The question of whether to post your prices on your website or not comes up often. The reasons most often given for NOT posting prices are not wanting competitors to see what your pricing is and then undercutting you and wanting prospective clients to contact you in order to find out your pricing.
Let me say up front that I'm not advocating you put every single price on your website, but perhaps your starting price or package. Think about it like a trip to the local shopping centre. You gaze through the jewelry store window at all those lovely sparkley items on your way to the grocery store, knowing that you can't afford the slightly startling price tags, when lo and behold your spot a lovely little item that's on sale! Before you know it you're in the shop, you've got it on, your 'treat myself' money is handed over and you float out of the shop with a casual 'no need for the box I'll wear it' ... oh and while you were there you layby'ed the other piece in the matching set! Now image a prospective client is checking out your website. They love the way that it looks and they like your style, but really they aren't sure if a wedding planner is for them and aren't they so expensive they're just for celebrities? Then she clicks on your list of services and discovers your starting price. Suddenly she's thinking that's a lot more reasonable than she expected and maybe it's worth giving you a call to get her mum/fiancé/friends/family off her back and actually get some of her life back from this time consuming and stressful tasks that is organising her wedding. She's already half sold on your services! So, just maybe, putting your starting price on your website could have it's advantages.
Now, on to overcoming those objections I mentioned earlier! Firstly, stop fooling yourself now that your competitors don't know what you charge. If they did any kind of research before opening their business and review the market every 12 months, then you can be sure they've got some idea. Brides also talk as they comparison shop and will tell one planner whether another was charging more or less for a similar service and sometimes even the price itself. The lesson - don't worry if your competitors know what you charge, but do ensure that you deliver value for money and you will have all the business you need. When it comes to setting your prices, remember that undercutting is not a sustainable way to run your business. Focus instead on providing the best possible service for your ideal client and you'll find you have more clients lining up at your door.
Next, the purpose of pretty much every wedding or event planners website is to communicate with clients. Basically, you give out some information and they are interested enough to want to contact you for more details ... like your prices. But how many times does the conversation end here? Communication must be a two way conversation these days if you want to stay productive and successful with the limited hours you have in each day. What if you did put your starting price on your website and the number of enquiries you got via email or phone dropped? Well, it could mean that those enquiries you are still getting are from clients who are genuinely interested in your services and already know that you are within their price range. Wouldn't you rather talk to these prospective clients than those that can't get off the phone fast enough once you start taking prices? You could also find yourself with a load of free time on your hands because you are no longer having fruitless conversations with people who are just window shopping. What would you do with all that time? Perhaps some time to spend with your family or friends, or you could devote some time to working ON your business - figuring out ways to market your services to even more of the clients who want and can afford you, catching up on the latest ways that social media (What the hell is social media anyway? We'll tell you in series beginning in July) can boost your business ... we're sure you can think of something to do with more free time!
Ultimately, it's a decision you have to make at some point in the life of your business. There are pros and cons to going either way, and neither is right or wrong. Make the decision based on your business strategy, not out of fear or ignorance. Maybe you want to give it a trial period both ways and see which works better for you.
So, in a nutshell, putting your starting price or basic package on your website can:
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Cut down on enquiries from those that are just window shopping
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Mean fewer conversations but a higher conversion rate - conversion is when an enquiry moves from a prospect to a client
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Help you focus on the value of your service so that prospective clients can see you are the best choice for them
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Get back some valuable time which you can put to a more productive use
