Have You Ever Opted To Purchase A Package Deal? 

Maybe it was easier to purchase an entire car care package than to pick up each individual item. Or maybe it was more cost-effective to purchase a year's worth of housecleaning services, instead of paying month-by-month. This mindset is a good one for you, the consumer. But even more importantly, it's invaluable for you, the business person.

Let's assume for a moment that you're selling financial coaching services. Maybe the individual services are consultation, debt reduction, income building, and investment. As an expert, you know that almost everyone that's interested in your expertise will need every one of your services. You could sell each service individually, but that would complicate your schedule with unnecessary red tape and sporadic appointments.

Customizing your services for every client can be exhausting. Changing your plan of attack every time you receive a phone call or an email can take up more time than the actual implementation of your plan. That's why you need to devise a package and stick with it. Sure, it's often a good idea to tailor your services for your highest-paying clients, but for the general public, it's best to "stick with the plan."

Consider the business benefits of a package deal and pre-determined service plans:

1. Efficiency

When you are able to follow a tried-and-true plan for every client, you become more proficient, and will emerge from projects as a professional.

2. Predictability

Since you're solving many of the same problems for numerous clients, the chain of events will likely be similar.

3. Fashion Advantage

As you proceed with serving clients, you will learn about the most common client needs (and the most common pitfalls). You can use this information to design future packages that meet needs before they become problems.

4. Economics

Packages are less costly to implement. In the financial coaching example above, there's one invoice, rather than four. There's one schedule, established at the signing of the contract, rather than erratic, last-minute squeeze-ins.

5. Organization

When you have a plan, you not only appear to be organized, you are. There's a chronological flow that is made known to every party involved.

6. Value for the Customer

Packages carry value for consumers. A package usually requires a smaller monetary investment than individually purchased items.

But remember, putting a package together isn't about cramming as many services onto one contract as possible. One product or service that is misplaced can ruin the appeal of the package. When every component of your package solves a problem for your targeted audience, your total package will be impossible to ignore.

Remember a few simple points when building packages:

• Identify your perfect clients' most common problems and solve each one with a package component.
• Don't include services that might only appeal to part of your audience - just one unnecessary item could turn a portion of the population off. If you're selling five items, and one of them is seen as unnecessary, customers will opt to buy the other four items individually, complicating your job.
• Don't leave a service out of the package. Your package should offer customers a clear and complete solution. If a customer ends up having to buy additional items to solve a common problem, your package wasn't a "deal" at all.
• Keep mutual benefit in mind. Consider convenience, cost-effectiveness, and time-saving factors for both you and your ideal client when creating a package.

No matter your business, you can almost always find a way to implement the package deal. If you bundle a number of identical items together, you save time and shipping. If you bundle a number of related services together, you save paperwork, scheduling blunders, and headaches.

When you use simple packages that apply to the majority of your consumer audience, you'll not only multiply the benefits that you're offering, but you'll multiply your available time and the money flowing into your bank account.

Now that's a package deal!

About the Author

Bernadette Doyle is a marketing specialist who helps entrepreneurs become client magnets and attract a steady stream of their ideal clients. She publishes a free, weekly newsletter for trainers, speakers, coaches, consultants, complementary therapists and solo professionals. If you'd like to receive invaluable tips and advice on how to attract clients with ease, register at http://www.clientmagnets.com