3 False Myths About Pricing Debunked with Colin Jasper

Colin Jasper has a Bachelor of Science in Statistics. He's been in consulting since 1997 and is currently a Principal at Positive Pricing in Melbourne, Australia. Colin is a competitive bridge player, and was a speaker at the Professional Pricing Society (PPS) this year.

In this episode, Colin debunks three pricing myths and explains why these are the complete opposite of what people should be doing in pricing.

Why you have to check out today's podcast:

• Discover three common myths people practice when doing pricing
• Understand why these false myths and are the complete opposites of what people should be doing in pricing
• Find out why we shouldn't compete on price and not behave like a commodity

"Let's not behave like a commodity. Let's avoid competing on price."

– Colin Jasper

Topics Covered:

01:29 – How Colin got into pricing

02:31 – Creating huge impact on companies through pricing

03:31 – Billable hours in professional services firms: Perspectives of clients and firms

07:32 – Fixed $500/month vs. hourly fee for bookkeeping

09:31 – Good, better, best in fixed fee vs. hourly + the ultimate purpose of hourly rates

13:02 – Dealing with the uncertainty of projects

14:37 – Competitor pricing as a pricing myth

16:17 – "Aspire to be the most expensive and not be scared of that"

18:04 – Myth: Losing on price means their pricing strategy is wrong

20:26 – Colin's pricing advice

23:13 – Pricing table topics: "Value-based pricing is never perfect. You can't read your customers' mind."

Key Takeaways:

"From a client perspective, if a client doesn't want hourly rates, that's fine. They've got that. However, from a firm perspective, I think if the firm is going to be client-oriented, they should give the client the fee structure that they want." – Colin Jasper

"If your firm is going to put their interests ahead of yours, then you're probably working with the wrong firm in the first place. Because again, if the firm is putting their interests ahead of yours, they don't particularly care. I think the client ultimately chooses fee structure. It's our job to give them the fee structure they want, provided the fee level is high enough." – Colin Jasper

"Ultimately, when I come to what I think is we're trying to achieve with pricing, it's coming up with a price that we regard as fair to the firm but is also fair to the client. And I think there are times where the best way to achieve that is through hourly rates." – Colin Jasper

"If you honestly aim to be the best firm in the market, your price has to send that message. You should aspire to be the most expensive and not be scared of that. You should own it." – Colin Jasper

"If you never lose work based on price, your pricing strategy is flawed. If you never lose work based on price, you're leaving money on the table." – Colin Jasper

People / Resources Mentioned:

• Positive Pricing: https://positivepricing.com/
• Ron Baker: https://www.verasage.com/ronald-j-baker/

Connect with Colin Jasper:

• Website: https://positivepricing.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colin-jasper-7a401213/

Connect with Mark Stiving:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/
• Email: mark@impactpricing.com