Marketing – How to Best Price Our Self, Our Services and Our Products

How we set prices greatly effects how much people are willing to play with us.
I know two very good healers. One travels all over, constantly doing healings. He is usually exhausted and worn out and way too busy to deal with the rest of his life well. When I suggested to him that if he raised his prices for his healing work he would have fewer clients, more time, and just as much income, he said, “No this is what I have charged for twenty-five years. I could never raise my prices.”

I know a second healer who was in the same predicament a couple years ago. He became hard core and doubled his prices for healing. He lost most of his long-time clients and now spends lots of time trying to find new clients.

I have had three books published and work with several anthologies. I used to sell them all at exposes and events for the exact price the publishers listed them at or cover price. I was not selling tons of them. Then I realized that many of them could be bought second hand on Amazon.com for $1 to $4 plus shipping. I started buying second hand copies of my books and offering them $6 a piece, and four for $18. They sell much better now, where ever I go. And this approach keeps my books being read and brings more people to my blog and my other social media. Setting prices is not only about income, but what you want for your creations. We also should consider getting our stuff out there.

I have two female author friends who complain all the time that their books hardly sell, and that their reading audience is very small. They write – what I think – are good and important books. When I suggested, however, my own approach described above, they were both appalled. How can you sell your own books for less than they are worth? they asked. Long-term audience growth and sales are more important to me, than a principle about pricing.

I urge anyone interested to reexamine your pricing. Price yourself, your services, your products to sell, but not so low you wear yourself out. But neither to hold yourself back when you want to get your stuff out there. Then play with different prices and see what works best for what you most want to achieve.