The pricing policy you use in your business is an important factor when it comes to overall profitability. Selling goods at the highest possible profit margin does not necessarily generate the maximum profit. The maximum profit is the result of many factors including sales volume, product cost, operating costs and, of course, price.
Although increasing price may result in a decrease in sales volume, this approach may actually generate a greater total profit. If sales volume is too low, however it may decrease total profits. Alternatively, dropping prices may create a large enough increase in sales volume to generate greater total profits. Again, if volume is not increased enough a lower profit total may result.
An important factor in any pricing decision is to know the actual cost of doing business and the cost of each product sold. Determining the actual cost of doing business necessitates careful, accurate analysis. Of course, no one would be expected to calculate the cost of doing business with complete accuracy. You just need a fairly close working number.
It does, however, need to be fairly accurate since failing to calculate all actual costs properly to ensure that the profit margin is enough to cover those costs is a frequent cause of business failure. Many business owners actually end up selling their products at a loss without even knowing it.
The estimated cost of finished or raw materials, labor, indirect overhead, and research and development must be determined before setting the final selling price of items. These factors must be re-evaluated as costs fluctuate.
The method for costing products is basic regardless of the sales and pricing strategy that is used to maximize profits. The four main categories to be accounted for are Labor Expense Per Unit, Cost of Materials Per Unit, Estimated Overhead Per Unit and Desired Profit Per Unit.
The combination of these four factors will allow you to determine the minimum price you can charge for each unit. Additional information about these factors in provided in the resource described below.
Proper product pricing is only one factor in developing a profitable plan. Another major factor to be determined once you know your costs, break-even point, and profitability goals, is the selling strategy. Three main sales approaches are used (sometimes concurrently) by businesses to develop a final pricing policy that will allow them to compete successfully in today's market.
Determining a products price involves many considerations. Even though many businesses try to compete on price alone this is not the only option. Often a business can avoid price wars by finding a market niche that is not being served well enough or by offering a more effective solution. No matter which approach you take, however, it is essential that you recognize and fully analyze all of the costs involved in your product to determine it's pricing.
Although increasing price may result in a decrease in sales volume, this approach may actually generate a greater total profit. If sales volume is too low, however it may decrease total profits. Alternatively, dropping prices may create a large enough increase in sales volume to generate greater total profits. Again, if volume is not increased enough a lower profit total may result.
An important factor in any pricing decision is to know the actual cost of doing business and the cost of each product sold. Determining the actual cost of doing business necessitates careful, accurate analysis. Of course, no one would be expected to calculate the cost of doing business with complete accuracy. You just need a fairly close working number.
It does, however, need to be fairly accurate since failing to calculate all actual costs properly to ensure that the profit margin is enough to cover those costs is a frequent cause of business failure. Many business owners actually end up selling their products at a loss without even knowing it.
The estimated cost of finished or raw materials, labor, indirect overhead, and research and development must be determined before setting the final selling price of items. These factors must be re-evaluated as costs fluctuate.
The method for costing products is basic regardless of the sales and pricing strategy that is used to maximize profits. The four main categories to be accounted for are Labor Expense Per Unit, Cost of Materials Per Unit, Estimated Overhead Per Unit and Desired Profit Per Unit.
The combination of these four factors will allow you to determine the minimum price you can charge for each unit. Additional information about these factors in provided in the resource described below.
Proper product pricing is only one factor in developing a profitable plan. Another major factor to be determined once you know your costs, break-even point, and profitability goals, is the selling strategy. Three main sales approaches are used (sometimes concurrently) by businesses to develop a final pricing policy that will allow them to compete successfully in today's market.
Determining a products price involves many considerations. Even though many businesses try to compete on price alone this is not the only option. Often a business can avoid price wars by finding a market niche that is not being served well enough or by offering a more effective solution. No matter which approach you take, however, it is essential that you recognize and fully analyze all of the costs involved in your product to determine it's pricing.
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For a more complete explanation of how to develop your pricing approach along with examples and the three main sales approaches used in most businesses to develop a profitable pricing strategy visit the Top Business Resources Site.
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