Boxing Day! Valentine’s Day! Easter! EOFY!
Grand sale, grand sale, grand sale!
There are certain times of year when the reality of marketing really hits home. Our inboxes and social media feeds are overflowing with sales offers, discount codes and exhortations to buy, buy, buy.
Yet, rather than helping us, these messages seem only to fuel consumer angst, like FOMO (fear of missing out).
I don’t know about you, but these repetitive sales messages drive me to despair. They’re exhausting. On peak sales days I seem to spend more time deleting and unsubscribing than considering a purchase – and swear I’ll never sign up to any “updates” ever again.
You may be surprised to read that I do not offer discounts on my services – read on to find out why.
The psychology of pricing
Pricing one’s products and services is more than a business decision, or a matter of “breaking even”: it’s a psychological technique that can be highly profitable, especially if you’re willing to look past the ethical issues.
In marketing parlance, “psychological pricing” is a strategic approach that uses targeted techniques to influence the consumer’s perception of a product and its value.
The anchoring effect
A common technique is the anchoring effect, which aims to influence consumers’ decision-making through apparently “rational” means. Sellers create an “anchor”, which means they set a high price for a desirable product, and then offer a lower (“sale”) price alongside this anchor. The desired effect is that the consumer decides to buy as quickly as possible, so they avoid having to pay the higher “standard” price.
This practice is probably familiar to most consumers. While we might joke about the ubiquitous “Closing down sale” associated with shops selling rugs and other floor coverings, anchoring is commonly used to great effect by retailers, including online, who have no plans to shut up shop.
Product sales
From time to time, you’ll encounter a sale on this website for products like books in print, ebooks and recorded training/workshop sessions.
There may be a launch sale for a new product to encourage visitors to buy early in the product’s life cycle. The only way I can do this without reducing my overall revenue is to allocate a portion of my annual marketing budget to subsidising the sale.
Or I may offer a discount on products nearing the end of their cycle – perhaps the stock is running low, I have no plans to reprint the book (or card deck) in its current edition.
Bundle sales
Another form of sale you’ll find on this website is a reduced price for a “bundle” – like prepayment for a series of coaching sessions, or for a combined purchase of recorded workshops or presentations.
Good services, fair rates, all year round
As stated, I do not offer discounts on services: writing, editing, manuscript assessment and live coaching or training. My commitment to you, the client, is to offer the lowest possible price every day of the year.
One way to verify that you’re getting value for money is to check the industry standard for editorial pay rates.
What you get
I have invested well over $100,000 in my education.
Over more than 3 decades I have poured my energy, creativity, sheer hard work and enthusiasm into every single project, and I have been recognised for this through several prestigious awards and scholarships.
When you purchase my services, you get the cumulative benefit of that investment, experience, knowledge and expertise, including my sensitivity reading and editing, and my work on Cultivating a Trauma-Sensitive approach to editing practice.
How to avoid the "bargain" buy
As a small business owner – and a consumer just like you – I believe you should only buy something if you really, truly love and value it.
Look for high quality, longevity and impact.
Buy the book if it’s going to give you the knowledge and advice you need. Ensure you read it and make a plan to apply what you’ve learnt to improve your own situation.
Let the impact of your purchase be a positive one.
