Transformation-Priced Offers
People happily pay any price when the transformation is distinctive enough to solve their exact problem.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 85%
Solomon argues that price resistance is usually a transformation problem, not a price problem. People love spending money when a clear, distinctive transformation waits on the other side, and they will never choose a cheaper option if it fails to give them what they need — they will just consume free content instead. The sunscreen-versus-sunglasses analogy makes the point: if your eyes are burning you buy the sunglasses regardless of cost, because the sunscreen does not solve your problem. The fix is to refine offers, know who each is for, and price to the transformation before touching automation. Multiplying cheap offers to chase faster sales is a symptom of un-strategized positioning.
Origin
Solomon developed this watching clients tell themselves that lower prices mean more buyers, and seeing them spiral into creating more and more low-ticket offers instead of clarifying the transformation and pricing accordingly.
Core principles
- 01People love spending money when there is a clear transformation on the other side.
- 02A buyer will never pick the cheaper option if it does not give them the solution they actually need.
- 03Lowering price to win more buyers is usually false economy.
- 04Each offer must map to a distinct, distinctive transformation.
- 05Refine and price offers before automating anything.
How to run it
- 1
Define the transformation per offer
For each offer, articulate the clear, distinctive transformation it delivers, no matter how many offers you have.
Pro tip If the transformation is distinctive enough, people buy at whatever price.
- 2
Match offer to need, not to price
Recognize that a buyer needing your high-end program will not buy your cheaper program instead — they buy what solves their problem.
Watch out Someone who needs the Revenue Growth Lab will not buy the cheaper Pitch It Perfect just because it costs less.
- 3
Stop under-pricing to win volume
Abandon the belief that cheaper equals more sales; price to the value of the transformation.
Watch out Creating endless low-ticket offers to make more money usually signals poor strategy, not a missing product.
- 4
Streamline before automating
Only set offers up on automation once they are refined, correctly priced, and mapped to who you are selling to.
Pro tip Automating a non-converting offer will not make it convert.
In the wild
Solomon describes her eyes burning from the sun and choosing sunglasses over cheaper sunscreen, because sunscreen does not solve the burning-eyes problem. Price is irrelevant when only one product delivers the needed outcome.
→ A memorable rule that buyers pay for the right transformation regardless of a cheaper alternative.
Solomon notes that someone who actually needs her higher-priced Revenue Growth Lab will not buy the cheaper Pitch It Perfect program, because the cheaper offer does not solve their real need.
→ Demonstrates that matching offer to need beats competing on price.
Common mistakes
Pricing low to sell faster
Assuming a cheaper offer means more buyers is usually false; buyers pay for the transformation they need and skip offers that don't deliver it.
Multiplying offers instead of strategizing
Creating more and more offers to make more money typically hides an un-streamlined, poorly-priced core offer.
Is it for you?
Best for
Coaches and course creators structuring an offer suite and setting prices.
Not ideal for
Undifferentiated products where no distinct transformation can be articulated.
From the transcript
“people love spending money. Like they love spending money when there is a clear transformation on the other side.”
“someone will never choose something less expensive if it doesn't give them the solution that they need.”
“automations are not going to work for you unless you have your offers set up.”
From the episode
Julie Solomon: How to Grow Your Personal Brand
Julie Solomon