We might think lowering prices is a good move… But when you can raise prices and keep your customers, you know you’re on the right track. Before we get too deep, let’s look at a classic case of over-discounting…

Then you’ll understand the damage it can do.

When Pets.com collapsed in November 2000, it took $300 million in investment capital with it. In doing so, it became the poster child for everything wrong with the dotcom boom.

While there are a number of reasons for Pets.com’s failure, one of the most important was consistently undercharging its customers. In order to quickly grow its customer base, they offered steep discounts and free shipping.

In fact, the company was selling products for 27% less it cost them to purchase them!

It was a business model that was built to fail – and it certainly did…

Competing on price is a common fix for poor marketing.

It invariably results in a devalued perception of the business’s products or services, inadequate customer support, and a constraint on the ability to grow margins.

Lowering prices can be a trap that’s very difficult to escape.

Once consumers have purchased a product at discount, there can be significant resistance to paying the full price.

Pets.com eventually realized their business model was faulty, and tried to make the shift to products with thicker margins – but they struggled to shift their perceived value…

Raising prices by focusing on delivering more value than your competition enables you to charge a premium while increasing demand. At the same time, it helps to communicate the value of what you are offering beyond a shadow of a doubt. Higher prices lead to better customers… who have a better understanding if the true value of your offer.  

Convinced that raising your prices is a good idea, but not sure how to go about it?

Here four ideas to get you started:

#1 Increase The Value Perception

I like to use a phrase (that I stole from Dan Kennedy) to describe your customer’s perception that you are offering more value than they are paying for… He calls it, “selling money at discount.”

This means that if a customer is getting 10 times the value of what you’re charging, they aren’t going to question the price.

I worked with one client who was able to raise the price of a monthly program from $50/month to $200 /month…

The reason?

His clients had a very high value perception of his offer.

In my book The Predictable Profits Playbook, I discuss a range of strategies that businesses can use to increase their perceived value. This includes becoming a trusted advisor and identifying your Unique Advantage Point (UAP).

#2: Link The Price To The Result

It’s natural for a prospect to object to a higher price…

But what if you could guarantee the result that they were after?

The classic example is Nordstrom’s famous lifetime guarantee.

Anything purchased from Nordstrom can be returned, at any time, for a full refund. It completely removes the risk from the customer’s buying decision, and at the same time, conveys the quality of their products…

Or how about pay for performance?

In that model, you are assuming all of the risk…

If you fail to deliver on your promises, then you don’t get paid…

At the same time, your client can pay you out of the profits that you have made for them (this is exactly how I run my consulting business). When you are “printing money” for your clients, you have a lot more leverage for charging higher prices.

#3: Move To The Next Psychological Price Hurdle

In Marlene Jensen’s book, “46 Ways To Raise Prices… Without Losing Sales,” she discusses the importance of psychological “hurdles” when determining price. These “hurdles” are the maximum price that you can move to – without hurting sales.

Want to know how high you can raise prices before hitting resistance?

Try split testing to see if a rise in price hurts your sales… If you are already over delivering exceptional value, you may be surprised how much price elasticity you have!

#4: Provide Education Services For Your Product

Your product may provide huge value, but not every customer will be taking full advantage of all it has to offer…

Providing educational services (like the Apple Genius Bar) as an add-on to your product will immediately enable you to raise the amount you charge. It will also increase the value perception, simply by increasing the likelihood that your customer achieves the result that they are after.

The more they know, the more value they can get from your products or services…

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If you’d like more insights on estimating what your business is worth, check out this related piece on how to value a business.

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In our modern, interconnected world, word of mouth advertising (based on the results you have delivered for your customers in the past) is some of the best marketing you can do.

Competing on price is a race to the bottom – somebody will always be willing to undercut you.

Even if you win your “price war,” the damage to your margins (and the perception of your brand) will often send you down the same path as Pets.com.

In your corner,

Charlie