Over the years, the web has endured many myths about what businesses should and shouldn’t do online.
One of the most common is that of not putting pricing information on their website.
The theory being that doing so simply provides a free kick for competition eager to spy on you and outdo you any way they can.
Yes it’s true that your more web savvy competitors will easily be able to find out what your current prices are if you publish your prices on your website.
But that is like cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Because that competitive possibility is small fry compared to the number of prospective customers you are turning away for the same reason.
What many smaller business operators find difficult to grasp is that most web users really may not be interested in coming in to your store or showroom or picking up the phone to find out more about your products.
That’s right, there’s every chance they haven’t the slightest interest in your beautifully planned in-store displays or your superior counter manner.
Because those “calls to action” are all about you, not about them.
In other words, those actions are predicated on what you want the customer to do rather than empowering them to take whatever damn action they please.
This is a critical factor to understand about communicating with customers online.
The more you try to control the relationship, the less likely they will do business with you.
I know it sounds harsh, but it’s that plain and simple.
These days customers expect to be able to complete, or most complete, the transaction online.
They are investing time in researching supply candidates and once they have chosen a supplier, they are ready to buy, or at least order your product or service within the same transaction.
Even if they want to buy from you, if you don’t provide them the mechanisms to further the sale on the spot, they will simply click off to a website that will.
And the ability to complete the transaction on the spot may even be more appealing than a lower price. Time is money after all.
The good news is that it’s no longer expensive or difficult to publish your prices in this way. Most websites these days come with Content Management Systems that allow you to edit your website content whenever you need to.
Even better if you have eCommerce capabilities to finalise the transaction on the spot.
So who’s exempt from this immediate sales gratification?
Try as we might to indicate pricing online, there are some occasions when it’s simply either impossible or at least difficult.
One of these is in the provision of services, where the variables are too great to be able to provide a firm price.
For example, despite what you might hear, it’s impossible to provide a price on a website without knowing factors like:
But even then, it’s possible to indicate price to at least enable website visitors to either include or omit your business from their list of supplier candidates.
Service providers have two more ways they can not only provide prices, but sell online.
They are by offering vouchers, or bundling their services into fixed price packages.
A business that does this very well is experience provider Red Balloon Days. There you can either purchase a voucher for later redemption or purchase a pre-packaged experience on the spot.
No visit, phone call or even email required!
This packaging approach means that you will be able to sell your services while you sleep – a very difficult (or at least relatively complex) thing to do prior to the advent of eCommerce.
So if you want to tap into the increasingly lucrative online market, start publishing your prices and letting customers help themselves to buying your product – providing you with a nice surprise in your inbox.
In addition to being a leading eBusiness educator to the smaller business sector, Craig Reardon is the founder and director of independent web services firm The E Team which was established to address the special website and web marketing needs of SMEs in Melbourne and beyond.
Smart Company is the leading online publication in Australia for free news, information and resources catering to Australia’s entrepreneurs, small and medium business owners and business managers.
