Are you the expert?
Do your customers just ask you for what they need and you tell them “Yes, here are some options for you to choose from”? Or do you guide them through the process so that they can make an informed decision? Or do you even tell them “No, sorry. I don’t do that / provide that / work like that”?
Money is not a problem.
“Money is not a problem.” In a negotiation in behalf of a client, I asked my client:”Please give me the prices (at full) for these 2 programs your customer wants to buy. Money is not a problem. They have as a minimum 24K euros.” The answer? “Here. This is the price —but you can offer it for less.” The “less” price? 16K The fear of “losing” the opportunity made them leave money on the table. Despite having the extra approved budget. Of course, now comes the ethical question: “Isn’t this…
Will & Joe
What if they both had fixed prices… and you could have the answer now (Joe) or in a few weeks (Will)? [Notice that “few weeks” is more than a month.] It’s a game-changer for your business —think of it as THE thing that will put you in the stratosphere of your field. Which one would be YOUR choice?
Inflation
If your country’s economy hits 15% inflation (in comparison to the last year). What do you do with your prices? Raise them? Maintain them? Lower them? Why? 🙂
Prices and Inflation
A few responses re: “What do you do with your prices when inflation gets a 15% jump?” were in the lines of “I’ll raise my prices”. Makes sense. In a sense. BUT! What if you didn’t have to raise your prices, despite inflation? How would your customers feel about it? What do you think the effect on this would have on trust? What would you need to keep your prices without change in such scenario?
The largest smallest
What is the largest tiny market where you can be seen as THE perfect option (aka meaningfully relevant)? Market: group of people trying to get something done. Meaningfully relevant: only you (or a very few) can help this market to serve get the thing done. The thing done: the desired future state they’re trying to achieve. When you define it, you’re the big fish in the small pond.
Embrace
Try everything. Even if you think it’s gonna suck. Because that’s the thing that can open paths to new ideas, from your own perspective, your own experiences, your own life. And as Chad Smith says: “And at the end of the day it’ll end up sounding like us (red hot chili peppers) anyways.” That’s authenticity. Not the crap you’re being sold to by the bros. 🙂 “The opposite of a great idea is another great idea.” And it’s one that triggers new ideas.
That daily thing…
Look, this daily thing is a game-changer. In terms of: Expertise, it lets you go deep on things you love AND hate in your industry. For the ones you love, on how to make them bigger. On the ones you hate, on seeing ways to change the situation. Creativity, it pushes you to think deeper —and different. It helps you make connections you never thought of before. Deciding what to focus on (positioning/niching down/specializing), it gives you the freedom to explore all the different ideas you…
Because we really love tattooing.
“I wanna get a small tattoo” Lowering your prices won’t make you close more deals. In fact, it could very well deter your ideal customers. Discounting is a bad idea.
About 20…
“That’s how the super rich talk: they just say 5… 20…” Funny thing, that’s how your ideal customers also talk: in a natural way, with a big number, in terms of money. When you’re selling, you have to not think with your own pocket. You have to align with what they can afford and where they see the upside. Value is subjective. And the things they value, have a different appearance to what you see. Can you say to your customer “It’s $ 10 000” without giggling or breaking character? Try it…