What is a point of similarity in both value-based pricing and cost-based pricing strategy

There are two basic methods of pricing your products and services: cost-plus and value-based pricing. The best choice depends on your type of business, what influences your customers to buy and the nature of your competition.

Cost-plus pricing

This takes the cost of producing your product or service and adds an amount that you need to make a profit. This is usually expressed as a percentage of the cost.

It is generally more suited to businesses that deal with large volumes or which operate in markets dominated by competition on price.

But cost-plus pricing ignores your image and market positioning. And hidden costs are easily forgotten, so your true profit per sale is often lower than you realise.

Value-based pricing

This focuses on the price you believe customers are willing to pay, based on the benefits your business offers them.

Value-based pricing depends on the strength of the benefits you can prove you offer to customers.

If you have clearly-defined benefits that give you an advantage over your competitors, you can charge according to the value you offer customers. While this approach can prove very profitable, it can alienate potential customers who are driven only by price.

Pricing services

When you put a value on your services, rather than working from a unit price, you will need to think carefully about the value of your expertise and other desirable aspects of your service, such as a fast response time or out-of-hours service.

For example, an IT technician who is able to resolve a problem in two hours will be worth more to the customer than one who takes two days. They would be able to charge more for their service, despite it taking fewer man hours.

Market research and looking at your competitors will help you to understand the level of service customers expect at your price point.


John Locke is a SEO consultant from Sacramento, CA. He helps manufacturing businesses rank higher through his web agency, Lockedown SEO.

One of the biggest decisions a business can make is whether to value pricing or cost based pricing for their product or service.

Cost based pricing, also known as commodity pricing, is based on what the competitive market will bear.

Value based pricing centers around the perceived or actual value added to the customer.

Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of each.

Cost based pricing identifies the cost of selling a product, and leaves enough margin to make a profit. There is a base price, determined by fixed costs to the business, that the product cannot go under to be profitable, called the floor price. The ceiling price is the most that the market will bear, and the price of the product is somewhere in between the two. Commodity pricing is good for products or services that can be bought and sold in bulk. Hourly services would also be considered cost based pricing in most cases.

The major competitive advantage in cost based pricing is price. If the business can make the product for less than their competitors, they can price it lower, and do more in bulk sales. A business can also set a higher margin on their product than their competitors, but risk customers finding a similar quality product at a better price.

Cost based pricing works well for larger companies, as they can better withstand the race to the bottom. Smaller companies have to be competitive, but they cannot beat larger companies on price long-term without sacrificing quality.

The disadvantage in cost based pricing for services is that it punishes efficiency. If a service technician has an hourly rate, the faster they are able to solve a problem, the less they earn.

Value Based Pricing

Value based pricing focuses on how much value the product or service will add to the customer. This requires deeper analysis of the customer, what their needs are, and how they will benefit from the service.

While cost based pricing emphasizes features, value based pricing emphasizes benefits. Value pricing says “ here’s how these tools will help you”; cost based pricing says “here’s a bunch of tools—maybe they can help you”.

Luxury items and brands are also value priced. Products like Coach purses, Rolls Royce automobiles, Dom Pérignon champagne, Kobe beef, or Rolex watches are purchased in part because they add status, distinction, and a feeling of pride to their customers.

Value pricing is not simply a matter of artificially marking up a product. It requires an understanding of what those customers want and need, and the ability to provide that for them.

The disadvantage to value based pricing is that it alienates the customer base motivated by affordability.

Not all product companies have to use cost based pricing, and not all service companies use value based pricing. A good example of a product company that uses value based pricing is Apple, who sell their products based on increased efficiency, ease of use and quality of life.

Conclusion

For me, in the battle of Value Pricing vs Cost Based Pricing, value pricing wins hands down. Not every business model or industry is the same. You must decide for yourself which pricing system is the best for you long-term.

John Locke

John Locke is a SEO consultant from Sacramento, CA. He helps manufacturing businesses rank higher through his web agency, Lockedown SEO.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.

What is a point of similarity in value

Tip. Value-based pricing relies on customers' subjective assessment of a product's worth, while cost-based pricing considers what it cost to produce it and how much customers are willing to pay. Value-based pricing is more common for services and cost-based pricing is more common for physical products.

What is the difference between cost based and value

Cost-based pricing can be described as a strategy to determine the selling prices of a company's products based on their production costs, while value-based pricing is a strategy of setting prices of a product or service based on its value perceived by customers.

What is the relationship between value of service pricing and cost of service pricing?

The difference between cost and value the cost of your product or service is the amount you spend to produce it. the price is your financial reward for providing the product or service. the value is what your customer believes the product or service is worth to them.

What is the difference between cost based pricing and value

Cost-based pricing focuses on the company's situation when determining price. In contrast, value-based pricing focuses on the customers when determining price. A value-based pricing company develops a means by which to calculate the potential value their product or service may bring customers and prices accordingly.