Should You Put Your Prices On Your Website?

Following on from my last article about never selling your services from your website, the logical conclusion in taking forward that argument has to be that if you are not selling your services from your website, instead you are just selling the first contact, then clearly you will not need to mention your prices either. Right? Right!

Let me explain why.

Let’s say you are a consultant or a coach, and someone is looking for your services. They head to Google, type in your service name followed by their local town or city, and because you have been doing so much excellent blogging recently, up pops your website at the top of Google. Bingo!

They click on the link and they like what they read. You have lots of excellent client reviews about your service and have published a book. You really look like the expert that they need to help them with their current business challenge. This is looking really good for you and for your client; until…

On the page detailing your services, you explain exactly how much a one off session is with you, and how they can buy a block of 6 sessions for £500, or a half day meeting for £350.

“OK, great, now I know how much they charge, let’s have a look at the next result in the Google search and see how much they charge,” says your prospect to herself.

Wait. No. Stop. Come back here, your website cries as they hit the back button, but it’s too late. They have gone.

They go back to the Google search results and click onto your competitor’s website. They too have been doing quite a bit of blogging, not as much as you which is why you were first in the Google search results, but enough to claim third spot (you were in the top two places).

They look through the website, where again they find lots of client reviews and some great local media coverage for their business.

However, at the crucial heading of ‘Charges’, rather than spelling out their charging structure, they stress that all initial enquiries are completely free of charge and without obligation and that during the first call they will explain how their services are priced including the opportunity to obtain a completely free of charge strategy session.

The prospect immediately picks up their telephone and calls this company. Once on the telephone, the consultant is able to do what they do best, listen to their client’s needs and tailor their offering to match them perfectly. This consultant is now in a race of only one. The prospect, having spent 20 minutes on the telephone has formed a relationship with the consultant, and does not see the need to go through the same process again with anyone else.

You lost the opportunity to do this with the prospect when you published your prices for your services on your website.

As soon as you put your prices on to your website you become a price comparison tool for your prospects to use.

Let me repeat that please:

As soon as you put your prices on to your website you become a price comparison tool for your prospects to use.

Why would they call you to find out more when you have already told them how much you charge for your services?

However, that call which they will not now make is exactly what you need to strike up a rapport with your prospect which will provide you with the chance of winning their business.

I have seen people add prices to their website for a wide range of types of services and literally overnight all of the enquiries that they were previously receiving have dried up. Whether you are an accountant, coach, consultant, financial adviser, lawyer, or any other service provider, this will apply to you too.

If you currently have the prices for your services displayed on your website, test removing these and stressing the value of an initial conversation with you, then see what a difference this makes in terms of the number of enquiries that you receive from your website.

In the next blog post I will discuss a very powerful tool that you need to use to ensure that more of your visitors to your website decide to make that first contact with you. It will make a big difference to your website conversion rate, potentially huge. Make sure you do not miss it.

Click the button below to see the four most effective marketing tactics for small business owners:

Small Business Salt – Practical Business Advice For Small Business Owners.