The decision to put your prices on your site is a strategic one for your business and one that really needs to be considered. I personally ALWAYS list the prices on my website. The reason I do that is mostly because people may assume I’m too expensive — they will probably expect the worst, and as a result, they might not consider my services. I’m sure many of you have had this experience — where you’ve seen something you like or know you need, but there’s no price, and that immediately makes it seem like it’s going to be so expensive — you don’t even bother considering it.
When visiting other sites, do you want to find pricing there? If the answer is yes, then stop reading this and go put your prices on your site.
Is it going to work? You’ll never know if something works or not until you try it. :) The best thing you can do is test it. Put your prices on your site for a month or two and compare the results. If you get more inquiries, more sales, easier conversions, then you know your audience found it helpful.
Ok so you are saying... “WAIT ! I feel that I need to talk with them first, so that I can show them how valuable my services are, before quoting them a price.” Lets get real here, that is the job of your website. If your brand strategy is on point, it will easily show someone whether you can solve their problem and that the price they’ll pay is worth it. Then, when a prospective customer does call you, they’ve already been pre-sold your services by your website and you don’t have to struggle to convince them of anything.
I figure if a business owner needs to speak with me before I can get a price, it’s because they think the product or service “needs explaining,” or that they need to “talk me out of my objections.” Neither is a good excuse to waste my time with what should have been explained clearly thoroughly on their website.
Ok so you now your thinking... “WAIT... All MY CLIENTS ARE DIFFERENT." Yes, your clients are all different, but most will be asking you to perform similar types of services for them – just different combinations. This makes it easy to create a ‘package’ of services that clients can pick and choose from. You can still give your clients flexibility — swapping services in and out of similar value or adding in additional ones at an extra cost. Or you can offer packages with a note that says, “Fees start at…” for each package.
The big plus here is when being upfront about your prices you’re far less likely to attract people who are just after a free bit of advice or consultancy, leaving you more time to have conversations with actual qualified leads.
So, should everyone put their prices on their website? If your offer is really exclusive and high-end, then it can work to keep the price off your page to keep that “air of exclusivity.” If you are not a hi-end business, and you have a distinct and compelling brand, with authority-building content to makes the case for hiring you for your value, then I strongly believe that putting your prices on your site is one of the magical keys to a successful small business.
There are really only two reason you shouldn't put your prices on your website: Either, your website doesn’t demonstrate your "real value", which necessitates a in-real-life interaction to try and prove your worth. Or you're looking for any client—including those who are bargain price shopping.
What if I have a really good reason other than I don't want to put my prices up on my website? If you don’t put your prices on your site, it may be helpful to explain to people why you didn’t include them, and map out what the next step is in the process, so prospective customers will understand why they need to speak with you first. Also if there's a complicated nature of each prospects needs, you can give them a price range and write “final quote after a free consultation.”
Just make sure you make your decision based on what’s helpful to your customer and right for your marketing plan, not based on your fears about what “might” happen. And with that said ...
Don't worry that your competitors will know what you charge and will try to undercut you, (the truth is...your competitors probably know your prices anyway)
Really as with everything about your branding…please, stop worrying about what your competitors are doing and start focusing on creating the best marketing, products/services in your industry.
In the end, I think we have to TRUST that our prospective clients are smart and analytical. They aren’t making decisions "just based on price." But price is a factor they’re looking at, so why not give them the information they need?
Expect more from your website? I understand that many small business owners feel uncomfortable setting their prices because they don’t truly know their value. If however, you don’t have the marketing to backup your credibility but want it, I’d would like to offer you a free (no obligation) 30 minute brand review. I’ll give you a truthful analysis of your website, and provide you with specific steps you can take to get your brand out there— REALLY WORKING FOR YOU. I only offer a few of these each month, so claim your spot in June by emailing me at helene@cybranded.com today !