Pricing Lists: List It Or Lose It – The Pricing Conundrum

Do you struggle with whether or not to include pricing lists on your website?

Maybe you've been advised by experts to not list your pricing. However, how many people are calling you after visiting your website to inquire about your pricing? My guess is very few, if any, at all.

Last week I hosted a one day retreat for my Selling Mastery Group.  The topic was Content Creation For Revenue Generation. During the section on ways to generate ideas for content, I shared my perspective on listing pricing on your website. I only brought it up as an example of the tip I was teaching in the moment. It's one area where I have a very different perspective than traditional business coaches. My reasoning has to do with the fact that as a sales coach, I advise my clients to put themselves in the shoes of their customers. The pricing issue is about what's best for the customer because relationship selling isn't about you, it's about your customer.

Pricing Lists: A Fresh Perspective

Even though my intention wasn't to discuss the pricing conversation, it sparked a fun discussion in the room. One of the participants in the group brought up a fresh perspective on this topic. And it's something you may want to ponder when deciding about listing pricing on your own website.

She mentioned one of the reasons she doesn't like to call people to ask for pricing when it's not listed on the website, is it makes her feel cheap. The first thing she's asking the person is about pricing and it's uncomfortable for her as a prospective customer. She said she's less likely to call someone to ask for their price versus moving on in her search and finding someone that does list pricing on the website.

Wow, this was not something I've heard anyone admit before and yet when she said it out loud in the room, there was quite a bit of agreement from the other participants. Since the selling process is about the client (not about you), the last thing you want to do is make your client feel uncomfortable. That's a terrible way to build rapport.

More On Pricing Lists…

There was a woman in the room I've worked with for years and we've gone round and round on why she should have pricing listed on her website. After hearing the comment above, it was like a light bulb came on for her. She shared she had been worried people would not consider her services if they saw her pricing before talking to her.

Many of my clients struggle with this same thought. When I asked her how many people have been booking her services after visiting the website, then calling to discuss the benefits, she said, “A lot.” When I challenged the “a lot” answer, she thought about it some more and then said, “Maybe none.” Exactly! Most all of her business comes from referral. Little to none is coming from her website.

What we don't have statistics on is how many people are NEVER calling after visiting her website and not seeing pricing. How many people has she been missing out on working with because they're making a wrong assumption about her pricing?  Maybe they're assuming she's way more expensive than she actually is.

If you can honestly track prospects visiting your website, calling for pricing and then hiring you, then by all means, continue to leave pricing off your website. There's a very good chance most of you do not fall into this category.

Pricing Lists: A Few More Examples

After our retreat day, a big group of us went out to dinner. At the dinner, another participant shared, she recently was looking to hire people for a special event. When she visited websites that didn't have pricing listed, she ruled those vendors out immediately. She never took the time to call and ask for their pricing. She instantly went to the next vendor in her search results. The companies without pricing listed never even stood a chance to earn her business.

On the drive home, one of my assistants shared how often he uses Yelp when deciding where to eat. When a restaurant doesn't list a price range on their menu items, he moves on to the next one on the list. He said he would feel embarrassed to go to a restaurant and have to ask about the pricing before deciding to dine there. He expects to be able to make that decision before choosing a restaurant.

List It Or Never Get The Chance To Earn It

You might still feel some hesitation about listing pricing. Maybe you're trying to convince yourself that your business is different. For the sake of your clients and the long-term health of your business, be realistic, are you losing business because someone told you not to list your pricing on your website?

The best case scenario is always to get on the phone with a prospect and build the know, like and trust factor. I get it.  I want that too in my business. Yet, how often is the best case scenario actually happening?

For those who rarely get clients calling asking for pricing, you may just find you're missing out on working with ideal clients. You're too caught up in thinking about what's best for you, not what's easiest for your client. Easiest is usually what prospects are going to do when making a buying decision.

Wishing you continued success in all areas of your business.

Agree? Disagree? Have additional comments or thoughts on this article? Please share.