Transcription
If there was one thing you could add to your website that would attract more leads and build up enough trust to turn them into paying clients, would you do it? Well, there actually is, but sadly, most service businesses are too afraid to even try it. So, in this video, I'm going to share the simple thing your website has to tell people: why it works so well, even though you may think it won't, and exactly how and where to include it.
To understand what this thing is, we need to take a little trip back to 2008. If you don't remember 2008, we were in the middle of the worst recession in decades, and River Pools and Spas was hit hard by it. In just 48 hours, they lost nearly a quarter of a million dollars in deposits, and they were on the brink of bankruptcy. People weren't exactly in the market for swimming pools during the worst housing market crash in recent history. With everyone tightening their belts and trying to save money, it seemed counterintuitive to even consider spending on a luxury item like a pool.
But Marcus Sheridan, the owner, knew that surviving this downturn would require bold, unconventional action. He realized that even in tough times, potential customers had more pricing questions than ever before. They wanted to know exactly what they were getting into before making any kind of financial commitment. So, instead of shying away from that topic, Marcus decided to give people exactly what they were asking for, even if it might scare some of them off. He addressed their pricing questions head-on, including the big one: how much does a fiberglass pool cost?
It was a risky move for sure, but it was exactly the kind of bold action that was needed to turn things around. This approach didn't just save the business; it made them a leader in their industry, turning their website into one of the most visited in the world for swimming pools—all because they weren't afraid to talk about the thing that most businesses shy away from: pricing.
Unfortunately, lots of service-based businesses still fall into the trap of holding back on pricing information, thinking that it's going to protect them. They think that by keeping prices hidden, they can get clients to reach out to them first, giving them a chance to explain the value before revealing the cost. But this strategy usually backfires. You know how before you go out to a new restaurant, you might check out the menu online? You might not even be looking for the prices, but if there aren't any listed, a seed of doubt gets planted. Is this place too expensive for me, or what are they hiding? That same kind of doubt creeps in when potential clients can't find pricing information on your website. Instead of reaching out, they're just going to move on to someone else who's more upfront.
Another common concern is that if you display your prices publicly, your competitors might use that information to match or even undercut your prices. First of all, let's be honest here: your competitors probably already have a pretty good idea of what you charge, just like you probably know more or less what they charge, right? So, everyone in your industry knows the general pricing landscape. Hiding your prices doesn't keep your competitors in the dark; it just keeps your potential customers guessing.
Or maybe you feel that withholding prices gives you more room to negotiate. If you were to keep your prices under wraps, you could adjust your quote based on the specific client or project. But the problem is, when prices are hidden, your potential clients might assume that they're going to be charged as much as possible, which can just lead to mistrust and lost opportunities.
Now, I get that many services are highly customized, making it really hard to provide a standard price for every job. After all, no two projects are exactly the same. But even if you can't list out hard prices, you probably can talk about what makes a project more expensive or what factors can make it more affordable. Just explain the factors that drive pricing, like the scope of the project, the quality of materials, or the level of expertise required. By breaking down those elements, you give potential clients a better understanding of what drives the final cost up or down. A lot of times, that's mostly what they're looking for anyway.
River Pools and Spas did something similar. Instead of providing exact prices, they explained the various factors that could affect the cost of installing a pool. This approach didn't just build trust; it also helped clients see the value behind the pricing, which ended up increasing their sales.
So, trust-building aside, there are a few more concrete reasons why publishing your prices on your website is a really smart move. First, showing your prices up front acts as a natural filter. It helps you avoid wasting time on leads that aren't serious or just can't afford your services. I remember way back when I was still offering web design services to clients. I didn't start by putting any kind of pricing info on my website, so whenever I got a new lead, we'd jump on a consult call, and I would have to explain my pricing to them in real time. Even though I definitely wasn't the priciest in town, you'd think I was by the reaction I got. They'd regularly say things like, "Oh, I thought it'd be more like $300," and "Why do you think you're worth that much?"
So, I knew I needed to insulate myself from calls like that and buy back some of my time from all the tire kickers out there. I ended up just posting ballpark ranges. The thing is, I didn't end up getting any fewer inquiries—just better qualified ones who saw my pricing and thought, "Okay, this lines up with what I thought or what I want to spend on a website." Just about every lead who reached out after that was already aware of the price range, and they were ready to have a real conversation.
So, instead of going back and forth trying to justify your prices, you can just jump straight into how you can meet their needs. This not only shortens your sales cycle but also ensures that you're spending your time with people who are serious about working with you.
Publishing your prices doesn't just help you with leads; it can actually help position you as an industry leader, if not nationally, then at least in your service area. When you're upfront about what you charge, it shows that you're confident in the value of your services. You're making it really clear that you know exactly what your work is worth, and you're not afraid to share it. That confidence is going to set you apart from others who might still be hiding behind really vague or secretive pricing.
The benefits really speak for themselves here. River Pools and Spas went from not selling any pools during the beginning of the recession to becoming the most trafficked swimming pool website in the world. Their transparent approach to pricing and answering customer questions led to millions of views on their content, generating over $35 million in sales directly from their website. They didn't just survive; they thrived during a recession when people weren't really even in the market for pools at all. Today, they are the authority in the fiberglass pool niche. Their website's the top destination for anyone looking to learn about pools, and their competitors often reference them as the benchmark.
But knowing why to publish prices is really only half the battle. Let's get really actionable now and talk about how you should address pricing on your website most effectively. If your prices are fixed, it's really easy: just add a pricing page with all the details. But if your pricing varies, there are still ways to be really upfront and transparent. You can still create a standalone pricing page where you share ballpark ranges, starting-at prices, or you can even show a few past projects at different price points, where you basically just say what you did and how much it cost. Just think of them as little mini price case studies, right?
These methods help potential clients understand what to expect without locking you into a specific number. For more complex or custom services, you can even use a pricing calculator on your site. This is going to let potential clients enter their own specific requirements and get a personalized estimate back. It's a really smart way to stay transparent while accounting for all the different variables in your services.
But there's another key benefit: using a pricing calculator empowers your customers. It lets them explore different options so they can see how their choices impact the overall cost. That not only helps them feel more in control, but it also makes them more confident in the decision-making process. When customers can play around with all the different scenarios and really understand the costs involved, they're much more likely to move forward with you, knowing that they've made an informed choice.
So, River Pools and Spas added a pricing calculator to their site, and that didn't just improve the user experience; they actually also saw a really big boost in leads during the peak summer months. This calculator actually brought in 100 to 200 leads a day because they required an email address to see the prices.
So, we know you definitely need to talk about pricing on your website, but even if you do, there are seven things that you probably have on your website right now that can still kill your chances of getting a new client. I don't want you to make any of these mistakes, so click right here to see what they are in this video. They're actually super easy fixes if you know about them, so click right here, and let's not let anything stand in the way of all your big client goals this year!