May 14, 2019
Reader feedback re $800 toaster
Sent by Jonathan Stark on May 14th, 2019
Thanks to everyone who replied to my message about the $800 toaster (subject: “the cheap one vs the special one”).
The replies fell into three categories:
- What kind of idiot would spend $800 on a toaster?!
- OMG I want that toaster so bad!!!
- Selling B2C luxury goods is nothing like selling B2B services.
I feel like the category 1 and 2 replies support the point I was making in the original message, so... I guess I don’t need to comment further on those two :-)
Regarding point number 3, I agree wholeheartedly!
Yes, there are definitely meaningful differences between selling B2C vs B2B.
The point I was trying to make (perhaps poorly) with the analogy in the original message is that the seller’s core competency (e.g., “I make websites!”) is table stakes.
If that’s all you’ve got, you’re probably going to attract the kind of clients who are looking for a cheap option.
One way to justify premium fees is to offer something special that is valued by a niche subset of buyers (and is probably considered worthless by the majority of folks).
Yours,
—J