Pricing Your Service or Product: Things To Ponder Part 1 of 2Written by Maria Marsala
Terrific students attend classes I teach. They ask profound questions that "stretch" my knowledge and resources. When I teach a building a business foundation owner class, I'm usually asked, "How does someone price a product or service?" During a recent class, I promised to write down what's in my head and send it to students. And because of them, you now have it, too. In order to keep things simple, I'll use "services" to mean both services and products in list below.1. Locate a trade association, organization or networking group whose specialty is your service. If none exists, find an association with a similar product. In general, associations can tell you high-low and average prices charged by members. You can find some organizations listed in an article I wrote called "Network To Success". Find link at http://www.coachmaria.com/articles/ If you're a coach, visit these coaching resources http://www.coachmaria.com/business/coaching.html and virtual assistants can start at http://www.coachmaria.com/business/virtual.html 2. Trade/Business Journals and newspapers contain articles that may include prices. At least once a year, I see an article about my industry online or in a periodical that contains industry fees. 3. Ask your CPA for some ideas; after all, they deal with business owners’ finances all time. 4. There are many career and employee guides that provide industry or job related prices. You can view my favorite resource, Occupational Handbook; online at http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm You’ll also find this book at your Library's career resources area. Also check Labor Department and Employment Security Commission for resources and brochures that can assist you. 5. Obtain cost of raw materials and supplies necessary for your product. Surely you want to charge more than it's costing you for items!
| | Is Your Ad Killing Your Brand?Written by Karon Thackston
by Karon Thackston © 2002 http://www.copywritingcourse.comIt’s funny to me how companies spend thousands of dollars to develop a brand only to wreck it when they create their advertising campaigns. They pour over colors, fonts, logo designs, Web site creation, USPs, and target audience analyses. But then, when it’s time to bring their message to public, it all falls apart. Case in point: a local technical college in my town has recently begun to run a television campaign. This institution previously had an image of providing cutting-edge training on technically based vocations. They have spent last several years touting how high-tech their facilities are, and how leading edge their curriculums are. That’s why I can’t image what happened during production of this ad. The background music is slow and rather classical. The pictures are of smiling students carrying books, and of one of oldest buildings on campus. The copy did do its job. The copy mentioned how workplace was changing and becoming more advanced day-by-day. It talked about how even simplest of jobs now require at least some technological “know-how.” But clash between copy and imagery was painfully obvious. What would I have done differently? I would have chosen each element with express purpose of supporting brand. The music would have been more upbeat and modern. The images would have been of students working at computers, or in engineering labs. The closing shot would not have been one of oldest, stodgiest building on campus, but of new stucco and glass building they added 2 years ago.
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