Is Your Package Big Enough?

Confess.

You're reading this because the title made you think of male genitalia.

(…And now you're thinking about how weird the word “genitalia” sounds.)

I know, I know. I tried to avoid it, but really, I can't. Because today's tip is about packaging your service or product offerings, so why be modest? I'm not even modest on Sundays.

If you're in business, about to be in business, or hallucinate that you own a business, then you've probably had the following conversation with yourself at least 45 times:

Soooooo….. *fumbles teacup*…..does it make more sense to sell my services or products separately, à la carte? And that way I give people options? And that way I can upsell and cross-sell like a SELLING MACHINE, and once they see the value, they'll surely be convinced to purchase more, and then I'll have repeat business, and then everybody prances off to the dude ranch happily ever after?

 

…or should I bundle things up and offer a few packages? And that way I can consolidate and make things simple? And that way I can be more useful overall? And that way I earn more revenue up front? And that way I can come up with names like, “The Foxy Lady Package.” <—Kidding. If you ever name anything The Foxy Lady Package, I give up.

You've done this mental ping-pong, right?

Confess.

(That's twice I got you.)

Well ping pong no more. (Mostly because you can only say “ping pong” so many times before it gets weird.)

Neuroeconomics expert George Loewenstein has put in an awful lot of elbow grease to discover that, turns out, people are lazy fucks.

And do you know what happens when people are a bunch of lazy fucks?

They don't want to have to think too hard about things. They don't want to have to do the work of choosing, putting the pieces together, whether or not they're missing something, and what it all costs separately.

They'd rather purchase a package deal.

Why?

Because first of all, it reduces the mental tension of have to decide, and second, when they buy a package, they're only feeling the pain of parting with their cash once. One big wham, bam thank you…madam.

But when they have to purchase separately—think your “additional services,” complete with price list—they've got to feel the pain of parting with their cash (and making the mental decision to do so) over and over and over and over again.

And that hurts, Charlie.

Spending money hurts, even when you want to spend it. You've always got that naggy little jerk in your head going, “Should I really be spending this?”

Am I right? Isn't that what that little freak says, all day long, every day?

So today's just the tip: Try enhancing your package. Develop a package offering. Have a little fun with it. See what happens.

Because it makes sense.

And the next time you doubt it, just think of how annoying it is when you go to those restaurants where the $30 entrée doesn't come with any sides except the lump of meat itself. Unless you want to suffer without mashed potatoes for the next two hours of your life as you watch every other jerk in the place forking clumpfuls of delicious, buttery, whipped starch into their big, fat, annoying mouths, you've got to order it separately. And pay separately, too. Same goes for the veggies. The restaurant might play it off like they're trying to give you options, and yet, you feel like you're getting nickel and dimed the whole way through.

We always knew good things come in small packages.

But now we know that small business offerings?

Benefit when they come in big ones.

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