Why are small businesses everywhere so afraid to post prices on their websites?
That’s the question asked by Small Business Trends, the reliable purveyor of news and notes in the little world we inhabit. The question os why most small businesses don’t feel entirely comfortable putting their prices up online is a little vexing. After all, what company doesn’t get a boost from being honest and open with their customers?
First, I’ll give you the Small Business Trends take:
I think we’re afraid to talk about pricing on our websites because we want to convince potential customers of the value our products provide. Simply giving a number doesn’t express how awesome our widgets and doohickeys are. But we, our companies’ salespeople, can expound upon the benefits our products provide! They’re magical and worth every penny!
But the truth is: Price does matter. No matter how magical your unicorn clone machine is, if it’s out of my budget, there’s nothing you can do about that.
I agree with this point, but let’s take it further. There are three other very good reasons to overcome your hesitation and put those prices out there for the world to see.
Three Points
Yes, I am a master of imaginative headers. Thank you for noticing.
Anyways, here are three very good reasons to put prices on your website, reasons that go beyond the desire to convince customers in person.
- Then they know. If you’re worried that your prices are too high to attract customers, then you might want to consider lowering your prices. The positives of having informed customers far outweigh the negatives, in my opinion. If you lose a few because they’re turned off by your prices, you’ll gain a few who appreciate knowing what they’ll be paying. Those customers will take up less of your time asking questions and won’t be surprised when they head to the cash register.
- If you ever want to offer online shopping, you have to. More and more companies are turning to online shopping to turn a buck with minimal overhead. You might not be there yet, but down the line you may find it prudent to offer things online to either cut down on the space you need for your store or to reach a wider customer base. No one can or will buy anything from an online merchant with no prices, so keep that in mind.
- The promotional value. You can undercut your competition with smart use of pricing. If you notice Bob’s Discount Baseball Bats down the street charges $10 more than you, you can rack up some easy business by pointing out that competitors charge $10 more and don’t care about them the way you do. If your competitors don’t list their prices, you can do a little guerilla marketing and wonder aloud why they don’t. What have they got to hide, anyways?
So those are the advantages as I am see them. If you have more, this forum is open for you to share!
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