Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

01  Pricing in context

        How any business can improve its bottom line

        The Five Ways to Grow a business

        Why people fail to see the problem as a price issue

        Summary

        Action points

        Reader challenge

02  Why is pricing so difficult?

        The importance of knowledge and training

        How to avoid the impact of your bad experiences

        Blindly copying the big retailers

        Limited financial understanding of how profits are made

        People’s desire to please, and their freedom to do so

        People need to be properly motivated to change

        Summary

        Action points

03  The remarkable benefits of getting pricing right

        Understanding what you actually charge at the moment

        Increasing the headline price (but with added value)

        How you can charge more when you guarantee value

        Making sure your frontline people understand the profit equation

        Summary

        Action points

04  How most businesses price and why these methods are wrong

        Cost plus pricing – the fundamental flaw

        Undercutting competitors – it simply cuts your profits

        Last year’s pricing plus a bit – the bit is never enough

        Best guess pricing – it’s just a stab in the dark

        Value to each customer – the only pricing strategy that really works

        Summary

        Action points

05  Understanding value versus cost

        The value Scales

        What happens when the scales don’t balance?

        How to balance the scales

        The dissipation of value over time

        The importance of discussing value with customers

        Summary

        Action points

06  Packaging for higher prices

        The four ways to maximize each sale

        Using price to up-sell and cross-sell

        Offering choices increases the value of the sale

        Alternative price options affect the perception of value of all options

        Setting price differentials properly

        The price of pain

        Summary

        Action points

07  Customers don’t always want the cheapest

        Increasing prices doesn’t automatically mean losing customers

        Summary

        Action points

08  Exploding all of the myths about pricing

        Myth: Customers only want the cheapest

        Myth: Loss leaders work

        Myth: A 50 per cent off sale is a 50 per cent off sale

        Myth: Presentation of the price doesn’t matter

        Myth: All prices should end in a ‘9’

        Myth: The best person to set the price is the salesperson

        Myth: Setting prices is a once a year decision

        Myth: Every customer is worth having and every sale matters

        Myth: Raising prices loses customers

        Summary

        Action points

09  Using guarantees to get increased prices

        Risk versus reward

        Price-match guarantees

        Using guarantees to add value to your side of the value Scales

        Offering options with and without guarantees

        Customers are fundamentally honest

        Offering a guarantee as an extra

        Summary

        Action points

10  Discounting

        Who is affected by poor discounting practices

        The financial dynamics of discounting

        The impact of a small change in discounts

        Discounting prices to win customers is a myth

        The top four reasons people discount

        How to limit discounts

        When discounting is right

        Summary

        Action points

11  Presenting the price properly

        The impact of the price ticket

        The significance of clarity

        Accuracy is key

        The importance of the actual numbers

        Presentation of price on bundled items

        When to reveal your prices

        Using words for impact

        Summary

        Action points

12  Directional pricing

        The advantages of moving customers to alternative options

        The pizza example

        The critical issues to know

        Setting extreme prices to make other offers seem comparatively attractive

        Summary

        Action points

13  Dealing with the human factor

        Most people running a business are untrained for that role

        Conscious competency

        Don’t be afraid to get external input

        The key people in the profit equation

        Handling your team’s need to please customers

        Helping your team focus on profit

        Dealing with the human factor in your customers

        Fear!

        Summary

        Action points

14  Getting financial clarity

        You need to know the numbers

        Not all customers make you money

        Steps in the profit calculation

        Summary

        Action points

15  Your action plan

        Have a vision for the future

        Build your team and allocate resources

        Set smart goals

        Just do stuff!

        Two questions, with answers

16  The final word on pricing for profit

Index