I had an interesting question in my Profit Club member forum this week from a long term Profit Clubber asking if I thought he should list his consultation fees on his website.
He is a market leader in his demographic, is the most expensive provider in the area, and wants to actively promote the fact that he is the most expensive provider around.
This is actually a very solid marketing strategy as higher fees encourage high quality clients and gives the very obvious external impression of high quality care in your organisation.
I always tried to be the highest priced provider in the area when I had my clinics for this exact same reason.
However, the fundamental problem with displaying your fees (high or low as they may be) on your website – is that unless you have put a huge amount of time into the design, text, and layout of your website – there is no way that a potential client can make a decision on whether or not the price you post on your site is a fair and reasonable transfer of value.
Posting your fees really only encourages price sensitive shoppers or those looking to compare providers based on the fees they display on the sites the potential client goes to – so effectively you make yourself a commodity by doing this.
You are better off spending some extra time working on making your website a better lead generator for your business by offering a free report for joining your mailing list, a free phone consult, a quick injury pre-screen or a free e-book that offers great tips to help the potential client solve their immediate problem.
This “soft” first contact allows you to build rapport with the client, gain their trust and eventually gain them as a long a trusted client who then refers all their friends to you and becomes a great part of your business success.
Money only becomes an issue if the client does not see the incredible value in what you do.
It is the same in any transaction.
I currently charge $1000 a month for my one on one business coaching program – but my clients only need to get one small item of information , one tip, one strategy or one system that they may not have come up with on their own – and the return on their investment can be 20, 30 or 50 to one.
Remember – it is not about the price – it is about the value you bring to your clients and it is hard to really show great value in one on one health care on a website.
I also suggest you take down your fee sign and poster for your front counter – same reason – you don’t want to focus on the price – you should be focusing on the value you bring to each and every transaction.
I welcome your comments on this topic.
Best Wishes
Paul Wright
I try not to focus on price in any of my marketing. My leaflets have no prices.
I do list some prices on my website, but only in the wider context of information-giving, i.e. no price lists as such.
But how to deal with enquiries where the only question is price?
If the enquiries are from price-sensitive people, then perhaps I may not care too much if they decide to go elsewhere.
But perhaps someone has some good advice as to how to handle calls or texts that just ask “how much are your classes”? or “how much do you charge for one hour of sports massage”?
Should I highlight the benefits/USP of my service as well as the price? Should I ask a question back to find out where they got my number from? I am really unsure if there is a BEST PRACTICE that applies in this situation…