I will be eternally grateful for your great gift of taking in to the fullest extent what it is that I
have to offer, living it, and then reflecting it back in terms of the potential experience of others.
You have given words to a process that defies words. And you’re constantly in a position to help
me continue to hone that, deeper and deeper and more and more resonantly, who I am and what I offer,
which is truly invaluable. — Jon Hansen, 
What you’ve sent me is so darn perfect it hurts! It’s a sheer pleasure to work with someone
who writes as beautifully as you do — and in “my” voice. — Ariane Goodwin, Ed.D,
You have a real gift for words. You’re really, really good at it. — Sherry Essig,
What’s it worth to ya?
In the past few weeks, I’ve considered that question – what’s it worth? – from quite a few perspectives.
- A bottle of sherry vinegar at a local supermarket.
- My networking homestudy package.
- People’s response to the women’s group-coaching program my business partner and I co-facilitate.
- The crown for the tooth I broke on Sunday evening.
- Copywriting services.
There really is a common denominator between these very disparate items: Value. Or more accurately, perceived value – how much the potential purchaser (me or anyone else) believes the item or service is, or should be, worth.
And there is, of course, an interesting and delicate tension between the value perceived by the person selling and that perceived by the person buying.
What I’m starting to realize is that the buyer’s perception may have relatively little to do with the seller’s perception. In fact, I’m starting to wonder how much the buyer’s perception of value has to do with the product itself. As long as something isn’t priced completely out of range (either too low or too high), the buyer’s reaction seems to me to be about him, not about the seller or about the thing being sold. (I’m not intending any sort of judgment; it’s just a perception thing.)
Of course, this assumes that the product or service is fully understood by both buyer and seller. And that’s where the whole thing either comes together or breaks down. If I lack real understanding of why I need to get a crown for that broken tooth, then my dentist’s price isn’t going to feel reasonable to me.
On the other hand, when I have a certain expectation about the taste of a good sherry vinegar, my surprise at its low price on the supermarket shelf means I’ll leave it right there instead of putting it in my cart.
Obviously, the seller’s responsibility to potential customers is to be clear about why they need what she’s selling. No surprise there; it’s the core of every marketing message, and the reason why good copywriters are all about the benefits and results (not those pesky features!).
It’s also the seller’s responsibility to himself to be clear about the real value of what he’s selling. Underpricing tells a story just as loudly as overpricing.
But in the end, the seller needs to let herself off the hook when someone doesn’t seem to get it. Because no matter how clear the offer, no matter how explicit the benefits, no matter how accurate the pricing – if someone thinks the price is out of whack, that really does say more about him than it does about the seller.
Again, I intend no judgment. In fact, this is me seeing through some of the judgments I’ve inflicted on myself. It sometimes feels like a potential client has rejected me when she turns away from an offering she’d been interested in. But that’s not actually true – and it’s also not true that it’s necessarily the fault of my marketing efforts.
Sometimes the sherry vinegar just needs to stay on the shelf.
Posted: July 22nd, 2009 under Awareness.