Start Charging What You're Worth!

[Ihavenoname]

But do you end up getting the job? At your price?
Rich

Yes and no.

I may not get what I want, in that I still feel under paid for my skill, ability, knowledge and so on as compared to a Plumber or Mechanic or any other highly skilled trade or career. But I do get more then my competition and more often.  


Side Bar:

Plus I spend less time messing with people who shop on price allow.
It's sounds odd, but instead of people complaining about my prices being to high,
they complain that their furniture may not be worthy,
(OK may sound like b.s. but... "Worthy") of my work. A big change.

Back to my point:

First off, I'm showing myself as "THE" knowledgeable, skilled, well trained upholsterer who knows all the pain and problems and pit falls of new and used furniture(or boat or cars if that is your side of the business)
I am showing them the pain or the problem and then letting them know, I can take away the pain and make it all simply go away.


I hope that makes sense. Sorry don't have a lot of time to write today.


Anyway. I do get more money and more qualified yeses and spend very little time justifying my prices.

They call, I tell the story and educate them on how to buy.
They call around realizing no one else sounds as good and professional and has none of the answer to the pain I talked about so they then call back.

Also, it's a lot of other things as well not just a good story. It's that my whole business and marketing is about that core story and taking away my customers pain or fear of pain, or fear of loss.

But I agree also with Doyle. It's harder out there and not so much money and low cost SH*T, sorry that is what it is, is taking a tole. But people are starting to realizable a $600 sofa is just that, a $600 sofa mean to last 3 to 5 years.

In short, Try to develop a core story for you business and us it.
Google business core story to start.

Here is link to the guy I worked with to develop mine. It worked very well.

http://www.chetholmes.com/core-story-research-services.php

He also has a book on amazon http://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-Sales-Machine-Turbocharge/dp/1591842158/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1/187-4502571-9221169


Added after some thought:

Blowing smoke at least up my own skirt.
Maybe I'm being simple minded, but I have found that most of my challenges in business (or life) have had more to do with me and my idea or belief of what I'm worth or what I can do or should try way more then will it work or my customers. In other words, I've learned, for me, that the more I work though my own self limitations, the better my life, business and general happiness becomes. As they say the Gods will reward honest hard work.

So in that, as simple minded as it may sound, despite any misgivings that this does not work or that this will only work for other businesses or other people, I'd like to emphasize that despite "Cheap Selfish Customers"  this has really help for me.

It's not that we are lacking answers. It's that we are lacking courage.

Everyone wants to loose 20 lbs, or about 1.5 stones for you Brits, but everyone who has not lose the 20 lbs is looking for their answer. Their Answer, You know how to loose 20 lbs in 3 days while eating Pizza and Ice Cream. At least that was the one I was willing to try. But the hard fact always comes to Diet and Working out.  Sorry there is  no such thing as a  Crispy Cream Diet.

So this may not be the answer we are looking for, but it is an answer that has worked for me.

Give it a try. It may hurt but it may very well be worth it.

You know you business better then anyone. You could easy teach a class on how to buy your product or service. So...

[bobbin]

Wow, what a good read this thread has been! it's one of the reasons I like this forum so much.  Great ideas and thoughtful insights coupled with your skill and business acumen, doesn't get much better, you guys.  :)

One., I really, really like "prepared speech 1"!  The ability to take control of a telephone inquiry from the get-go is brilliant.  I particularly like reducing "the call" to bullet points or a "flow chart" (of sorts) because it allows you to control the direction of the conversation .  More importantly, you've set yourself up to do it in a polite, conversational, and eductional manner.  Ahh... the art of diplomacy.  Love it!

I have reached a  point in my working life where I no longer wish to play "beat the clock" on a job that is marginally profitable, nor do I wish to struggle through something that is big, heavy (frequently dirty, too!) and leaves me feeling unfulfilled when it's finished.  I'd rather "pass" on that stuff and focus on the stuff that I know is good, reliable money (marine canvas repair, clothing alterations) or the stuff that requires my skill/brain power and will look super when completed (drapery work, slipcovers, yacht interiors). 

I gave an estimate a week ago that I now wish hadn't been so high.  But I hadn't seen the sleep sofa with 6 cushions and I gave a high estimate for the slipcover.  However, she may still call and if I think the price was too high I can always revise it down!

[Ihavenoname]

Wow, what a good read this thread has been! it's one of the reasons I like this forum so much.  Great ideas and thoughtful insights
I gave an estimate a week ago that I now wish hadn't been so high.  But I hadn't seen the sleep sofa with 6 cushions and I gave a high estimate for the slipcover.  However, she may still call and if I think the price was too high I can always revise it down!

So I sound like a know it all. Sorry.

Or she may have just tossed the whole idea and move onto somethings else.

Business is a two way street. They can say no and you can too.

No to working for less
No to working for people that are a pain
No to ...

You too can decide what you want as well as your customers can decide for themselves.

There is no law that says you must take that job at any cost.

I know we have to eat.

[bobbin]

Nobody "knows it all", One.!  :)  If they did you and I would run head to head.  Lol. 

The greater point I wanted to make was that my "high" estimate (for an unseen sleep sofa with 6 cushions) was basically a "shot in the dark" and quoted to CMA and weed out a "tire kicker".  Interestingly, my immediate reaction to no response in 4 days was that my price was too high.  But I've been surprised before and this may be one of those cases.  Just because a slipcover job is in the front of MY mind doesn't necessarily mean it's on the front burner for the person who called me... .  It may simply be something on the "list" that's not as important as scheduling new paint for the dining room, the landscaper, etc.. 

I understand with the greater clarity years past provide  that "makin' it up with volume" is a foolish attempt to run down the unattainable.  Every job must be profitable and "worth" the effort you put into it or you're basically "workin' for peanuts". 

[Rich]

OK, now I'm getting a clearer picture. Reading the link to the CHI website, I like the quote: "We'll teach you the five most dangerous trends happening in auto manufacturing (for example) and the three things you need to know to avoid them. Call for a free briefing."
That is something that's being done a lot lately by the big guys. I get it every day when I turn on AOL and HAVE to navigate past the teaser  "news" stories they post there. It irks me to have them there, but I don't see any way of getting rid of them. Sometimes, I just hit the "new mail" button and go right to my mail, but I'd be lying if I told you I do this all the time. Some headlines just grab my attention and I just HAVE to click on it :). That's what Chet Holmes is saying, use a teaser to grab a prospective customer's attention when there's a good chance he's just going to blow you off. But then, you better have solid info or he'll figure he wasted his time listening to you and for sure won't become a customer. When someone calls you or comes into your business, you already have their attention so the teaser phrase may not be neccessary (although in some cases it may be). The idea of convincing a potential customer that you are knowledgeable is a good one I think, but you could be spending alot of time educating people who are not your customers. That's why I asked how it was working for you. In that case, I think, it's a matter of properly reading your customer and letting the tire kickers walk.
Rich

[sofadoc]

Those attention grabbing teasers are a total turn-off to me. Most of the time they're lacking in any real substance.
I'm not saying this to criticize Hog Ring, but he does a lot of those "5 ways to do this" and "10 ways to do that". Everyone seems to like them. So maybe it's just me.
He did one several months ago on "5 ways to get paid on time". Just for fun, I asked the 15 year old kid next door if he could name 5 ways. He came up with:
1) get paid up front
2) take credit cards
3) sue them
I don't remember the other 2 that he said, but he got 3 out of the 5.

Yahoo did one on "5 ways to raise your credit score". It was all basic stuff. Like pay your bills on time, pay down your debt, pay off your credit cards, etc. All stuff that anyone could've came up with. 

My favorite teasers are the ones for the local evening news that say something like:
THERE'S A DANGER LURKING IN YOUR HOUSE THAT COULD KILL YOU! :o
We'll tell you what it is....tonight at 10.  ;)

Getting back to charging what you're worth, I'm sure that we'd all like to get more than we do.
My attitude has always been "Here's my price...take it or leave it". I'm not interested in hitting them with a bunch of catchy bullet points.
Who knows? Maybe if I used some of these strategies, I'd already be retired by now. ;D

[Rich]

Yahoo did one on "5 ways to raise your credit score". It was all basic stuff. Like pay your bills on time, pay down your debt, pay off your credit cards, etc. All stuff that anyone could've came up with.

I think they also suggest cutting that daily $4.35 Double Latte down to maybe two days a week and bring your lunch instead of buying it. Made me wish I HAD been doing those things ???.
Rich

[gene]

5 ways to appreciate attention grabbing teasers:

1. Understand that they are meant to tease, not educate.

2. If you find yourself "grabbed", it's not your fault. You were caught off guard. It happens to all of us now and then. It is in no way a reflection of your ability to pour piss out of a boot.

3. Realize that they are written at a 4th grade reading level, as is all news media. Randomly add the words "booger" and "fart" and they will be pure entertainment for any school child who can read.

4. Accept the fact that we live in a society that has been dominated by religious, and now scientific belief systems, that have created a false view of life that claims the physical world is the only true manifestation of reality, and this reality can easily be understood by 'cause and effect', i.e., everything that exists can be observed, measured, and reproduced, hence, "The top 5, or 6 or 10 or how ever many ways to do something."

5. Put scotch tape on your cat's front left paw.

gene

[sofadoc]

Gene: I'm absolutely NOT kidding. Those 5 teasers that you just posted are without a doubt the most informative 5 teasers that I have EVER seen here, or anywhere else (the funniest too).
Even #5 has more substance than "pay your bills on time".

The whole 5 or 10 way teaser thing reminds me of the story "The Emperor's new clothes".
Through pure peer pressure, nobody wanted to admit that they didn't see anything. Finally, when one person spoke up, the rest agreed.

Wait a minute......does this mean that are 5 ways to pour piss out of a boot? Dang! I still ain't figgered out the first way!

[bobbin]

Psst... Sofa., the directions are on the sole of the boot...

[Ihavenoname]

I really don't use teaser copy much.
I"ve tried it but never had much luck with it.

Mainly I educate be it videos, a quick bullet point phone script or what ever.

The main thing is substance not just headlines.

5 ways to increase customer  satisfaction

3 thinks that may flag you for an IRS audit.

How I learned the Piano in 2 weeks.

Or what ever.

If you want to learn great grabber head lines. Read the tabloid trash at check out.
3 headed baby from mars.
Obama's Love Child is from Outer Space.
How Nancey Metoo lost 40 lbs in 3 weeks eating Creepy Cream Donuts.
Debby Myname's Final Tragic Days.
Mark Notreal's mistress tells all before she is found dead.
New Photos from Sealed Investigation: Mark Notreal's mistress officially called  a suicide even thought found strangled in the nude.

If only reality could be so cool.

[TheHogRing]

We at The Hog Ring put together our heads to come up with a title that SofaDoc could appreciate. It's less teaser and more direct:

If You Feel That You Are Not Being Paid Enough For Your Services and That You Deserve More, You May Want to Consider Adjusting Your Prices So That They Match Your Desired Income

A bit longer than "Charge What You're Worth", but exactly as clear.

Studies in online communications have shown that people who read on the web prefer lists, bullet points and quick take aways that they can easily digest and move on.

[sofadoc]

Studies in online communications have shown that people who read on the web prefer lists, bullet points and quick take aways that they can easily digest and move on.

Believe me, I understand why you title your articles the way that you do. It's a short attention span world that we live in now.
It's not just web readers either. Any front page story in a major newspaper probably has an inset with a synopsized list of bullet points that give the reader a quick gist on page 2.
Again, no offense to Hog Ring, or anyone else who uses these methods.
Being a couch guy, Hog Ring's articles don't always have relevance for me. But I appreciate his input on this discussion board.

[byhammerandhand]

I'm a big fan of Plain Language guidelines.   Other than my elementary school spelling and grammar lessons, it's done the most to improve my written communications.

http://www.plainlanguage.gov/


That brings to mind a question:

• Is a bullet list with just one item still a list?

[gene]

Maybe I'm being simple minded, but I have found that most of my challenges in business (or life) have had more to do with me and my idea or belief of what I'm worth or what I can do or should try way more then will it work or my customers. In other words, I've learned, for me, that the more I work though my own self limitations, the better my life, business and general happiness becomes. As they say the Gods will reward honest hard work.