As a marketer, advocating a conscious approach to all aspects of business, there are many marketing and sales tactics that sit uncomfortably with me.
As part of my “marketing free” year, I have committed to sharing what these are, why I don’t use them and what I do instead.
I have already talked about early birds being evicted from any of my offers. Now I wanted to share my take on payment options.
The mainstream, standard approach is to offer an early bird or a pay in full discount. Alternatively, the approach is to charge extra for payment plan instalments.
For clarity, in the UK is it illegal to charge more for instalments but it is ok to offer a discount for payment in full.
The variety of application is pretty huge in this area and I have seen some whacking disparencies between full payment and plans – to the tune of 4 times the total amount – and some virtually unnoticeable ones.
The path to take through this is obviously a personal one and my choice is for the price to be the same for both options across all my services – one to one and group. And this is my choice because of the energetic implications of that choice.
Whether it is one to one or a group programme or a course, I want everyone to feel equally valued and recognised for their investment. Yes, that investment may be easier for some that others, but my focus is on the energy they bring to the table not the money.
The incentive to save money by paying in full may be the very thing that throws that energy off balance. Either because someone feels they have snagged a bargain or because they have stretched themselves too far.
On the other hand, the fear of paying more may throw off the energy too. Either because they resent that they were not afforded the same opportunity when they are just as committed or because it penalises them for needing spread the cost.
Is it more convenient for me to receive payment in full? Possibly.
Is it worth an incentive? Not for me.
Frankly, the additional time and cost of issuing additional invoices is negligible and in some cases non-existent. Is it fair to effectively charge more when the impact is so minimal? Personally, I can’t justify it.
Facilitating an easier experience for my clients means that they feel more valued, under less pressure and more focused on the work we are doing together.
Which is exactly where I want them to be.
2020 is my “marketing free” year. Throughout this year I will be exploring how the current paradigm of marketing is out of step with our emerging consciousness and how we can create positive constructive social change through adapting our approach to sharing and selling. Feel free to follow my explorations and declarations here and on social media.
