It's free!

No more guessing or relying on a "gut feeling." No more swirling around a bunch of data and pulling out the magic number. No more nagging uncertainty.

You can now best price with confidence and sureness (without hiring an expensive consultant!)...

"Make Your Price Sell!, The Masters Course" shows you how to maximize profit for both you... and your customers!

Yes, your prospective customers must feel that they will personally profit by buying your product or service. In other words, they must feel that the value you offer equals or exceeds the cost. If they don't, credit cards remain securely tucked away in their wallets.

Bottom line... You must best price it right.

Profit. You have to make a profit or you won't survive. The best price is critical to your commercial future. It *is* your most important marketing decision.

Why?

Misjudging your price points in this digital era costs dramatically more than it did in the past.

Internet markets mature rapidly. You have to be prepared to adjust pricing frequently or upgrade your product/service to maintain your price. Best price is never static.

So, what do you do?

Get the e-commerce equation right every time!

Great Product + Perfect Price + Satisfied Customer =

*SUCCESS*. A lifetime of success, that is.

A buyer decides if the best price is acceptable by determining the benefits of the product and by considering the competition.

The seller prices to maximize profit, while considering the bigger picture business model (i.e., high price/low volume or low price/high volume). The price must pay for the cost of production, marketing and overhead costs, and still make a profit.

Let us say that Product X costs you $20 to make, market, sell, and distribute. But let us say that your customer is only willing to exchange $10 for it.

This equation is definitely "off the rails" and will stay there, permanently, unless some major modifications are made.

"Hard Knocks" life lesson learned by this experience? The most important determinant of best price is *always* what the product is worth to the customer.

This is the beauty of the MYPS! survey with its integrated server-side statistical analysis.

You learn the exact price that people are prepared to pay for your product so that you can assess whether your product or service is worth pursuing or not -- saving time and money.
It's income by default.

Before your prospective customer can tell you what your product is worth, she must understand what it will do for her. So you must be able to answer the question...

What's in it for me?"

That's where an effective Web site is absolutely necessary. A great site educates the customer about your product's benefits and features. It builds perceived value.

For example, if you are going for a high price/perceived value model for your product, the Web site must reek of money... no corners shaved. Every high-end detail must be polished to a shine.

Figure out your target group. Who is most likely to see the benefits of your product immediately? Does the copy on your Web site reflect that awareness?

And, you can't afford not to keep "tweaking" your site periodically. Market conditions demand surveillance.

Perhaps you need to upgrade your product because your competitor has come up with an interesting angle. Or you need to counter-attack a mature market.

What if you discover an untapped segment of the population? Your site has to be able to capture their attention and make that visit-to-sale conversion.

Actually, your site has to go beyond that. It not only has to get the sale, it has to build perceived value in your product. If the customer "gets it" (in his or her head), both the perceived value and the Conversion Rate will be high.

Follow the principles of Make Your Site Sell! to double perceived value *and* your Conversion Rate...

The next reality lesson on the blackboard is... Don't guess. Be accurate!

A theoretical price for your product may look reasonable and saleable on that fancy spreadsheet or after a discussion with your hired pricing consultant.

But it might be totally off-base to your customers' "personal" prices. And if it doesn't jive then you might as well leave the dance hall.

You have got to know confidently at which price point your customers are thinking... "Yes, this is worth it." Or conversely, at which point *price-resistance* kicks in. That's the price where your customer starts to think...

"I don't need that as much as I thought I did."

Which brings us to a critical concept that we call the TEETER POINT (tm). ItUs that price at which the consumer just canUt make up his mind. Basically, itUs a 50-50 proposition -- the credit card could stay out or it could be put away.

MYPS! develops a line graph for you that will show you where this Teeter Point is for your visitors-not-yet-customers. But that's on tomorrow's agenda.

If you can't wait, feel free to visit the MYPS! site now...

In order to identify this powerful point of consumer decision-making, you have to *know* your customers. The *ideal customer profile* would highlight...

o their assessment of your product in terms of importance and impact

o their buying habits

o their average monthly expenditure on similar products

o their ability to find your competitors

o their point-of-resistance to a sale

Sounds great, but where or how do you access that kind of private information? Lesson number three... Life has its fair share of challenges.

This is your starting point for today's homework assignment. Write down the answers to the following four questions (we'll refer to them tomorrow)...

1) What method do you use to get to know your customer? How do you know what they think about your product, its price, and your competitors?... E-mail? Street canvassing? Telemarketing?

2) If you were building a customer profile, would you look for the same things that I outlined? What would you add to be in sync with your particular product and business?

3) Does your site "fit" with your customer profile? For example, a site for "pioneers" (daring consumers ready to try revolutionary new products) will differ substantially from that aimed at a "mature market."

4) How would you rate your Web site for "Builds Perceived Value"? How often do you revisit your site for adjustments?

5) Get a picture of Henry Ford and put it on your desk with a yellow Post-it note...

"Listen to the customer... s/he has all the answers." :-)