Knowing all the specifications one gadget or an e-course is providing, before hitting the big ‘pricing’ button although may seem troublesome to many but it’s acceptable; unless you have an attractive discount as main attraction, then in that case pricing can be the main focus instead of the subject itself.

What I dislike is the need to email for pricing inquiry. At least provide a proper estimation if you’re not the sole distributor of the product.

@wchingya
Social/Blogging Tracker

@Robin, I agree that trust is an important factor, which has to be weighed carefully with other factors, such as whether knowing the too early price will “put them off” even reading the copy in the first place, because they “can’t afford it” and don’t have enough desire for it yet. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for this post, and series.

In my experience, one of the first questions any potential customer has in the back of their mind is “Can I trust you?”. Clear, transparent pricing helps remove one of the barriers to building trust.

Making people ‘work’ to discover the price just adds friction to the buying process. Keeping it simple and easy for customers puts you at an advantage against those who use ‘slight of mouse’ tactics.

Just a few thoughts to add to the conversation.

Best, Robin

Glad you see you here. I think you nailed it with the last comment, about the cold “cost” not allowing a person to see the “value”.

As you say, services are a bit different from products, especially when you offer somewhat unique services to each clients. I’ll attempt to tackle that issue later in the week

The issue isn’t as clear cut as many people think, which is why I’ll be devoting several posts to the subject. I’d certainly value your input as we go along.

This is a fascinating debate… I’m glad you’ve raised it as I am torn between posting clear prices for services on my website or leaving it to discuss with clients on an individual basis.

One copywriting job, for example, can be totally different to another. With a service, there can be so many variables. And, then there is the issue of clients haggling over a quote as they don’t want to accept professional prices.

If I had a product site, I would be tempted to include pricing. However, with some services, it might not be so easy to define costs.

I always see this issue in terms of what the prospect can gain. Just looking at the cold cost of something, doesn’t allow you to see what ‘value’ is attached to that particular price.