Welcome to the Decorators Growth Club. I have been working on building content and one of the things I wanted to talk about is this – customers are paying for the results, not the process. 

I’m fortunate because I get to talk to lots of decorators whilst I am training them. When I have them for 2 days we get a lot of time to go through stuff. One of the things I always used to struggle with was justifying myself to customers for whatever reason.

Why do we feel the need to justify our pricing to customers in our industry?

One thing I am really focused on within the Growth Club is the word culture, the culture of pricing within our industry. We don’t question why something is priced the way it is in any other industry, do we? It’s what it is; if we can’t afford it, we don’t buy it. But in our industry, we feel that when we’ve given a price to a customer, we have to justify and explain the process.

If you think about it, you do that because you’re trying to rationalise the cost of why a process takes the time it does. You feel compelled to tell the client how long you will be on the project because you think that justifies the price you are quoting. We stopped doing this a long time ago. We focus largely on how we communicate with our customers, market, and sell to our customers that they are paying for the result.

How can you focus on communicating the value of the result to your customers instead of justifying the cost of the process?

When we go to the store, we know how much things cost. We don’t question the price of milk or eggs; we know the cost of a pint of milk costs or a dozen eggs. We don’t think twice about it. 

The same can’t be said for the decorating industry. When it comes to home decorating, we are constantly questioning the prices of things. Why is that? 

I think it has to do with the fact that people don’t know how much things should cost. Clients don’t have a frame of reference because they are not in the industry. They don’t know how much it costs to produce the results that you do. They are paying for the result, your experience, knowledge of products, training etc. I’m not saying that we don’t talk about the process, but we only talk about the process from a perspective of interest.

The client is paying for your experience and expertise v’s a competitor who has also quoted for the work. When you understand that they are paying for the result, not the process, keep that front of mind all the time. Let’s look at a couple of different scenarios:

1. 1.We went out a few weeks ago to see granddad; we call him that because he is the kid’s grandad, but he is also Lyndsey’s dad. We went to his local village club to play a couple of games of pool. Some of you guys might have seen the stories we posted with the huge snooker table they have there. It was perfect, the kids were there, and it was just a lovely evening. I had a really nice burger (they do a really nice burger), Lyndsey had steak, and we ordered a few other bits for the table. Could you imagine going into a restaurant and saying to the waitress/waiter, “before we order, is there any chance of popping into the kitchen so I can chat with the chef? I want him to explain why he’s charging me 20 odd quid for a steak. I want to know where the steaks come from; where they get these chips from? I mean, it’s not expensive to cook chips, is it? I just want to know why, why is it costing 20 odd quid for this meal? Could you justify the meal’s process for the price I’m actually paying? And that’s where we’re at. 
2. 2.You’re a mechanic. Could you imagine a customer coming in with their car for service and saying, “before I hand over the keys, can you let me know what you will be doing with my car? I want you to explain why this service will cost me so much. 

As decorators, we’ve made a rod for our backs by explaining the process and breaking everything down in our quotes. This needs to start to change, and I think that within the Growth Club, we can begin to implement change for the better.

It’s as simple as that, we’re all good business owners. If you are following the Decorators Growth Club then you are prepared to focus on working ON your business, not necessarily just IN your business. You are ready to look at your business as a business and not just a job; they are two very different things.

How can you focus on communicating the value of the result to your customers instead of justifying the cost of the process?

Do we believe that focusing on the client paying for the results is the right way to push our business forward and stop justifying the process? We need to have this front of mind at all times. When we talk, market or send quotes or literature to customers, we really need to focus on informing clients that they are paying for the results, not the process.

I want to talk about paying for the results because, throughout the Growth Club, it isn’t just going to be all about business. I’m going to be talking about pain, and I’m going to be talking about you really knowing your shit. When you feel confident that you understand what you are talking about, you don’t have to explain the process.

The process is so incredibly powerful, and often the customer just says: “Wow, I didn’t realize there was that much involved, you clearly know your stuff, so you know what, I’m just going to go put the kettle on and leave you to crack on. 

How would joining the Growth Club Pro Members help?

This is stuff that I want to build on within the growth club. I want you to have the strength as a collective so that every time we stand in front of a customer, no matter what question they ask us, they clearly walk away knowing that what they are paying for is professionalism!

They may have paid more than they wanted to, but now understand why they’re paying for those results. The hope is that this video gives a little insight into the things we will be talking about in the growth club. I want to keep expanding on topics like this so we can all grow together, and I want everyone to think differently.

So, adopt it, adapt it and use the information we give you. Remember, our customers are paying for the results, not the process. 

Do you feel that if you had the knowledge, you would feel more empowered to a certain extent? So that when you speak to a customer, you don’t have to justify your fees.

In conclusion, you don’t have to write everything down in your quotes. Just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t mean you have to. You don’t have to follow the masses; start leading the way. Take the time to figure out what’s important to you and your business and focus on those things. Like and comment if you agree!

The more decorators that get involved, the more we will all grow!

To find out more about the Decorators Growth Club Pro Members head here find out more: https://decoratorsgrowthclub.co.uk/pro-members/