There once was butcher who sold wild game. His specialty was fowl. Within his small town he had a large following of customers who had bought his poultry for some time. For several years he had been selling wild ducks like they were going out of style. He knew a lot about ducks. Some might say he had cornered the market on duck. Then one year the tastes for the local populace began to change and he had more customers asking for wild turkeys. He could not get good pricing on turkeys and his margin was much higher on duck, so he knew he had to convince his customer to buy duck. Well as the times changed and new customers began to demand the turkey, he shifted his tactics and started selling even more ducks. How was he able to achieve this ? He did it by stocking ducks that looked like turkey and offering them for much lower price than anyone who sold turkeys could get them for.
He never told his customers that what they were buying was actually called a Muskogee duck. It looked similar to a turkey and those that had never had turkey could not really tell the difference. Now to tell the truth, many who had requested turkey or talked about turkey had more concerns about their health. They had learned that duck was purported to be much higher in fat than turkey and the turkey was easier to digest and was actually easier to cook. Well, they never asked the butcher about what he was selling them and the butcher never volunteered that what he was selling them was in fact, not turkey!
So, where does this come into play with my earlier post, Part 1: “Is your pricing scaring away your business” ? In this case both the customer and the butcher were guilty of not checking out other competitors in the area. The customer didn’t get what they thought they bought and the butcher wasn’t exactly dishonest, as he sold the customer what they thought they wanted at a price the customer wanted to pay. Sound familiar ?
Now lets update this to present day scenario and take on a different subject matter. Oh…I don’t know lets say web sites, since we happen to know quite a bit about this market segment and our customers are not unlike the customers looking for a better tasting and healthier alternative to duck . We might even be considered a competitor to the butcher ?
So whats the difference you might ask? If we were selling turkeys, our pricing would be set based upon supply and demand and what expertise we could provide to our customers to ensure they not only got what they paid for but had a great experience so that they would come back again. It all comes down to the quality and effectiveness of what is being offered and informing the customer why the product or service is priced in the manner it is.
You as the customer or Small Business Owner like any business, have to continually be on the look out for a competitive advantage. This means conducting frequent research on your competitors utilizing the tools available to you. Today that is the internet and local search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo. But why do this ? Simple, because in today’s digitally connected world your customer are looking there for YOUR business too. If your competitor is listing his/her business and your not….your giving away business and you bet it’s affecting your bottom line.
When it comes to designing a digital presence for your business it’s NOT just about the web site and design. It’s much more. It’s about helping to establish your business first and foremost in the local search directories so that customers looking for your services can find you. That means on any device: PC, MAC, Mobile Phone and tablets (of any type). It’s also much more than just stuffing keywords in the back-end of a static web page and saying your done. It’s about researching your competition and collaborating with you to understand who your customers are and what sets you apart from your competition so that we can help you tell your story. In this manner you rise above the noise and your competition. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Social Media Marketing are also part of this strategy for success.
So where’s the problem ? We’ve said it before so it’s of no surprise from those that know us and utilize our services….in today’s always connected internet world ANYONE can build a website.
That’s part of the problem. The other is cost. As a small business owner no matter what your selling you always have to have some justification for your pricing models. Were no different.
It takes a Business Professional with expertise to understand YOUR unique Business and translate that into success. That’s why we created Digital Presence Solutions by SMBsocial.
With Thanksgiving just a short ways off we thought this anecdote was apropos. It also applies to the recent election results too… depending on your favorite at the polls:)
Yep, it’s all about the Turkey baby!
For a great research document on modern pricing for web design we encourage you to check out this article about, how much a web site should cost ?
Then if you really want to talk Turkey – give us a shout.
Tom Townsend
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