Should I Show Pricing on My Website or Not?
To show my pricing on my website or not…that is the question.
I see a lot of new biz owners struggling to decide this and there are a few reasons why.
You are pricing yourself out of your comfort zone and feel uncomfortable showing the price.
You show the price but for the same reason above, you discount it MAJOR because if we’re being honest a part of you believes you are asking too much.
You feel like showing your price is good, but that it might deter people from wanting to work with you in the first place.
I totally understand all of these feelings and I have experienced each and every one of them. There are a few ways to look at this.
Let’s go through the pros and cons of listing your pricing
PROS:
By sharing your pricing, you are automatically qualifying or disqualifying people from working with you. How can this be a pro? Well, if you do consult calls and give 30-40 minutes of your time to people interested in working with you, you want to be sure that they are willing to invest what you charge.
I will say though, that this is a better strategy once there is some momentum in your business. Creating the time for ANY consult call at the beginning of your business is good (whether they want to invest what you are charging or not) because then you strengthen that skill.
Consult calls are an AMAZING way to sell. Especially now with Zoom and how much more comfortable people have gotten with it during COVID.
You are showing transparency. It is attractive to feel like you know what to expect in pricing when you are using your money for a purchase. I think we can all agree that the less unpredictable variables there are with money, the better.
There is less of a chance the client will feel like they will be surprised or blindsided because there is a level of accountability you must hold yourself to when you display your prices.
CONS:
You are automatically qualifying or disqualifying people from working with you. Notice how this is the same #1 from above? Yeah that’s kind of annoying I know, but it’s true. This point can be a con because putting the price out in the open prevents people from exploring more deeply with you.
For me, I’ve been able to have a lot of success with scheduling consult calls with clients before they book. When we have our zoom calls together, they begin to know, like, and trust me and someone that can do a good job. We put a face to the name and I become a resource that they don’t mind investing their hard-earned money. Rapport is SO IMPORTANT.
Some things like commissioned art, coaching, and web design are not one price fits all scenarios. One project with one client may involve significantly more effort than with another and therefore pricing becomes variable.
I have found that not listing my prices gives me the freedom to adjust my pricing for each client’s needs. It would not feel aligned (at least to me personally) to charge one thing for a 10-page website with tons of functionality as for someone who wants 3 pages with minimal functionality. I get more flexibility this way.
A short recap
Displaying your pricing may free up time for only clients that are serious about working with you
Not displaying your pricing allows potential clients to go more deeply in the process with you. You get the chance to discuss ideas with them directly and therefore they get to know, like and trust you more
Important Considerations
For products or courses…. there are certain things that are better off automated. If there is a high ticket item that involves someone working directly with you (e.g. a coaching intensive or something like my business, a custom website design) then, by all means, do your sales call and invest time speaking with clients directly.
But with low to mid-level price offerings, automate automate automate and list your prices on the website. These things are best sold by your consistent marketing. Consistently showing up on social media. Consistently blogging. Consistently investing in social media advertising (make sure you have a good strategy for this one though). The allocation of your time is certainly an important consideration.
Additionally, there are some clients that want instant access to what you offer. They don’t want to have to jump through a million hopes for a solution to their problems. Give the people what they want! Not listing your prices for these items adds a highly unnecessary barrier of entry to your selling process.
The ultimate reality of this discussion?
You must decide what works best for YOU and you alone. Of course keep in the back of your mind that once you make a decision and test it, you can always always change it to fit your needs better. You are never stuck where you are in business. Things are ever evolving and changing, and your strategies can and must too.
