Jason Blumer is an accountant and entrepreneur, constantly starting businesses. His focus for the past few years has been on business coaching, trying to change businesses from the inside out. He is trying to single-handedly start a revolution in the accounting industry. He runs Blumer CPAs, a virtual accounting firm. He started the Thriveal CPA Network to help accountants stop billing by the hour and start pricing on the value they create for their customers. He has two podcasts of his own, Thrivecast and the Businessology Show.

Price is Tied to Value

The single most important decision in evaluating a business is pricing power. If you’ve got the power to raise prices without losing business to a competitor, you’ve got a very good business. – Warren Buffett

* What is the most important thing you can share about pricing?

* The future success of a business is in its ability to price high.

* If you can’t raise your prices, you have to figure out why.

* Value pricing is a methodology. There is no right price.

* Price is intrinsically tied into value.

* Learning to have the value conversation is at the heart of value pricing.

* How do you know if you are profitable when you are not tracking time?

* You can look at your P&L statement to determine if you are profitable.

* You do have to know your costs; they are hard numbers.

* Cost is the cash you have to pay to deliver on the value promises you are making to your customer.

* Profit is not the same thing as cash flow, which ebbs and flows, depending on how you scope documents and present terms.

* Value pricing can improve and predict your cash flow.

* You price better and your margins are better with value pricing.

* Value pricing is a hard thing to do – it is the right thing to do, but it is harder.

* It is good to have support from a coach to help you make the change.

* What is one of the biggest obstacles when switching to value pricing?

* Value pricing is a methodology where there is no “right” price.

* You have to become comfortable with the fluffy discussions of value and the unknown subjective world.

* You can still use a spreadsheet to calculate the price.

* How do you define value pricing?

* Value Pricing is how to get the maximum price for the value you’re promising.

* Business is win-win; you can’t price high (promise high value) unless the customer receives high value.

* Both sides have to believe that the agreement is awesome.

* Value pricing forces you to be more intimate with your customers.

* Your customers begin to trust you with their fears and failures in order for you to provide the best value for them.

* How do you push through the “uneasiness” of pricing?

* You can help people push through the uneasiness with coaching.

* Pricing is a skill you get better at, but you never stop learning.

* It is a courageous thing to get aligned on the right things with your customers.

* You have to push through the fear and leave your money baggage conversations behind.

* Coaches can help you unlock what you are struggling with.

* You must believe you create value.

* The business owner does not have to do the pricing; determine who is the best person to do the pricing for your organization.

* Check your own perceptions of value at the door...