How to sell higher ticket services to corporate companies

'Companies I'm working with all just want short training sessions... they don't want to do the deeper work'

'How do I get companies to pay for my higher paid services and not just for lunch and learn sessions?'

'It's like they're just 'ticking the box' on training... they're not buying the more transformational work that would actually get them the result that they need'

Any of these sound familiar? If they do... then this article is definitely for you!

(Unintentional rhyme, but I'll take it on a Thursday!)

Firstly, I completely get it. After all, if you're going to go to all the effort of doing the business development activities required to successfully sell your services to corporate companies, of course you want to make the most money per sale possible.

And when the average B2B sale in the UK is worth ￡10,000 - it doesn't make sense to keep floating around the ￡500 mark for Lunch and Learn sessions that companies aren't invested in.

So let's take a look at how we can sell higher ticket services, maximise every client and genuinely work smarter.

Why do we get stuck with charging lower prices/ selling lower level services in the first place?

If we want to change our direction, we have to know what's stopping us from getting to the destination - and when it comes to selling higher ticket services to corporate companies, there are a few things that hold entrepreneurs back.

1. Confidence: The majority of entrepreneurs lack major confidence in a) pricing their services and b) communicating their prices to stakeholders. For most entrepreneurs, it feels challenging to ask for more money because we all fear rejection/ being told 'no'. Lacking confidence in your pricing means that you'll always struggle to sell higher ticket services (B2B or otherwise) unless you learn how to confidently and competently price and articulate your services.
2. Not knowing how to price services effectively: Leading on from confidence, understanding pricing is tricky for most entrepreneurs. In fact, the online marketing boom really taught individuals that they should 'charge what you're worth' ... like that's a real pricing strategy! After all, your self-worth isn't at all related to what a stakeholder / company is willing to pay. And it doesn't help you to define what a service should actually cost either... I teach my C Suite participants that effective pricing that keeps you paid well and profitable, should be based on two areas; practicality (how much it costs to create and deliver a service) and transformation (the significant commercial wins that it'll bring to the client). This means that instead of putting a finger in the wind and hoping that you pick the right number, you're actually pricing your services based on clear commercial factors. Like your operating expenses, creation costs, staffing costs and more...
3. Difficulty navigating sales calls (particularly diagnostics and buy-in): A lot of people lack confidence on sales calls. Instead of running a sales call really effectively, entrepreneurs who lack sales confidence and competence will often let the prospect take charge of the call. This is really tricky - because well-meaning prospects can often think that they know exactly what problem they're struggling with... and have a pre-determined idea on how to solve it/ method of delivery/ etc... but usually? There are underlying issues or root causes that bring complexities... and if the prospect doesn't know about those or factor them in, they can often feel that a simple, surface level solution is needed to solve a bigger problem. Understanding how to effectively run a consultative business development/ sales call means that you are helping to diagnose the real issue(s) facing the company you're trying to work with, that you're able to educate your stakeholder and get early buy-in to the scale of the problem and then provide the best-fit solution... instead of just suggesting the cheapest offer you have in the hope that they'll buy it!

Am I really saying that if entrepreneurs are only selling lower ticket services, that it's their fault?

Awkward moment here... but yes. Entrepreneurs who are selling lower ticket/ surface level offerings at prices that aren't profitable or that they aren't happy with are continuing their own cycle of reduced profits and revenue amounts.

But do I mean that in a horrible way? Absolutely not!

If we look at the reasons above as to why entrepreneurs aren't charging enough, we can clearly see that there are very real and valid reasons that most aren't pricing their services profitably. But if you're choosing to stay there?

Then that's on you - and it won't change unless you do.

"But Jess, clients just don't want to pay that much because I don't work in sales/ money-making industries/ marketing/ high ticket coaching..."

I understand how it feels - and I do. After almost 15 years of selling services and training people (both professional salespeople and entrepreneurs) I get that it can feel like corporate clients don't want to pay higher rates.

I also know that it isn't true.

In the words of a former boss I had and respected;

"There will always be a prospect who tells you that you're too expensive. And there'll always be a client who tells you that you priced it too cheaply. So don't worry about what anyone says. Price properly and don't listen to opinions. Find the clients who'll pay the right rate and just move onto finding those ones quicker."

When I was 21, just starting out in the corporate sales world, I thought he was wrong.

He wasn't. #SurpriseSurprise

There are always prospects who tell you that you're too expensive.

And there are always clients who say that they'd have paid more... usually after the delivery!

Your job isn't to worry about their opinions. It's to price strategically and properly - and to do enough business development that you have a steady pipeline. That way, you gain detachment from the process, feel confident in your commercial pricing and simply focus on finding more opportunities.

Are there specialisms that get paid more?

Honestly, not really. I've got clients who specialise in health and wellness (nutritionists, menopause trainers, fertility experts and more) who regularly charge and land ￡10K + deals. And I also talk to a lot of health and wellness professionals who tell me that they can 'only' charge ￡350 for a lunch and learn sessions because companies just don't prioritise that area.

Equally, I've had sales, marketing and finance professionals (specialisms typically associated with winning profitable business easily) who have specifically come to me because they've been frustrated with being paid less than their time and expertise is worth... all relating to those confidence/ pricing problems and sales call issues we discussed earlier.

As entrepreneurs, our primary job in our businesses is to be the best salespeople for our businesses. Which means avoiding the noise about low budgets/ certain types of companies not paying as much/ particular specialisms being 'high' or 'low' ticket - and instead, focusing on the elements that we have control over and improving our own sales practices.

So, what do we need to do if we want to generate higher paying corporate clients?

Getting companies to pay premium prices for valuable services is no different to getting companies to pay you lower prices for services (in terms of the actual sales activities that we need to do.)

It's doing those sales activities differently (and - better!) that will make the difference;

• Targeting and approaching qualified leads who are genuinely a) interested in your area of specialism and b) responsible for the budget for your area of specialism.
• Having productive and consultative business development calls with qualified leads where you effectively diagnose the problems they're facing, get buy-in to solve that problem and agree next steps.
• Pre-handle objections around price; preparing your stakeholder for realistic costs and being able to understand early which budget(s) they're working to and how you can support them in budget or to get further budget for the transformation that they want.
• Create proposals that clearly articulate the transformation you're offering and demonstrate the commercial viability of your solution so that price isn't the sole determining factor in their choice.

And if you need help with these areas? The C Suite ? Self Study gives you everything you need to feel confident in pricing your services, handling business development calls, negotiating effectively and creating proposals that convert so that you never have to feel like you're undercharging again!

Don't waste time thinking companies don't want to pay you more. Instead, focus on what's currently stopping you charging higher rates and start changing it. Or not...

It's up to you!

What's been your breakthrough moment in reading this newsletter? Feel free to share below! And if you've enjoyed it/ got value? Sharing is caring. Please pass this newsletter along to a peer/ colleague / friend so that they can benefit from the advice too!

If you want to learn how to successfully and sustainably sell your services to corporate organisations, check out the?Selling to Corporate ? podcast here ?where you can find B2B sales tips, techniques and trends every fortnight. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon and all major podcast players.

Jessica Lorimer is the UK's leading sales coach for entrepreneurs selling their services to corporate organisations. Jessica regularly provides insights on sales strategy and techniques on her award nominated podcast;?Selling to Corporate ?and has been featured in Forbes, City AM and We Are The City.