Business | Knowledge
• Get your vehicle graphics and we’ll throw in matching window decals. You’re adding perceived value without slashing your profit margins. Customers love a deal; they just don’t need it to be in cash form.
2. Speed as a premium People often need signage or printing yesterday. Offer tiered pricing for turnaround times: • Standard (normal price, normal lead time). • Priority (extra fee, faster delivery). Giving away a value add on to win the sale is not really costing you.
3. Sell confidence, not cheapness Most customers aren’t price experts, they’re risk-averse. They worry about poor quality, missed deadlines, and design mistakes. Reassure them: • Show examples of previous work. • Offer testimonials. • Guarantee delivery dates. By reducing their perceived risk, you make your higher price feel justified.
4. Reward loyalty the smart way If you want to keep good clients coming back, reward them with something that doesn’t hurt your bottom line: • Priority booking slots. • Free artwork checks or alterations. • Occasional thank you gifts or upgrades. These gestures cost far less than an ongoing discount and build genuine loyalty.
THE BOTTOM LINE (LITERALLY) Discounting might feel like an easy fix when business is quiet, but it’s a dangerous long-term habit. Every pound you take off your price comes directly out of your profit, and you have to work a lot harder to replace it.
A 25% discount at a 30% margin means you’ll need to sell 500% more just to make the same as you would before the discount. Five times more, there aren’t enough hours in the day for that. So next time someone asks for a discount, take a deep breath, smile, and say: “I can’t reduce the price, but I can add a bit more value.” Because staying profitable isn’t about being the cheapest printer in town, it’s about being the one who’s still in business next year. Now, life and business aren’t that simple, you may
have noticed that already. Sometimes you will have to discount, and take the view that low margin is better than no margin. Here’s what we’ve found that helps in these
cases.
When invoicing the client, invoice at the full price, then show the discount (and why) at the bottom. It’s a nice reminder of what the full price is and why a discount was applied. It reduces the expectation for that to be continued. Some printers don’t do themselves any favours
either. Maybe not you, but maybe someone you know make it all about price in their marketing. Marketing messages that scream prices are negotiable include; ‘we won’t be beaten on price’; actually you will. Don’t even mention the word ‘cheap’, ever – cheap is for the birds. Even the more innocent one, ‘you won’t find a better deal’, signals that you’re open for a bun fight. When a business gets good on selling the benefits of what they provide rather than the features of what they do, then it becomes more about the customer’s needs, and that’s always about value not price. In a recent networking exercise 50 business
owners were asked if they bought primarily on price. 45 of them said no, they buy on value. Price was always a factor, but not the only factor. Finally, before discounting, ask this… How many of those customers would buy at full price anyway?
DISCOUNTING MIGHT FEEL LIKE AN EASY FIX WHEN BUSINESS IS QUIET, BUT IT’S A DANGEROUS LONG-TERM HABIT. EVERY POUND YOU TAKE OFF YOUR PRICE COMES DIRECTLY OUT OF YOUR PROFIT, AND YOU HAVE TO WORK A LOT HARDER TO REPLACE IT
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