Should You Talk Price on Your Website? Absolutely.

• 13 years ago

A lot of businesses shy away from talking about pricing on their website. Classic sales trainers claim you should never talk price until the customer has confirmed they need your services. Other businesses say their quotes are based on too many different project variables. Some companies fear being perceived as too “high end” while other businesses fear that their prices will be undercut by the competition. The result is that a lot of websites simply ignore pricing.

Yet cost is probably one of the most common questions potential B2B customers have about the products and services you offer. People want to know what a product or service will cost. This is especially true for products and services that buyers have never purchased before. Cost is likely to be one of the key drivers of traffic on your website. You can confirm it if you drill down into your analytics and look at the keyword searches that include the word “cost”. On our site, What Should I Pay a Content Writer, is one of our most popular posts.

Now I understand why you may not be able to publish a specific price for a product or service. Your customers understand it too. But instead of ignoring the elephant in the room, focus on what you can tell them about your pricing. Provide useful information related to pricing that will drive highly qualified traffic to your site.

Five Ways to Talk About Price without Giving a Price

1) Describe the variables that determine the price.

For example, a tuckpointing business could say that the price is based on the square footage of the building as well as the current condition of the building. Pictures could help buyers recognize the characteristics of a building in good condition, vs. one in poor condition.

2) Provide a price range.

Often customers just want a number they can use for budgeting purposes. Providing a price range based on a typical scenario can be an effective solution. Explain what qualifies as typical. For example, a graphic designer might charge a rate per page for a brochure that includes two rounds of revisions. Buyers will understand that if you have four rounds of revisions, or additional pages, you can expect to pay more.

3) Write an article or blog post about how to save money on your services.

What clients don’t want to know how to save money? Allegra Print & Imaging in Rolling Meadows provides some great tips on how to save on postage and printing on their blog.

You could also do the opposite and write about the mistakes that cost your clients money.

4) Provide an hourly rate for various types of services, as well as a ballpark rate for typical assignments.

For example, we charge a rate of $100 per hour for writing press releases. A typical press release takes about 1-2 hours to produce.

5) Provide pricing options.

If your products and services involve a lot of different options or services, consider developing packages designed to meet the needs of clients with a wide range of budgets. For example, a recent inbound marketing proposal we developed for a fashion-oriented direct selling business, included “couture,” “designer,” and “ready-to-wear” packages.

If you really don’t know how much it will cost until you look under the hood, inspect the jobsite, etc, come up with a price for completing the diagnostics and publish that online. From there, buyers can make the decision whether to move forward based on your actual quote.

In addition to increasing your website traffic, there is yet another advantage to providing pricing information online. You don’t spend time with prospects who cannot afford your products and services. Instead, your sales funnel is full of qualified leads that are easier to convert.

How have you addressed pricing on your website?