Maybe your pricing IS the problem
If you think of it as a response to the market. If you build it up as your costs + profits. If it’s set up being compared to the competitors. If it’s taken as what big cos do. If you want to build it from low entry points to then raise it. If you’ll raise it little by little. If you believe hours define it. If you believe effort defines it. If you believe it’s “what’s you’re worth”. If Rate is confused with Price. If you ask the question “what would you pay” instead of “would you pay ___”. If…
(One of) The big lie. A function of your costs.
Setting up your price as a function of your costs is one of the big lies we’ve been taught into. From hospitality…Calculate labour (staff) + supplies and then add what “the best practice” on profit margin in the industry is. Now you have your price. To B2B…Calculate what it costs you, add a margin and you’re good to go. You have a price. To consulting…Estimate how much you’d like to make in a year based on your costs, divide it by 2000 hours (aprox what you work in a year) and you have…
Costs, then Price
A couple of replies to yesterday email focused on 2 things re: pricing. Decision-making and Costs. Decision-making Long time reader and AI specialist Genevieve Hayes pointed out (shared with permission): “All these pricing formulae are just examples of decision rules. And as we’ve discussed on many occasions, they are there to guide you, not to be blindly followed.”. She’s absolutely right. The thing is though, that almost everything taught is taken from the view that costs determine price….
Value, then Price
If you know what your customer values —what’s REALLY important for them, you have a head start. A head start to put a price that is less that what they gain —so it’s a no-brainer. A head-start to focus on what they really want —so it’s a no-brainer. A head start to ditch whatever would be a nice-to-have and look for the big wins —so it’s a no-brainer. A head start to seeing what to say No to way ahead on the road —so it’s a no-brainer. A head start to shift the conversation from hours, time,…
Building trust
You don’t need a personal brand to build trust. A “personal brand” won’t make your prices more attractive. That would be like needing to have and project an image to make people believe you just because of the visuals. Having your prospects and clients trust you with their businesses What is trust? As friend of the list and fellow daily emailer Andrew Skotzko from Product Leadership Daily says: “Trust is choosing to risk making something you value vulnerable to another person’s actions.” Do…
What’s the need?
If a personal brand is just the reputation you have —what they say about you when you’re not in the room… what’s the need for it not to call it reputation?
Making the time
“How do you make time to write daily?” The same way you make time to do whatever you do daily: you don’t. This has been a question from a few friends of the list. And the answer is simple: I cheat. I don’t really “make time”. Here’s the hack: I write all day long. Meaning, whatever ideas come to mind, i write them down —however they come. The rule is: don’t edit, don’t look for fancy words —or even for the right words. It’s just a set of ideas. Often times without making any sense. And that’s…
Marketing is a two-letter word
BS Because it’s seen as a way to tame people. To work “like magic”. To convince them of what they don’t want. To build things around hacks. To win in business. To win in life. That’s how you get to… Creating scarcity Focusing on your brand Creating a personal brand Talk about “performative” authenticity Focus on personality-led growth Product-led growth Hourly rates Marketing is sales Marketing is tactical, not strategic Thought leadershit ESG and B-Corp stunts Certifications Selling…
Right people. Right Content. Right Time.
“Getting the right people to the right content at the right time” Bill Shander That is the mantra for the 4×4 Model for Knowledge Content by Bill Shander. It’s not about your content reaching the right people. It’s bringing them to your content. And it all happens from low to high commitments they (are asked to) do. It puts people first. Finds the right ones to get the content to. Content second. Light or heavy to consume? Time third. Is it the right context for them to consume it and get it?…
Those who
There is this podcast episode by Rochelle Moulton and Jonathan Stark that revolves around “Why ‘Those Who Can’t Do Teach’ is BS”. At a point, Jonathan pivots the question to “those who can’t teach do”… which brings me to something often times overviewed: Those who know how to, learn. Because here’s the thing Doing and teaching can even become mechanical and intuitive. But to know how to —that stage where you go from hands work to brains work— you need to learn. It’s an action you do, not…
