When I first started online, service professionals – especially those following the coach model – were encouraged to offer three choices to their clients. Most people created packages offering calls 2, 3, or 4 times a month.
Most clients chose the cheapest or the middle. Why wouldn’t they? The marketers hadn’t given them a basis for a meaningful distinction.
What we’ve learned is that each package needs to offer a specific solution or solve a different aspect of the problem your client brings.
For most services, you’ve got a product designed to help clients overcome one challenge (or problem.
Now you identify 3 groups of potential buyers (yes, 3 is the magic number).
- How do they differ in the intensity of their pain?
- How do they differ in terms of the obstacles they face?
- What do they bring to the table? Are they raw beginners? Been around the block a few times and tried everything? Prefer to read a book but all they’re finding are video packages?
Here’s an example.
Let’s say you’re a fitness professional. You created an at-home virtual exercise program to get people fit in 30 minutes a day when they can’t get to their gym.
One group of potential buyers wants to exercise along with a video. They’re experienced exercisers and they just want inspiration. But they don’t want the same exercises over and over. That group gets a video series so they can rotate programs each day
Another group wants the videos but they want to jumpstart with a live coach or trainer, and possibly a follow-up every few months. They need inspiration, or maybe they were injured trying an exercise and want to get their form right.
A third group will want one-to-one attention one or two times a week. They’re your VIP clients and they’ll pay extra to get personal attention.
And now your three packages practically create themselves.
The process works for a wide variety of services. For instance, I have packages for clients who
…want a one-time session to launch their Next Big Thing – a sales letter or website.
…want ongoing copy coaching while they work on a big project (and get lots more training) for 90 days
…tried writing their own content and realize they’ve got better uses for their time, so they want a Done-For-You package.
It all starts with their backstory. You need to understand what each group will be seeking.
And you need a good understanding of packaging. Packaging keeps clients (and you) from getting overwhelmed. You create a substantial offer, not an ad hoc collection of services.
One rare example is this new Packaging and Pricing program from Sharyn Sheldon of Content Sparks. Her program goes through the nuts and bolts of packaging — how to set price points, how to make the pieces fit together, and how to get clients thinking of substantial offers, not ad hoc purchases. e
It’s a topic we rarely think about…but it can make a huge difference, especially if you’re a solopreneur.