Imagine spending the same amount of money on marketing and
performing the same amount of work to deliver your products
or services, but earning more money and keeping more after
your expenses. That's what happens when you institute
elite positioning for your business.With elite positioning, you are not any old accountant,
cabinetmaker, software maker or fitness trainer. You
deliver superiority or exclusivity and therefore charge
(and get!) more. Here are five ways to add an aura of
extraordinariness to your business. 1. Specialization. If as an accountant, you only work
with family businesses, clients perceive you as more
familiar with and more skillful in dealing with their
unique issues and circumstances. Whether or not you really
have that much more expertise is not the crucial factor.
The clients' knowledge that you specialize makes them
comfortable paying more for your services. 2. Selectivity. Suppose that as a cabinetmaker, you
didn't take any job that came along, but only those that
offered interesting aesthetic or technical challenges for
you. In that case, clients feel grateful that you have
taken on their project and understand that if you are
turning away projects, you of course charge more than your
competitor who serves one and all. 3. Better results. Do you have any very, very impressive
testimonials, awards or performance figures that prove you
get superior outcomes from the work that you do? If so,
highlight those credentials and raise your prices. Clients
understand that the software that never, ever crashes
computers costs more than the buggy kind. 4. Fame. When you're the fitness trainer who's just
appeared on Oprah - or actually who ever appeared on Oprah!
- you have a license to charge premium fees. As with most
other kinds of elite positioning, your skills aren't
necessarily greater, but your visibility places you at a
higher level than colleagues who aren't trailing clouds of
media dust. 5. Self-confidence. Perhaps you don't specialize, turn
away clients, get better results or have fame. If you have
bravado and nerve, you can charge premium prices anyway.
This works only if you can say, "I charge $400 an hour" (or
whatever stratospheric fee you choose) without any wavering
or uncertainty in your voice. Does this idea make you
indignant? Then consider whether you're ready to charge
more. If you believe deep down that you're worth it, then
you have what it takes to pull off higher prices. Stop
letting fear hold you back! Marcia Yudkin is the author of 6 Steps
to Free Publicity and 10 other books. She runs an online
mentorship site, MarketingforMore.com, which supports
business owners who are growing their businesses. Download
her free report, "Charge More & Get It," at
http://www.marketingformore.com/survey.htm . Or find out
about her upcoming Marketing for More seminars at
http://www.marketingformore.com/seminars.htm .
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