How To Price Your Offline Services & Gain Customers At The Same Time
One of the biggest obstacles to starting your offline consulting business is discovering how to price your services to potential, local clients. If your rates are too high for the niche you are targeting, you probably won't make many sales; too low and you come off looking cheap and wind up working twice as hard for half the money.
So, how does one find the perfect price range and score customers at the same time, thus killing two birds with one stone?
Lets simply ASK the potential client what he is willing to pay; not directly, but in a covert manner so that he doesn't even know he's being pitched.
So, how does one find the perfect price range and score customers at the same time, thus killing two birds with one stone?
Lets simply ASK the potential client what he is willing to pay; not directly, but in a covert manner so that he doesn't even know he's being pitched.
The Art Of Selling Without Selling
Perhaps the easiest way to explain this ninja tactic is with a little case study -
I had been talking with a local business owner (Lets call him "Bob") for the better part of six months with little success about what online marketing could do for his business . Bob understood the mechanics of online marketing but was super resistant to any type of direct sales approach.
My interest in landing Bob's account was much more than simply gaining another customer. Bob was also big in the local Chamber of Commerce, Lion's Club and several other major business groups. I knew if I could convert him to a true believer that it would open many doors that would otherwise remain closed. So, about 2 weeks ago I decided to change tactics and try a "flanking maneuver" - I called him up:
"Hey Bob, its Mike. You got a minute?" (He did)
"Look, buddy, I've been working hard on a package that will get local businesses all the new customers they can handle plus maximize their ROI on existing customers through Social Media marketing. It will help a lot of businesses if I can get it off the ground."
(Bob understood the terminology I used because of our prior conversations but, you can make it simpler for your own potential customers.)
"I'm having a little trouble with the sales copy and could really use your help. If you will look it over for me, I'll give you something that I generally charge $300 for."
(What I was offering was a Mobile ready version of Bob's own web site that took me about an hour to make. If you're not offering this type of service, just substitute something else.)
Playing on Bob's ego as a man who knows his business, I got him to agree to look over my sales package which consisted primarily of a letter that introduced my "New Service" at a price of $2,500 per month. I also inserted a scarcity clause which stated: "At this low introductory price, I can only accept 6 new clients who I will work with personally. After all the slots are filled, the price will return to it's normal rate of $5,000 per month."
What I gave Bob to "look over" was good, strong sales copy that thoroughly outlined my Social Marketing package and highlighted the benefits of starting a campaign immediately. About the only change that Bob suggested was setting the "introductory price" at $2,000 and he has set up an appointment to talk with me about becoming one of the six clients.
This is Selling Without Selling at its best. Bob didn't know he was being pitched. He just thought that he was being paid (the mobile site) for his expertise. He even set his own price ($2,000 per month) and is now excited to get started.
I hope this meager offering will get your own entreprenural juices flowing and land you many more customers.
MikeRogers
I had been talking with a local business owner (Lets call him "Bob") for the better part of six months with little success about what online marketing could do for his business . Bob understood the mechanics of online marketing but was super resistant to any type of direct sales approach.
My interest in landing Bob's account was much more than simply gaining another customer. Bob was also big in the local Chamber of Commerce, Lion's Club and several other major business groups. I knew if I could convert him to a true believer that it would open many doors that would otherwise remain closed. So, about 2 weeks ago I decided to change tactics and try a "flanking maneuver" - I called him up:
"Hey Bob, its Mike. You got a minute?" (He did)
"Look, buddy, I've been working hard on a package that will get local businesses all the new customers they can handle plus maximize their ROI on existing customers through Social Media marketing. It will help a lot of businesses if I can get it off the ground."
(Bob understood the terminology I used because of our prior conversations but, you can make it simpler for your own potential customers.)
"I'm having a little trouble with the sales copy and could really use your help. If you will look it over for me, I'll give you something that I generally charge $300 for."
(What I was offering was a Mobile ready version of Bob's own web site that took me about an hour to make. If you're not offering this type of service, just substitute something else.)
Playing on Bob's ego as a man who knows his business, I got him to agree to look over my sales package which consisted primarily of a letter that introduced my "New Service" at a price of $2,500 per month. I also inserted a scarcity clause which stated: "At this low introductory price, I can only accept 6 new clients who I will work with personally. After all the slots are filled, the price will return to it's normal rate of $5,000 per month."
What I gave Bob to "look over" was good, strong sales copy that thoroughly outlined my Social Marketing package and highlighted the benefits of starting a campaign immediately. About the only change that Bob suggested was setting the "introductory price" at $2,000 and he has set up an appointment to talk with me about becoming one of the six clients.
This is Selling Without Selling at its best. Bob didn't know he was being pitched. He just thought that he was being paid (the mobile site) for his expertise. He even set his own price ($2,000 per month) and is now excited to get started.
I hope this meager offering will get your own entreprenural juices flowing and land you many more customers.
MikeRogers
I have no signature.
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