how to turn your business model upside down and reap the rewards.
by matt solomon
learning to price, sell, and deliver through a simple, proven process streamlines the way you communicate your value and makes it easy for clients to say yes. it’s your secret weapon.
more: shift 2: step into the role of a business advisor | shift 1: stop depending on compliance work | take the nine-point practice checkup | three ways to leverage today’s uncertainties for renewed growth
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with practice, your ability to price, sell and deliver will be as routine as a 1040, but it’s worth a whole lot more: between $36,000 and $180,000 per year, per client.
right now, it’s likely that you’re taking on the wrong clients at the wrong prices. this leaves you with very little time to work “on” your business instead of “in” your business. it means you don’t have enough time for your best clients, and you’ll keep running on the hamster wheel of high-volume work and crazy busy tax seasons.
without the right process in place, your struggle may continue forever. you’ll be busy every day, but you’ll be underpaid compared to the value you have to offer. or you’ll get stuck trying to be paid top dollar for commodity services. this leads to clients who say no, unrewarding work and thousands of dollars that you’re leaving on the table.
the good news is that when you learn how to price, sell, and deliver appropriately, you have the potential to turn your entire business model around.
here are the benefits of knowing how to price, sell, and deliver:
- feel relaxed and at ease during client meetings
- communicate your value with integrity and authenticity (no salesy “ick” factor)
- are confident that you’re charging the right price for your expertise
- work with great clients who take responsibility for their results
- deliver high-value work to clients while making high profits for your practice
let’s break down each of the three elements.
price for value: the concept of pricing for value is simple. business owners care about results, not about the time it takes to achieve them. in fact, business owners love when you can get them results quickly, and they don’t care how much effort or how many hours you put into getting them there. when you price, you price your services based on the value business owners will experience from working with you, not the number of hours you anticipate working on their projects.
as a personal example, i’ve easily spent over $100,000 on business advisors, coaches, and mentors. each time i found somebody i wanted to work with, i happily signed the contract or pulled out my credit card, because the value i get from these awesome coaches is worth every penny.
sell as a form of serving: life will be more joyful if you connect to the way that your practice can help improve your clients’ lives. when you build meaningful relationships with your clients, you discover their goals, dreams, issues, and stuck points. you explore potential solutions and help them see what’s possible. and you give them the opportunity to work with you so that they can achieve their goals.
the value you offer clients can help them achieve their goals and navigate the road ahead. if you care about your clients, you must give them the opportunity to work with you and step into their potential; it’s your responsibility as their advisor. when you sell from a place of service, you’ll have clients eager and waiting to work with you from the very first meeting.
deliver with confidence (and a game plan): >once you’ve sold your clients on the value of what you have to offer, you need to put a plan in place for executing on that promise. delivery includes having a structure: knowing what work to focus on, how often to meet with clients, and what to discuss during those meetings.
although it may seem as though delivery would come after the sale, a lack of confidence in your ability to deliver can actually interfere with the first two steps of the process. if you aren’t sure you can bring major value to the table, you may undercut yourself when it comes to pricing, and you might feel disingenuous during a sales conversation.
now that you understand the basics of how to price, sell and deliver, your next question might be: where do i find clients who want these services? they’re not as difficult to find as you might think, but i’ll save that for my next post.