Special guest Ron Baker talks about overcoming pricing objections, managing scope creep, safely offering guarantees, and much more.

Today I’ve got a very special episode of Ditching Hourly for you. I'm joined by value pricing pioneer, Ron Baker.

Ron is a recovering CPA who began value pricing in 1989. He’s the author of seven best-selling books, including: Pricing on Purpose; Measure What Matters to Customers; and Implementing Value Pricing. He’s the founder of pricing think-tank VeraSage Institute and a radio talk-show host on the VoiceAmerica.com show: The Soul of Enterprise.

This episode clocks in at nearly an hour - which I realize is longer than usual - but you’re going to want to listen to every single minute of it because Ron drops non-stop value bombs.

Just to give you a taste, here are some of the killer quotes Ron shares:

• “The billable hour takes your focus away from measuring what matters to the customer.”
• “The billable hour delivers a lousy customer experience.”
• “Focusing on the tasks comes at the cost of focusing on the value.”
• “People don’t want to hear about the contractions, they want to see the baby!”
• “Value pricing is a skill like golf or tennis. The more you do it, the better you get.”
• “Don’t ask your client ‘What do you need?’ ask ‘What are you trying to achieve?’”
• “If you prescribe without diagnosis, it’s malpractice.”
• “A professional takes responsibility for creating an outcome, not delivering a series of tasks.”
• “What the client is trying to achieve determines the scope of work.”
• “Time spent in reconnaissance is never wasted.”
• “We have to get over the idea that we are pricing a series of tasks.”
• “Value is not a number, it’s a feeling.”
• “Two options encourages a price decision. Three options encourages a value decision.”
• “It’s a huge fallacy to think that just because you’re giving a fixed price, you’re not scoping.”
• “When would you rather find out your client is unhappy with your price: before you do the work or after?”

Links

• Ron Baker on Twitter
• Implementing Value Pricing
• Pricing On Purpose
• Verasage Institute
• Seinfeld clip of indecisive carpenter
• TSOE #76: Lessons from the Trading Game
• Change Order Boat
• Extraordinary Guarantees by Christopher Hart

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Do you have questions about how to improve your business?

Things like:

• Value pricing your work instead of billing for your time?
• Positioning yourself as the go-to person in your space?
• Productizing your services so you never have to have another awkward sales call or spend hours writing another custom proposal?

Book a one-on-one coaching call with me and get answers to these questions and others in the time it takes to get ready for work in the morning.

Best of all, you're covered by my 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at the end of the call, you don't feel like it was worth it, just say the word, and I'll refund your purchase in full.

To book your one-on-one coaching call, go to:

https://jonathanstark.com/call

I hope to see you there!