Preface
Author Credentials
If You Can Afford a Pricing Consultant…
Don’t Have the Cash to Invest?
How Big of a Rush Are You In?
Chapter Summaries
Acknowledgments
Section One: How to Set Prices for Maximum Profits
Chapter One Why Pricing is the Key to Your Success
Raise Prices -- or Sell More Products?
Big-Company Case History
Tiny-Company Case History
Chapter Two Why Most Companies Stink at Pricing (and How You Can Do Better!)
The “Myth” of Creating Demand Curves
How Your Competitors are Setting Prices
Cost-Plus Pricing
Match-Your-Competitors Pricing
Section Two: How the Market Will Value Your New Product
Chapter Three Analyzing Your Competitor’s Prices
You DO SO Have Competitors!
How to “Pick” Your Competitors
Direct vs. Indirect Competitors
How Consumers Evaluate Prices
How to Get Profitable Ideas from Your Competitors
Chapter Four Environmental Factors That Can Affect Your Pricing
Environmental Factors Overview
The Economy
Competitors
Governmental Regulation & Legal
Social Trends
Technological Change
Chapter Five Pick the Positioning of Your New Product
There Are Only 3 Choices!
The Psychology of Price Positioning
Penetration Price Positioning
Skimming (or Premium) Price Positioning
Competitive Price Positioning
Learning More about Competitive Pricing
Chapter Six Analyzing Your Buyer Benefits/Drawbacks Relative to Your Competitors
Uncovering What Buyers REALLY Value/Hate about Products in Your Marketplace
Chapter Seven Picking a “Ballpark” for Your Best Price
You Will Not Be “Stuck” with Your Decision!
Can’t Make a Profit at that Price Range?
Not Sure About Your Results?
Learn More on Buyer’s Reactions to Price Ranges
Section Three: Your Cost Analysis
Chapter Eight Evaluating Your Costs
The Ideas Behind “Target Costing” and “Target Engineering”
Types of Costs
The Hardest Part of Calculating Costs
Reasons for Launching a Product Which Doesn’t Cover Overhead
Section Four: Fine-Tuning Your Price
Chapter Nine Is Your Profit Potential Acceptable?
If You’re Happy with Your Potential Profits
If You’re NOT Happy with Your Potential Profits
Next Step
Chapter Ten Psychological Adjustments to Your Price
Understanding “Barriers” in Prices
Staying BELOW Barriers
Increasing Prices UP TO Barriers
Numbers Which Say “Discount” to Buyers
Test Your Knowledge!
Visually Appealing Prices
Selling to Businesses
Learn More about Thresholds
Learn More about the Effect of Numbers
Section Five: Testing Your Prices
Chapter Eleven Testing Prices
The Psychology of YOU – in Setting Prices
CAN You Test?
The Difference between “Testing” and “Research”
Chapter Twelve Using Google to Test Prices for Free (or Almost Free)
How to Test – for FREE!
Using Google Optimizer to Test Multiple Things
Section Six: Pricing in Special Situations
Chapter Thirteen Pricing Services
Imagine No Chapter 13!
The Complications of Setting Prices for Services
The “Myth” of Pricing Based on What You Want to Earn
Pricing by the Hours versus the Job
Finding What Service Competitors Charge
Picking Your Price Positioning
What Your Price Says about Your Firm
Chapter Fourteen Pricing New Products/Services, Part 1 When Your Brand is Unknown
The Problems in Pricing Something New
Price Equals Quality Buyer Perception
Does Quality Equal Likelihood-to-Buy?
Understanding “Bargain-Hunters”
Price Preferences by Product Type
Detailed Research on Buyer Price Position Preferences
Additional Research on Preferred Prices
Chapter Fifteen Pricing New Products/Services, Part 2 Competing with Established Brands
When Your Competitors are Established Brands
Risk Avoidance
Price Premiums for Known Brands
Discounting Differences
What Causes Customers to Switch to a New Brand?
What Happens AFTER Buyers Switch?
Shocking Findings on Brand Names
So What Does it all Mean for Pricing a New Product/Service?
Chapter Sixteen Pricing with Discounts
Discounts: A Double-Edged Sword
When Discounts Worry Consumers
Determining Best Discount Levels
Discounts Effect on Quality Ratings & Purchase
Concluding Thoughts on Testing Prices
Appendix of Worksheets
About the Author
About the Companion Website
Bibliography
