Pricing Tips That Work

The right price for your product or service will make all the difference between using red ink or black ink on your accounting books. Unless you have a smart pricing strategy all your hard work of getting your business up and running could collapse.

Here are some tips for how you should approach your own pricing methods:

Not All Prices Should Be the Same

A research study conducted at Yale University found that when two of the same type of products were priced exactly the same customers shied away from making a purchase as opposed to when the items were priced differently. This doesn't mean you should mix up your prices on the same products. Just understand the mind of the consumer. Perhaps it's more about changing the pricing with an item that has a noticeable variant like size or design. This idea also comes into play when stacking your product line up against competitors. You should always keep an eye on competitive prices.

Try Price Anchoring

Price anchoring taps into our tendency to exclusively factor the first price we see when it is set against a second higher price. Restaurants will use this tip when they are selling expensive items together. The $50 lobster looks pretty good compared to the $75 Kobe steak. The result? More lobsters are sold. The basic premise is that you're creating a sense of value for your customer. In other words, give them something to compare to.

To Make a Sale, Decrease the Sticker Shock

What sounds more like a bargain: a subscription for wine of the month club at $50 a month or $600 a year? They are actually the same price, but the consumer thinks the monthly cost is more affordable. This is the approach you should take in your sales campaign. A fee attached to a product should be a "small fee." Bundle products together into a single "great bargain package." Appeal to the grander solution of a problem.  

Use the Number 9

The number 9 has become so ingrained on the shopper's mind that it actually holds appeal. You can reduce a product from $80 to $60 but it might be stronger to go down to $59. It works every time!

Test Your Prices

There is a trial and error when it comes to finding the sweet spot of pricing. You might have to experiment with different price points to see what works best for your product. If you start a new campaign with a lower price point, make sure you get your marketing up to speed so all your customers will know. 

Pricing Mistakes that can Slow Down Sales

Pricing your product is just as important as your marketing plan. In fact, without the right price you could see all of your hard efforts of your marketing collapse around you. Not only can solid pricing turn your account books from red to black, but it can also help engender strong customer loyalty.

You should know what it costs to make what you're selling and get it to your customer. How you determine the price on top of those hard costs could be the make or break of your business.

Here are some common pricing mistakes that can slow down your sales or even bring them to a screeching halt!

Pricing without a strategy.

Your pricing strategy should always support your company’s marketing and operational goals. If you’re holding a discount promotion on a product at below cost, make sure that you can upsell your customer so you make a profit down the road. Likewise, price raises can only work if the customer feels that they are getting a lot of value from your company. A good pricing strategy should allow your products to be sold, with long-term profitability goals in mind and also being competitive. 

De-valuing your service or product.

Underselling is just as bad as overselling when it comes to pricing. You might know down to the penny what an object costs to manufacture and deliver but what about all the other costs associated with selling that product? What does it cost for you to hire a staff, rent a space and market that product? Those line items should all be factored into your price point. Remember you're hoping for volume sales to amortize all of those overhead costs.

Chasing your competitors.

If you're constantly matching your prices to your closest competitors you could be doing a disservice to your business. Unless you're aware of the same overhead and manufacture costs your competitor is applying to their products, their pricing is meaningless. Yes, you should keep an eye on the competition and make appropriate adjustments but don't let that be the total basis for your pricing structure. This issue also comes into play if your slash a price to beat a competitor. In the short run you might get a decent sales bump but those figures could be misleading if those customers won't be coming back for repeat business because they're out looking for the next cheap bargain. Always think of the long game.

Drastic price drops.

Yes, everyone wants to pay a fair price for a product or service. However, if you find yourself dramatically dropping your price for a particular customer they might think they were paying too much for that product to begin with. You don't want to alienate your customers with your drastic pricing policy.