Tried Value-Based Pricing? Try Value-Based Buying
Last week, I talked about four methods to avoid when setting your prices. So what should you base your pricing on? The answer, of course, is the ever-elusive value.
The Case for Value-Based Pricing
Value-based pricing is determining how much the project is worth to your client in revenue, or how much the problem is costing, then charging a portion thereof. For example, if a client had an IT problem that had been costing him $10,000 month for the past six months, then charging him 25 percent of that would not seem unreasonable. Some people believe value-based pricing is an unrealistic ideal that never really worked in the “real” world—especially in today’s economy. Yet, there are many industries where value-based pricing is commonplace. Alan Weiss pioneered the concept in the early 90s and continues to use it today, so it’s difficult to write it off as “fantasy.” (Besides, it’s hard to argue with someone who holds a PhD.)
Can value-based pricing be implemented in the web industry? Weiss has taught accountants and architects how to bill based on value, so why not web designers? I never tried it, even after reading his book. I told myself it was too difficult to implement in the web industry because what we do is not unique. You’re free to learn how it’s done, or convince yourself it doesn’t work without even trying, as I did.
Value-Based Buying
Whether or not you embrace value-based pricing, you’ll be hard-pressed to successfully sell your services without value-based buying. That’s when clients choose to hire you based on no other criteria other than the value you provide.
Pricing your product is actually simple, as long as you consider it from the buyer’s point of view. How much it costs you to make something is irrelevant. They don’t care …
When we consider it from our point of view, we look at our skillset and ask, “How can I sell this?” But the proper question is: “How does this serve the market?”
You see, up until now, the focus has been on pricing and selling: How do I price my services? How much should I charge? Let’s change the focus to why people buy.
“Who do people buy?” is a thousand times more important than “How do I sell?” No, let me correct that … it’s one million times more important than “How do I sell?” No, let me correct that … it’s one billion times more important than “How do I sell?” Get the picture?
It never ceases to amaze me that companies will spend thousands of hours and millions of dollars teaching people “how to sell,” and not one minute or ten dollars on “why they buy.” And “why they buy” is all that matters.
Value First; Price Second
That’s from Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Red Book of Selling, in which he lists 12.5 reasons “why they buy,” such as:
- “I perceive a value in the product I am purchasing.”
- “I perceive this product or service will increase my profit or productivity.”
Any work for which someone’s willing to pay you must create value; and value isn’t always about money … but it is always about increases or decreases. If you can increase or decrease something your prospect wants increased or decreased, you have the potential to create value.
Formula are great for determining a base price or “cost” you won’t go below, but there are some crucial steps you must follow before “coming up with a price” for the client:
- Ask yourself, What value can I create?
- Have a fact-finding conversation to discover what he wants increased and/or decreased.
- Make sure you ask the right questions.
- Do a return on investment analysis to show him the economic benefits he will get from your solution.
- Once you know what he wants, show him how you are the one who can help him get it.
Then, and only then, should you talk about price.
