Fun is FUN and this is exactly what this blog is all about to me.

I'm always on the internet, surfing, looking for more ways to help my clients make money. I love to market and if you've ever been around me you know that marketing is a #1 passion of mine.

Well today I'm going to go over something that will change the
way you market yourself if you just read this, then do something
about it.

Let's talk about something I call STICKER SHOCK. A mentor of
mine talked about it in an email, so here's the take on that
concept.

"Sticker shock" refers to a price so high that when you reveal it
to the patient or customer, she is flabbergasted - and immediately
protests that "your price is too high" or "I could never afford this."

If your customer or patient experiences sticker shock, it means
that you have not convinced the buyer/patient that the price of
the product or service is a "drop in the bucket" compared to the
VALUE of the service or product you're offering.

Even if you've done a great job of communicating VALUE, the
prospect may experience sticker
shock if the price is extremely high or beyond their means.

Sticker shock reduces your
chances of closing the sale or getting the patient to say YES to
care that will change their lives: if the customer or patient
gasps when she learns the price, she's probably not ready to pay it.

If as a marketer or salesperson you can head off sticker shock
before it happens, your odds of closing the deal increase
tremendously.

But how do you prevent sticker shock?

Good question and here's the answer.

One way is to show the customer or the patient products or services
in your line with higher prices before showing her the product or
services you want her to buy.

In his book "Influence," Robert Cialdini describes how this is
done in a retail setting.

Say you want to sell $100 sweaters in your store ... but are afraid
your customers will faint at the price.

You put a table in the aisle near the front door and place three
stacks of sweaters on it.

As the customer walks into the room, she sees the first stack.

All of the sweaters in this pile cost $200.

"What a rip-off!" she thinks. "No way would I pay that."

Then she examines the second pile, which contains $150 sweaters.
"Phew," she thinks. "That's a little better."

She continues to go down the table until she comes to the third
stack - your $100 sweaters.

By that time, she is so relieved that a sweater won't cost her
$200 or even $150 that the $100 you are asking seems like an
incredible bargain.

Breaking the price of your services into monthly installments
is another effective way to minimize sticker shock.

For instance, the Franklin Mint was selling a collectible chess
set.

The pieces were each hand-painted pewter miniatures of civil war
figures, sent to you one per month. You'd buy them if you were
interested in the civil war.

For these hand-painted collectible figurines, the price was only
$17.50. Remember, these are hand-painted figurines. Very desireable.

Seems like a bargain for a collectible item, right?

But if you multiply $17.50 times the number of pieces (32), the
entire chess set costs a hefty $560 (the board is yours free once
you buy all 32 pieces).

If your ad had said, "Civil War Chess Set -- $560," how many do
you think you'd have sold?

Not many, right?

When you go to buy a car, do you have money in hand to buy the
car in CASH? No you don't. Human psychology tells you that you're
going to find a car you like, then you're going to find out if you
can AFFORD the payments, monthly payments for say 72 months. If you
can AFFORD the payments, you're going to be the new payee of a new
car.

Another way to avoid sticker shock is to present the price at the
beginning - and get any price objections out of the way up front.

Most mailings for expensive products build desire and perceived
value, then reveal price once the customer is sold.

An opposite approach is to state price up front and use the
exclusivity of a big number to weed out non-prospects.

Example: "This service is for serious investors only. It costs
$2,500 a year. If that price scares you, this is not for you."

An element of exclusivity and snob appeal is at work here.

Also, the more you tell someone they do not qualify, the more
they will insist they do and want your offer.

The classic example is Hank Burnett's famous letter for the
Admiral Bird Society's expedition./ This was a classic and one I
recently saw used for an internet marketer looking for some help
in the office.

The second paragraph states: "It will cost you $10,000 and about
26 days of your time. Frankly, you will endure some discomfort,
and may even face some danger."

Once the reader has heard the price and decides to continue
reading, the possibility of sticker shock is eliminated ... because he already knows what the product
costs.

Surprise is eliminated ... and sticker shock is all about surprise.

If you want to close more deals, you need to master this POST.

Thanks for reading.

Dr. Carney