Selling Low-Price vs. Selling Value: The Choice That Defines Your Future

 

The Great Dilemma of the Solepreneur and SME

In the market, you have two main options: selling at a low-price (volume) or selling at value (depth). This decision is not just about revenue; it's a choice that dictates your business model, your clientele, and ultimately, your stress level.

My firm has made a clear choice, based on my INTP-A nature: prioritizing rigor and depth over volume. Here is an analysis of this dilemma.

1. The Low-Price Sale (The Illusion of Volume)

The low price is the strategy of quantity.

• Philosophy: Filling the calendar, attracting a maximum number of people, relying on automation for volume.

• The Reality: The low price often attracts a clientele that values price over the solution. This clientele is generally more demanding of your time and less aligned. The result is exhaustion, chaos, and a thin profit margin (the Lada model).

• My Refusal: This is why I eliminated volume services (like the 300+ personal tax returns). The energy expended is not aligned with my pursuit of depth.

2. The Value Sale (The Anchor of Depth)

The average price, or ideally, value-based pricing, is the strategy of quality.

• Philosophy: Focusing energy on the client's critical problem. The price is based not on the time spent, but on the impact of the solution (the Bullshit Detector, the INTP architecture).

• The Advantage: It attracts an already aligned clientele who understands that strategic clarity (the diagnostic) is worth more than an hour of work. It generates better margins and stronger word-of-mouth (the Mercedes model).

• My Approach: My Mini-Diagnostic is an entry price, a first step towards clarity. My Full Propulsion Diagnostic is the total application of my value: management accounting and strategy that guarantees business longevity.

Conclusion: The Choice of the Efficient Turtle

If you sell low-price, you are trapped in time. If you sell value, you create a sustainable asset (your expertise).

My firm has chosen to build longevity and profitability by refusing the race for volume. This is the secret to becoming an Efficient Turtle: being slower at acquisition, but unstoppable in the long term.

Which model will you choose for your next business cycle?