right now? You bet. But you, you're cool. Keep working the method. Don't get excited.

2. The price of the solution should vary with the size of the problem. You solve a $1,000,000 problem, you deserve to get paid more than solving a $1,000 problem. Even if you do exactly the same thing. You're not ripping anyone off. Look how much revenue you're bringing them! Look at how much value you're creating! Truth is, you've probably been leaving tons of money on the table for years.

Apply this method and you'll be making 4, 5, 10 TIMES what you have been. You can thank me later.


Like when we were asking them for a conservative figure of new customers, above, we don't want to ask them more than twice. If they insist on you giving your price, give them a range built around 3% of the revenue figure.

Look, you were happy making a measly $250, weren't you (man have you been undervaluing yourself).

When they do answer, people typically give a number between 5% and 10% of the revenue figure! Let's look inside their head after you ask the question of what they would pay:

"$120,000! New powerboat! New deep fryers! New jeep! Renovation! Uhh--what did he say? Investment? --Well, I'd invest $1 to make $10 all day long...but 10% is $12,000...that's too much...hmm...5% is still $6,000 and that's a lot too...umm..." and what you hear them eventually pop out with is:

"Three thousand dollars?"

Bingo. (Again, you can thank me later.)

You just made, um let me do the math, TWELVE FREAKIN' TIMES what you would have if you'd opened your big silly mouth.

Without fighting for it. Without pressure. Without having to be tough.

We don't use the words "pay" or "price". We say "investment". Those other words and their friends are scary to prospects.

Qualify for budget (can they pay) now.

"Mr. Prospect...$3,000...is that a lot of money for you? Compared to the $120,000? --Say, how do you get involved with something like this? Do you issue me a PO? Do you write me a check? Do you go into your office and bring me back a big bag of money?" (Smile when you say this)

They may get started with you RIGHT NOW. Some of the personality types make snap decisions.

Others may need you to demonstrate your solution. That's fine. I have lots more to share about this.

BUT LONG STORY SHORT:

You don't need to be a closer. You don't need a closer. You need to get the prospect to close themselves.

 

[RealOG]

I think you are confusing "pricing" with "sales". YCMS post does a great job of selling value, which I consider a key element of any direct sales method. However, how do you price if you don't have the option of meeting one on one with every customer? What about retail, where you have about 7 seconds to capture your customer? Most consumers don't want to pour through paragraphs of data and numbers, or meet with a customer rep when they are making a simple buying decision.

Bottom line, you customer will only pay for the value they PERCEIVE. Pricing is actually and incredibly complex and very overlooked piece of marketing. Most businesses price based on either what they want to make per transaction or base it on what their competitor is charging. They completely overlook customer value. If you can afford it and have the time to spend on it, value-based pricing is by far the most effecitve way to price your product or service.

An expert pricing strategy involves looking at:

• Customer perceived value
• Actual customer value
• Competitors' pricing
• Customer psychology
• Customer segmentation

I did a preso three B&P's ago on customer segmentation and how you can add value to an existing business through value-based pricing and customer segmentation. Not sure if it's somewhere on the forum, but might help here.

The "pay what you want" strategy is more of a charity-style of pricing and inevitably leaves dollars on the table. I would not advise it for anything you are selling with a goal of high profits. What it has been best for is publicity, like when Radiohead did it with their album back in '07. Shareware/freeware is an example of "pay what you want" in action, very few of those ever reach any real revenue. Add to that, "pay what you want" is almost unsellable as a business model, it probably makes sense to invest some time in figuring out what to charge.

 

[theag]

Damn I hope Twiki didn't beat me on the spam police points...

 

[PopEmersen]

I don't think he is spam, just look at both posts. Here he has his FB link (sales on fire) and on the other forum his home page is the same (sales on fire)

No need to jump the gun.


EDIT: Already been resolved...my bad.

 

[Jason K]

Yeah his FB profile is 1 month old. That really makes him look reputable..

That's right, I only recently started marketing on facebook. I did my work on skype and on other forums before then. Also I have private fb groups.

You guys are really angry and paranoid. Not cool.

Why don't you discuss the methods, learn something, be friendly...rather than looking for trouble that isn't there. None of you have apologized yet for accusing me of copying content that turned out to be MINE. Thanks.

That's the first time I've pulled in content to a discussion from elsewhere, and I'm not going to bother again even though it would save a lot of time.

 

[Jonleehacker]

YouCanMakeSales, I've really enjoyed your posts here on this forum. And had no problem with the post here in this thread. All of your knowledge is appropriate and rings true that you know your stuff.

My apologies for the attitude you are getting. It is one of the downsides of rewarding people for calling out spammers, sometime folks jump the gun and then the pack mentality takes over.

 

[Twiki]

YouCanMakeSales, I apologize for my part in taking this thread off-track. I am allergic to much of what passes for marketing wisdom and had a hypersensitive reaction solely based on my perception (which is just my perception, not necessarily reality) of rehashed out-of-context content.

 

[theag]

People don't understand pricing in general. They think it's "What the market will bear," or, "Whatever I can get away with."

There's actually a straightforward method for figuring out with your prospect what the price should be. I wrote a post explaining this on another forum, which I'll reproduce here (this example was for selling mobile websites, but you'll get the point):

You guys are doing it all wrong. The hard way.

Selling websites should be the easiest, most brain-dead simple thing in the world: especially mobile websites.

It's NOT about dials and statistics. Well, I guess it is if your caller has no skill. You guys are probably doing what everyone else is doing, sounding like everyone else is sounding:

"Hey, wanna buy a website? It's two hundred and fifty bucks."


Seriously, that's exactly what most salespeople sound like to a prospect.

Mmmhmm.

WHY should the prospect buy? Why should they even be interested?


Let me show you how to create VALUE in your prospect's mind.

First of all, don't hop from dentists to restaurants to plumbers to exterminators to office supply companies to something else. Stick with ONE market or niche for at least a day. Hopefully a week. Maybe even for a month, if your list holds out.

So let's say you pick restaurants for this week. Heck, let's niche down and get real specific: Italian restaurants.

What's gonna happen is that you're going to have the same 3 or 4 conversations over and over again with these restaurant owners. After the fourth or fifth time, you're going to realize "Oh, I'm having that conversation again!" and know exactly how to handle it. Can you see how hopping from market to market hurts you?

This is one of the KEY techniques I share with my paying clients. It's called MONETIZING THE PROBLEM.

If you don't want to learn how to sell more effectively, go click on another post now.

OK so I hope you did your keyword research, or had a propeller-head do it for you. You ought to know how many people a month are googling for "italian restaurant <city>". Especially if you're doing mobile sites; you can search by how many people are googling on their iphones and cell phones and ipads for this term. If you can't sell a mobile site, get out of sales because it's not for you.

Now you have something. A hook.

So now we know that 2,000 people a month are searching for "italian restaurant nashville" or 1,200 people are googling "italian restaurant denver" on their mobile devices. Let's take a moment to review HOW people are making these searches. I mean, think about how you'd do it yourself: would you casually search for italian restaurants, sitting around in your PJs at 2AM on a Sunday morning? I think not. No, you (and these thousands of searchers every month) want to know where an Italian restaurant is RIGHT NOW. So they can go have lunch or dinner or schedule their office party there.

Make sense?

Point is, these are serious, qualified potential inbound leads. These people want to eat at this type of restaurant, and they want to do something about it now.

So you call up an Italian restaurant owner in our Nashville market. Has a website? Doesn't have a website? Doesn't have a mobile site? Does? Who cares? We're selling value, brothas and sistas. Even if they DO already have a site, it's probably not doing much for them.

You say, after determining that it's a good time for them to talk:

"Mr. Prospect, my name is _____ and I help Italian restaurant owners like you who are frustrated that their tables are empty in certain peak and non-peak times of the day. Now, because of the business I'm in, I did a little checking, and I found out--you might not be aware of this--but 2,000 people a month are googling "italian restaurant nashville". These aren't casual searchers, Mr. Prospect. They are serious and they want to find out where your restaurant is right now. They're ready for lunch or dinner at an italian restaurant, and they're not finding you! So, would you like to talk for a couple minutes about getting a slice of those 2,000 people a month?"

Whadya think they're going to say??

OK. So some of them are going to straight out lie to you and tell you they have tons of business. All prospects lie.

"I appreciate that, Mr. Prospect. ...Can I ask you one question before I go? (Yes) When I first spoke with many of the people who eventually became my clients, they told me exactly what you just did: that everything was going great. But after they gave me the chance to speak with them for a little while, they opened up and shared with me that things were not nearly as rosy as they had said. So I asked them: why did you tell me at first that business was going great? And they told me, ______, I just didn't know you. That's not what's happening here, is it?"

You didn't have anything, and you still might not. But given that we only get live prospects on the phone who are ready to talk 1/4 of the dials on average, you want to make a second effort to keep it going. Otherwise, qualify Out because there's no real interest.

But of course many prospects will say "Sure" to this request and want to know more about how they can get a slice of those 2,000 motivated people a month.

Continue with:

"Mr. Prospect, I want you to think of these 2,000 highly interested people a month as a rushing river. Every month 2,000 people who want to find out about your restaurant are rushing by. Unfortunately, right now, none of them are seeing you! Now I can divert some of that river of people to you. Let's go hypothetical for a moment. Imagine I do what I just said I could do, and a good number of new highly interested people are now finding out about your restaurant, calling your restaurant and booking reservations, and coming in the door. I'm not saying I can divert all 2,000 of those people searching every month to you; anyone who says they can is a liar. But I am saying I can divert some of them to you. A good portion. So imagine I do what I say I can do, and you've got all these new customers. Based on what you've heard so far, can you share with me a conservative number of new customers that you believe would come in every month?"

We want it to be a conservative number, because they may hold us to it. This number needs to be the "Duh, of course we can do that!" figure. And they have to say it, not us, because:

If they say it, it's true. If you say it, you have to defend it.

If they kick it back to you with a "You're the expert; you tell me," then make a second attempt to get them to give you the number.

"I appreciate that. And I AM the expert, when it comes to implementing this kind of technical solution. But no one is ever going to be as knowledgeable about your marketplace as you are: so please, could you share with me what you think a conservative number of new customers a month could be?" After all, you don't even know their fire code capacity limit!

If they push you a second time, then you have to give them a number. Otherwise, you'll piss them off.

Make sure the number is conservative, and get their agreement on it. If they give you a number that's too high or too low based on your experience, you have to adjust it. Gently. Nurturingly.

"Mr. Prospect, I appreciate your confidence in me. Now in my experience, 1,000 new customers a month at one location is a bit over the top. In my experience, with Italian restaurants like yours, we've been able to very comfortably bring in 200 new customers a month. That's just 6 or 7 new people a day. I'd like this number to be conservative and definitely achievable. Can we agree on 200?"

or

"Mr. Prospect, 50 new customers a month IS conservative. Maybe too conservative. I don't know. But what I do know is that for Italian restaurants similar to yours, we've been able to comfortably bring in 200 new customers a month. I mean, would that number be OK? Do you want to go with 50? Or 200?"

The important thing is that they suggest the number or agree with it.

So they tell you "200" the first time, and you're happy with that. "Yes, Mr. Prospect, you're right on. We've been able to achieve that conservatively for restaurants similar to yours. Let's go with that."

Second question for them:

"Could you share with me what the average amount is that a person spends when they come in here?"

We're monetizing the problem. This is when we apply the money.

Some people may say they're not comfortable sharing this figure with you.

"That's fine, I can appreciate that. Just keep this number in your head, OK?"

Or they open up and tell you, "Fifty bucks."

By the way, if a restaurant owner doesn't know their guest check average, RUN. Do NOT get into business with them. They have NO business owning a restaurant! These same people don't know what it costs for them to make a menu item, either. A guy like me checks into things and finds out they're spending $12 to make something they're selling for $8. "I'm getting lots of business, but I'm getting further into debt!" Hmm, wonder why??

Now the fun begins.

"Mr. Prospect, I'd like you to multiply those two figures together. The number of new customers times the average amount spent. What's that come out to?" Get them to do the math. Involvement breeds commitment.

"Wow, TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS A MONTH!!"

"That's right, Mr. Prospect. And that's a conservative figure. I mean--you wanna go back and change either of those numbers? No? OK. Now let's figure it out for a year. Multiply that number by twelve."

HOLY CRAP.

Now we're talking about:

"A hundred and twenty thousand dollars!"

"Yes, Mr. Prospect. And that's the lowball number. All in new revenue for you. --Say...what would you spend that money on?"

Oh, now we're having fun, aren't we? The prospect is sitting there with visions of sugarplums dancing in their head. They're not thinking about $10,000 a month anymore: they're thinking about $120,000 in a lump sum--and all the things they can buy with it. You're getting them to imagine HAVING this money, and the things they can get with it.

How are the other salespeople offering what you offer stacking up against this? ("Wanna buy a website? It's $250." Not a chance.

Now we have to get this guy back to reality so they can make a decision.

Note how we have not mentioned a single technical term! "SEO" and "mobile site" will freak your prospect out. They don't understand, they don't want, they're skeptical about and they simply don't have time for these things! Don't talk about your solution until the very end: concentrate on uncovering their problem!

Can you hear how different this approach sounds from what virtually everyone else is doing when selling? Compare it again to "Wanna buy a website? It's $250."

I'm gonna give you the next step, and then stop because this post is already waaaay too long. There are other steps after this next one, but they'll have to wait. Anyway, you could very well get to Yes with this:

"Mr. Prospect...wow. $120,000. I want to get that for you. I want you to have the powerboat and the new kitchen renovation. I want to help you, and I can. Based on what you've heard so far--and keep that $120,000 figure in your mind--what would you expect to invest to get to this point?"

Two key principles here:

1. Again, if they say something, it's true. If you say something, you have to defend it. So you say "It's $250," and you run into skepticism. "I don't believe you, I don't understand it, prove it to me." You're back on your heels. No thanks. I don't like stress. My way is relatively stress-free. Let's put the pressure on the prospect. Make them feel uncomfortable, not us--and have us as the way out. Do you think they're feeling a whole lot of emotion right now? You bet. But you, you're cool. Keep working the method. Don't get excited.

2. The price of the solution should vary with the size of the problem. You solve a $1,000,000 problem, you deserve to get paid more than solving a $1,000 problem. Even if you do exactly the same thing. You're not ripping anyone off. Look how much revenue you're bringing them! Look at how much value you're creating! Truth is, you've probably been leaving tons of money on the table for years.

Apply this method and you'll be making 4, 5, 10 TIMES what you have been. You can thank me later.


Like when we were asking them for a conservative figure of new customers, above, we don't want to ask them more than twice. If they insist on you giving your price, give them a range built around 3% of the revenue figure.

Look, you were happy making a measly $250, weren't you (man have you been undervaluing yourself).

When they do answer, people typically give a number between 5% and 10% of the revenue figure! Let's look inside their head after you ask the question of what they would pay:

"$120,000! New powerboat! New deep fryers! New jeep! Renovation! Uhh--what did he say? Investment? --Well, I'd invest $1 to make $10 all day long...but 10% is $12,000...that's too much...hmm...5% is still $6,000 and that's a lot too...umm..." and what you hear them eventually pop out with is:

"Three thousand dollars?"

Bingo. (Again, you can thank me later.)

You just made, um let me do the math, TWELVE FREAKIN' TIMES what you would have if you'd opened your big silly mouth.

Without fighting for it. Without pressure. Without having to be tough.

We don't use the words "pay" or "price". We say "investment". Those other words and their friends are scary to prospects.

Qualify for budget (can they pay) now.

"Mr. Prospect...$3,000...is that a lot of money for you? Compared to the $120,000? --Say, how do you get involved with something like this? Do you issue me a PO? Do you write me a check? Do you go into your office and bring me back a big bag of money?" (Smile when you say this)

They may get started with you RIGHT NOW. Some of the personality types make snap decisions.

Others may need you to demonstrate your solution. That's fine. I have lots more to share about this.

BUT LONG STORY SHORT:

You don't need to be a closer. You don't need a closer. You need to get the prospect to close themselves.

Wanna get really good at this in a short time? You know where to find me.

Original here: What Should I Really Expect? Selling Websites over the Phone. I need a closer.

Will your "free sales seminar" with "some unknown (and expensive!) sales techniques" (https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/cu...on-about-posting-free-webinar.html#post275447) also be copy & paste?

Can somebody please ban this clown?

 

[Twiki]

People don't understand pricing in general. They think it's "What the market will bear," or, "Whatever I can get away with."...

Wanna get really good at this in a short time? You know where to find me.

Are you just copying and pasting this stuff from old messages on various marketing forums?:

The Telemarketing Forum .:. What Should I Really Expect? Selling Websites over the Phone. I need a closer.

 

[Jason K]

Jesus, guys... I AM Jason Kanigan. MJ, look at my profile info. Sheesh. I thought it would be better to paste it here than link. Didn't think TMF (edit: The Telemarketing Forum uses the same initials as this forum) would have much credibility here.

Thanks for the rude responses; I'm here to share and don't call me "clown" please.

A simple check of my company name would show you that.

I also toned down a couple of the numbers because 10,000 google search results don't actually happen for these terms.

 

[Jason K]

I do sell things. But coaching is quite profitable and fun also.

You don't build a business and a brand selling things for other people. Don't forget I'm a fastlane student too.

 

[Ikke]

I personally thought it was a nice way of showing another way of letting the customer set the price. Which is quite relevant to this topic i believe

 

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[Jason K]

YouCanMakeSales, I apologize for my part in taking this thread off-track. I am allergic to much of what passes for marketing wisdom and had a hypersensitive reaction solely based on my perception (which is just my perception, not necessarily reality) of rehashed out-of-context content.

I appreciate you taking the time to say so.

 

[ALSL]

This is so strange. Personally, I found his "re-hashed copy and paste" post to be extremely valuable. In fact, what he wrote is pretty much the same method as Dane Maxwell's in contacting small business owners and finding out their problems, then having THEM tell him the price they're willing to pay for the solution.

Dane, of course, has his own businesses making him money, which gives his coaching credibility (since he used those techniques to create those businesses) but still, good material is good material. The fact that he wrote what was basically a script that anybody can follow is something to be admired.

I'm definitely going to be trying his script out, probably practicing it in front of the mirror a couple times first.

Also, concerning relevancy, I actually think it's extremely relevant.

OP was talking about a pricing strategy that is for dummies. The reason he did so was because he didn't have the confidence to set a price then go with it.

In response to this, youcanmakesales tells OP how he can extract the appropriate pricing from potential clients. If OP applies the techniques mentioned PRIOR to building his business, he could actually pre-sell it and maybe even have paying customers PRIOR to building the business!

Just my 2 cents.

 

[jcpoolgod]

In regards to pricing for your services MJ says you should place a high value on your product and sell it at a price YOU think its worth. What if your customer places a higher value on your product? I was thinking about something. What if I gave my product away? No not the first three chapters that lead to a sale....but for real. What if I made a product and put all my energy into it then offered it for FREE. truly for free. I could give it away to anyone who wants it. But also make a place for donations. To not demand a price for the customer pay. One that I THINK ITS WORTH. But to allow my customer to give me money for it. Allow my customer a chance to give. Allow my customer to have a decision about the product. I think I'm going to try this. MJ s book is excellent. But it has a set price. One that HE thinks its worth. How many people would have bought it for half price? Or for a dollar? When I place a price a value on my product. That is the ceiling. What if my product is so. Good. So touching. So valuable. Not to me but to the customer. That they pay a price that far exceeds any pricing model. If I sell x amount of units for x dollars I make x profit. What if your pricing model doesn't have any of those hard and fast variables? What if there is y or a z in the equation. In other words what if the customer had a chance to give you 100 dollars your product. Or a thousand. Not because that's YOUR price but because its their value on your product. How many books has mj sold for a thousand dollars? Maybe some. And that's great. But what if you allow your customer to give u money. Instead of putting a ceiling on their ability to give? I'm really thinking about this. I'm not talking about making a piece of crap. A loss- leader.I'm talking about making the highest quality product you've made. One of your best. Something that that has value inherent. Instead of something with a price tag.

Worst case scenario. You put a a lot of positive energy into your project. You make the very best you can make. You give it away. And of the thousands you give. No one thinks its worth anything. You make ..zero dollars. But you have your quality product in the worlds hands. Something YOU believed in and put your sweat.pride. love into. I don't think this scenario would be bad at all. U did something good for the world.

The other scenario is. You make this product of the same integrity and value and send it out to the people. They love it and can't wait to give you money for it. Without you placing a set PRICE on it. You might get a ten thousand people who want to give you a dollar for it.. or 5 or 10$ maybe even a few you impacted there life so much they are willing to pay a hundred or more.

I really don't see this as far fetched. First of all. How often. Do people just take the money and run. Take a free gift and not tell anyone about it. Hide it away. I think its unlikely that this product of superior value a d made with quality materials. And sent into the world with love in it will not reciprocatethay same love. Another thing. If people have a chance to do something they do. Because you ask them. You allow. And not place demands. Have you ever been in a restaurant recieved your check and on the bottom there is a little spot marked TIP: how many people leave this blank? I bet there are a lot of people who fill in an amount even if the service was bad. Not because they had to but because they were given a chance to...

I really am looking to explore this idea....what do you guys think?

 

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[JEdwards]

I think it is one way to go broke fast...

 

[Twiki]

Worst case scenario. You put a a lot of positive energy into your project... No one thinks its worth anything... U did something good for the world.

No, if no one thinks it is worth anything, you didn't do any good for the world, unless you consider indulging your own self-deception as some sort of value-added service to humanity.

There's a reason that micropayments or "pay what you want" models have never taken off (always limited exceptions of course)... it's because these place an additional burden on the buyer. When faced with such effort, human brains will just say "screw this", and forget the whole thing.

You're forcing people to make a calculation about the value of what you have to offer, because you cannot figure it out yourself, or because you're too scared of committing to a pricing structure. It's common to put a nice happy altruistic facade on this ("sliding scales" and so forth), but let's be real.

Just tell me how much something is worth and I'll pay for it if it's a good value exchange, don't expect people to care about how much time/energy/love you put into it. If you are putting a free product or service out there, expecting that people "reciprocrate with love"... then you are seeking to engage in an emotional transaction with people, hoping to get something out of them (plus hoping for a few bucks, it sounds like). If someone were truly about honest "giving" with no expectation of reciprocation, they'd just release the product or service (probably anonymously), and it'd never occur to them to ask "is this a good strategy"?

re: the free model, look at 37 Signals. They were flagbearers for the free software service model... but from what I understand they are now strongly downplaying the free services, hiding the option, or completely eliminating new free subscriptions, because it just doesn't work.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Are you just copying and pasting this stuff from old messages on various marketing forums?:

Indeed, I would like clarification on this -- possible copyright infringement will not be tolerated here on the forum.

 

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[Twiki]

Damn I hope Twiki didn't beat me on the spam police points...

Ha! It seems we share a nose for the stench of recycled, copy-and-pasted irrelevant content. Even "spun" content has a distinct odor to it, doesn't it? Woof woof!

 

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[Jason K]

Ha! It seems we share a nose for the stench of recycled, copy-and-pasted irrelevant content. Even "spun" content has a distinct odor to it, doesn't it? Woof woof!

My friend, the content is VERY relevant. I brought it here because I didn't want to waste time rewriting it all. You are badly mistaken. I came here to share value, and if you took the time to check out my other posts, instead of jumping onto the stupid pile-on, you would see the consistent value of what I've shared.

 

[Jason K]

Have you guys seen that post before on TMF ? I doubt it, because TMF isn't a well-known forum. (EDIT: By TMF, I mean the other forum, not this one. They have the same initials.)

That's why I brought the content here.

Now we can discuss the CONTENT rather than my motives, my wary friends. Fair enough.

 

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[theag]

FB link (sales on fire)

Yeah his FB profile is 1 month old. That really makes him look reputable..

But now that we have a real sales guru amongst us, here is a question I was always curious about:

Why don't you sell real stuff to make real money instead?

 

[theag]

That's right, I only recently started marketing on facebook. I did my work on skype and on other forums before then. Also I have private fb groups.

You guys are really angry and paranoid. Not cool.

Why don't you discuss the methods, learn something, be friendly...rather than looking for trouble that isn't there. None of you have apologized yet for accusing me of copying content that turned out to be MINE. Thanks.

Again, why don't you sell mobile websites for $3000 a pop to italian restaurants (yeah sure) or more expensive products instead of $XXX (you don't even provide a price on your site) sales seminars if your method is that good? This is just typical guru BS.

:bsmeter:

 

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[Jason K]

Again, why don't you sell mobile websites for $3000 a pop or more expensive products instead of $XXX (you don't even provide a price on your site) sales seminars if your method is that good? This is just typical guru BS.

<sigh> OK now you have moved onto a completely different topic.

I don't sell mobile sites: some of my clients and the people I help for FREE do.

The topic was PRICE.

I showed how to get your prospect to set the PRICE without arguing with you. That's pretty valuable IMO.

And as for your BS meter, look at the comments in the TMF thread.

 

[theag]

for FREE

So why are there paypal links on your sales page? (they don't work btw, and again, no price)

 

[Jason K]

So why are there paypal links on your sales page? (they don't work btw, and again, no price)

I've helped thousands of people over the past two years on forums, webinars and in person for free. Just because you don't know me doesn't mean anything at all. Sorry you want to be combative. You seem to just want to argue. I'll leave you to it.

Last I checked the paypal buttons are working (they're working for me and my clients right now), and my marketing partners told me not to put prices in. Sorry you don't like it...but you're not my market anyway.

Tell you what though...do you have a question about something related to sales? I'll let you know if I have any suggestions. You can also go to the homepage to get free reports.

 

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[theag]

but you're not my market anyway

Yeah I'm not that into buying rehashed warrior forum stuff.

Dont worry, I won't ask why you, as a sales guru, have to rely on your marketing partners' advice on not putting the price in.

 

[Jason K]

Yeah I'm not that into buying rehashed warrior forum stuff.

Dont worry, I won't ask why you, as a sales guru, have to rely on your marketing partners' advice on not putting the price in.

Hmm are phone & face-to-face selling the same thing as internet marketing now?

You are a troll. Go back under your bridge.

 

[theag]

Hmm are phone & face-to-face selling the same thing as internet marketing now?

You are a troll. Go back under your bridge.

:dupe:

 

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[Twiki]

Whether or not the copy is yours, it seems to have very little to do with the topic that the OP started, except in the vaguest sense of dealing with pricing. The OP is asking for opinions about the wisdom of giving away your work for free, like some sort of information product, and you take this as an opportunity to copy-and-paste old content about how to get prospective clients (an Italian restaurant owner) to buy into your sales pitch that your technical solution will bring in more customers to their restaurant, and about how to get the prospect to close the sale themselves, ending it with "Want to know more? You know where to find me."

I know it's not the first time in the history of the internet that a thread has gone off-topic, but come on... recycling is one thing, but dumping recycled content into a thread, just because it has the word "pricing" in the title, is something else.

PS. you may want to consider, why did TWO different people perform a search based on the text you pasted? Because it made little sense in the context of the thread, and was obviously rehashed from another source.