If you were shopping around for a car, would you test drive one without knowing how much it cost until you were handed a pen to sign the contract? I’ll answer for you:
Of course not.
EVEN IF you’d be willing to spend a few thousand dollars more than your ideal budget, you’d still want to know the general cost of the vehicles you were test driving so you could make sure they were within the reasonable boundaries of what you could afford.
I mean… You wouldn’t get into a Tesla if you could only afford a Toyota unless it was for FUN and you had NO INTENTIONS of buying.
But for the sake of the metaphor, let’s say you DID go in to test drive a family SUV without knowing its price.
IT SEEMS LIKE A GREAT CAR. IT HANDLES REALLY WELL, HAS ALL THE FEATURES YOU'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR PLUS A FEW MORE, AND IT FITS YOUR WHOLE FAMILY. IT'S PERFECT.
So when the salesman gives you the total and it’s $20k more than you expected, you find yourself in sticker shock. The salesman tries to persuade you to believe the deal is amazing. But worth is subjective.
In your eyes, maybe you'd pay a few more thousand dollars for those bonus features, but definitely NOT $20k. You don't have an extra $20k laying around at home. That price was not even in your radar.
The salesman keeps insisting that this car is "WORTH IT" and pushing the paperwork towards you. You feel pressured to make a decision and you aren't being given the room to say no. This feels like a trap.
This whole scenario will leave a bad taste in your mouth when you think about that dealership in the future. For now, you might feel angry, hurt, defensive, or even a little guilty as you back out of the deal. The car salesman also feels burned and frustrated when he realizes he isn’t closing the sale. He wasted his time.
NOBODY WINS.
This is why it’s so important to make your pricing public on your website instead of sharing it over a discovery call.
Your customers aren’t just shopping for the solution to their problem, they are searching for the RIGHT solution for their problem. Price plays a MAJOR role in their decision and they are going to shop around.
THEY ARE HUMAN BEINGS WITH BUDGETS AND THIS IS 100% FAIR.
It’s not likely that a stranger will jump on the phone with you just to inquire about your pricing. A discovery call takes up at least 30 minutes... 30 minutes they could have spent on a project kickoff call AFTER choosing to work with you. 30 minutes they could have spent actually solving one of their problems instead of just hearing about your pricing structure.
The window shopping stage shouldn't take that long.
When we block out our windows so the public can't see in unless they surrender something (their time) before we even know each other, we are not being mysterious or clever or alluring.
We are being freakin' SHADY.
Let me blow your mind for a minute. Strategic website copy that clearly outlines my services, deliverables, and pricing is the reason I consistently book 9 out of every 10 discovery call clients.
By the time people get on a call with me, they already KNOW they want to work with me and that they can afford it. The call is less about persuading them to buy and more to see if we’re a good personality match.
I'll be even more honest. The 10% of clients who don't convert usually want a smaller package that I (as a professional in my industry) know won't help them reach their goals. In these cases, I'm totally honest and upfront about this. I tell them why a smaller package won't work so they aren't in the dark, give them my best suggestions for moving forward, and I decline to take them on as a client.
Sharing my pricing publicly means I don't waste time on discovery calls that shouldn’t have been scheduled in the first place. It also means that my clients feel safe and supported in their shopping journey, even if they ultimately choose to hire a different copywriter.
I want you to remember this:
You won’t have to convince someone to buy something they want to buy.
But the only way to know if your service, course, or membership meets their needs is for your dream clients to read about it in clear language.
If you’re missing that, you’re missing an opportunity to serve them, which leads to more qualified sales.
That's why it's vitally important to create a sales page for premium offerings, a clear services page for simpler offerings, and a launch email sequence when you're making an intentional promotional push towards an offering.
It's not about YOU and your desire to make a sale. It's about YOUR CLIENT and what they need in order to feel SAFE.
LET’S SUMMARIZE, MY DEAR WATSON.
Public pricing prequalifies your leads.
Prospective clients who are ready to buy and have the money to spend on your services will not be discouraged by your prices. People who balk at your prices are NOT your people.
If you're truly worried about losing a great candidate from sticker shock you can add some copy near your prices to encourage them to reach out for a custom quote or remind them that payment plans are available.
Pro tip: if you offer several tiers of service, at the very least, please tell readers where your prices START.
As you can see, I have strong feelings about this. I don’t believe in hiding information that helps potential clients make a wise, informed decision.
I want to join the ranks of entrepreneurs who are committed to selling and marketing with integrity. Will you join me?
Onwards and upwards,
Kristen
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