Thread: To PRICE? or NOT to PRICE ... That Is The Question.

Hi Everyone:

I'm designing new postcards to promote my business. Should I include the phrase, "Show pricing begins at XX"? Or leave it out?

Let's hear some pros and cons.

Pro - offering up prices certainly gives people a more realistic idea before they call you, and weeds out the annoying "Will you dance for $50" calls.

But if you're printing a bulk load of postcards, you might like to refer people to your website for a price list, as that's easily updateable. The other option is to leave a blank space on the card to allow for overprinting. That is, pop the card in your own printer and print your latest prices, a special offer or a voucher in there. This is an idea my PR expert friend gave me, and it's meant I've been able to use the same card for all sorts of things.

I like Jewel's answer, but I would say there are a couple other considerations. I think promotional material should have all the crucial information to draw people in to your business to find out more- so the job of a post card, in my view, is to get them to come check out your website- at which point they have seen your card, gone to the effort to enter the website and seen your website which reinforces how cool you are all before pricing comes up at all. Maybe they see the pricing then and think "oh, that's more than I was planning on spending" but you are stuck in their head for future opportunities, as opposed to picking up a post card, seeing that the price does or does not fit their expectation and putting it down & walking away. That's my theory, anyway.

Now, if I'm running classes and doing post cards specifically to advertise the current session and the price is part of the great deal you are using to draw people in, that becomes part of the crucial information that does need to be communicated up front.

So, I guess my question is what is the purpose of printing your pricing in this situation? If it does not serve to draw people in, eliminate it. If it does draw people in, keep it.

Thanks for the input, ladies! I think -- er, know -- that the psychology of advertising isn't an exact science, and that everyone will have a different take on things. That's why I'm on the fence about this.

For myself, not seeing a starting price makes me automatically think that whatever "it" is, I won't be able to consider it, and automatically dismiss the topic from my mental list of possibilities. I don't want to get all juiced up about something, go through the effort of calling, only to find out that whatever it is I was considering is so pie-in-the-sky out of reach, and then be embarrassed and disappointed.

If the "something" that I am curious about requires a consultation, they virtually never let you know what the price ranges are. I find this frustrating, and I always insist that I get a ball-park figure before I make an appointment; is it closer to $5, $50, or $500? I can usually get that much out of them.

Seeing a starting price, however, I find turns me on, not off. At least I know where I stand.

Perhaps I'm overthinking this. Perhaps I'll put "prices start at XX" in very small type.

Originally Posted by Nabila-Nazem

Thanks for the input, ladies! I think -- er, know -- that the psychology of advertising isn't an exact science, and that everyone will have a different take on things. That's why I'm on the fence about this.

For myself, not seeing a starting price makes me automatically think that whatever "it" is, I won't be able to consider it, and automatically dismiss the topic from my mental list of possibilities. I don't want to get all juiced up about something, go through the effort of calling, only to find out that whatever it is I was considering is so pie-in-the-sky out of reach, and then be embarrassed and disappointed.

If the "something" that I am curious about requires a consultation, they virtually never let you know what the price ranges are. I find this frustrating, and I always insist that I get a ball-park figure before I make an appointment; is it closer to $5, $50, or $500? I can usually get that much out of them.

Seeing a starting price, however, I find turns me on, not off. At least I know where I stand.

Perhaps I'm overthinking this. Perhaps I'll put "prices start at $XXX" in very small type.

I'm completely with you on this one! If I don't have some ballpark idea what a thing costs, I'll usually assume I can't afford it. If you tell me the price, even if it's a bit of a stretch for my budget, I'll begin right away figuring how I'm going to come up with the scrilla. LOL

To me, it seems that the 'prices start at XX' solves two problems. People who thought it was going to cost $20 won't bother you. And people who were afraid it was going to be twice as much as it really is WILL call you. You can also say "prices start at $XXX. See www.dancername.com for details" if you want to direct people to the site for pricing options and add-ons.

I don't really see a downside.

The only downside is if someone holds onto a post card for several years and then demands that you honour your pricing. Even with the words ''...starting at..." there can be a psychological effect that the customer does not see the words and will assume that the price is gold.

Personally, I have recently started stating my beginning price on my ads on Craigslist because I was flagged for not having them. But they are exactly the same as my website, which I also direct people to. but the advantage to CL is that 1) the ads only stay up for 7 days, and 2) if someone prints the ad, it is dated, so if I have changed my prices, they don't have something which they can wave under my nose as being open ended.

But this is a good point. I am currently printing post cards to send out for Coaching Clients at a large discount as the respondents will be part of my Certification training pool. I do need to put an expiration date on it.

{{{HUGS}}}

If I was wanting to hire a dancer I would like to know the price up front ...

Originally Posted by tahiradancer

But this is a good point. I am currently printing post cards to send out for Coaching Clients at a large discount as the respondents will be part of my Certification training pool. I do need to put an expiration date on it.

{{{HUGS}}}

expiration date sounds like a good match for a specific deal like this, going to a specific list. I suppose if you didn't want to do an expiration date for some reason (like the possibility of still having these cards 2 years from now!) you could put date printed, or something along the lines of 'prices subject to change'- I'm generally not put off by that phrase because I assume just what we've discussed here- that no business can leave prices the same for years on end and I will be getting the current going rate. There may be a nicer way to put it, tho.

& I think what Lauren & Tahira have stated fall into the 'pricing is part of the crucial information which will draw people in' part of what I was talking about. There are definitely times when that is true, I just wanted to be clear that I was encouraging folks to think about whether it is or isn't in a specific situation. Largely depends on who your audience is as well.

I, personally, would be more likely to put prices on post cards *with specific class or event info *intended for a trade show or special event where I know the specific interests of a typical attendee, and know they are most likely in a shopping mood

I would be less likely to put prices on a post card for the general public, where I want to draw them into the website to learn more about the wide range of what I offer. If I know someone is looking just for classes, or just for a cabaret style show, or just for a cultural program, I can be specific & put down prices, but for a generic "come find out what this is all about" I think it makes sense for me to leave that off. Does that dichotomy make sense?

Originally Posted by Lauren_

I'm completely with you on this one! If I don't have some ballpark idea what a thing costs, I'll usually assume I can't afford it. If you tell me the price, even if it's a bit of a stretch for my budget, I'll begin right away figuring how I'm going to come up with the scrilla. LOL ...

Thanks ... nice to know I'm not the only one with this opinion. I feel better!

I think I'll go with putting a starting price up, but in smaller print. The stuff about how wonderful it would be to have a bellydance show at your event and what fabulous elements my show can add to your event will be more prominent; the "pricing starts at ..." will be readable but less prominent.

Yes, people do exist who are so demanding, so self-centered, so out of touch with how business operates, that they would try to demand that you honor a price you printed five years ago if they found an old postcard.

But those kinds of people are, thankfully, the exception rather than the rule. And they're the kind of people who would've found SOMETHING to fight with you about anyway. I'd just as soon know that's who I'm dealing with before we've signed a contract!

Most reasonable people would hear "Oh, is that the price you're seeing on the postcard? That must be from 2011, my rates went up in 2013, they now start at $XXX" and say "Oh, I see." Either they're still interested in the new rate or they're not, but they're not going to give you a hard time about it.

Printing the year the postcard was produced in very very tiny lettering in one corner should do the trick, actually. No sane person would assume that prices would NEVER change.

It was once a major part of my job to manage advertising and registering students for classes (non-belly dance).

We learned very quickly that the instant you print a price on literature, that literature is out of date. Or at least, you're setting an expiry date for that literature that is certain to cause confusion down the line.

We'd print pricing for the class, distribute the pamphlets, and it seemed that would be the day when the prices needed to come up. It was very frustrating and a waste of ink.

So we decided to just refer people to the web site for pricing, always including "pricing is subject to change without notice" disclaimers.

I would suggest writing "call ***-**** for pricing or visit prettydancer'swebsite.com".

Just my experience.

I would not write a starting price.

My shows cost a minimum of CHF 400 - that is for dancing one set at a small birthday party around the corner.
Now if a big company wants to book me to dance 3 times and I have to drive 1,5 hours to get there, my price could be up to 1000.-.
"But here it says 400!"

Then follows a long discussion in which I have to justify why suddenly I cost more than double? No thanks.

I never give a price up front, I always ask about the sice and occasion of the event first.

People only hear/read what they want to hear and they will stick to it.

MEISSOUN

I understand where you're coming from. I'm the type of person who, for instance, in a store, will normally not bother to ask the price if an item doesn't have a price on it. I just assume that the prices are so high that the store wants to make customers hear a sales pitch if they ask for a price.

However, I think this is different, because customers won't have to call to ask for the price. They can visit the website and check that out before they call. So, I think the card could refer people to the website for pricing and detailse and there is no need to print this information on the card. I think the negatives in doing so outweigh the positives.

I also like seeing prices up front - I am automatically turned off if I can't easily find out how much something costs, and will often purchase/book/whatever from another vendor/performer/whatever who tells me right off the bat if I can afford it or not.

HOWEVER...I would not put that info on my postcard. Put it on your website, and when they go to your site after getting your postcard, they can easily see it. I think that putting it on your postcard sort of limits the use of the card, if you know what I mean. I can't really explain what I am thinking....sort of like, if the price is on there, you are just using these cards to advertise yourself for the standard gig only. And not just as a bellydancer in general. I don't know if that makes sense, lol. It makes sense in my head.

Without reading any responses, my first reaction is to say, "do not price" on your postcards.

I think you want to use your postcards to drive interested parties to your website. Those folks can get more info there or contact you.

Now to read what others have posted!

Deborah

I'm in the "don't price" camp.

A website is easy enough to look at. If someone's interested, it takes about 30 seconds to check it out, and they don't have to talk to someone to do it.

There are so many variables involved with pricing. Shows, bellygrams, miniclasses, and the innumerable variables with all of them. You know in your head what is the least amount you're willing to put on a bedlah for, but there are mitigating circumstances to everything in pricing.

I'd put something like, "See pricing options at www.blahblahblah." Then they get the most up-to-date info, and the knowledge that there are indeed options, so perhaps this entertainment is an option for them.

I don't have it listed on my biz cards or postcards. I have my packages w/ starting prices and detailed info on my website.. I hope the cards get them to go onto the website... than they get a much better idea of who I am and what I have to offer so they'll likely be more interested in hiring/more willing to pay, and if not... at least that's another visit to my site. :) I've had quite a few cases where someone "thought" a belly dancer for their dad's bday party was like a cheesy 5 minute singing telegram deal and after seeing my site bio and videos were so amazed and willing to up their package... and leave better educated :)

I wouldnt add a price to the card because then you cant tack on PITA (Pain in the arse) fees for problem clients ;-)