One of the most important (and sometimes most difficult) topics for a small business is pricing. Fortunately, the Business Center has a lot of information about pricing to help you figure out what to charge for your products or services. Here are some of the better resources we’ve found regarding pricing.
Business Center Online Resources
“How to Price Your Products and Services for Maximum Profits” from the book Entrepreneur and Small Business Problem Solver by William A. Cohen, reprinted in the Small Business Resource Center
Access this database from home with your CCPL Library card at http://tinyurl.com/ccplbusinessdatabases.
This chapter explains in detail how to go about pricing your product or service. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to start a business. If you’d like to see the whole book, we have a copy in the Business Center collection.
“Pricing” in the e-book Encyclopedia of Small Business
Access this database from home with your CCPL Library card at http://tinyurl.com/ccplbusinessdatabases.
This article outlines pricing basics and gives practical tips on how to decide on a price. (Note: If the link for the article does not work, visit http://tinyurl.com/ccpldatabases, login to the Encyclopedia of Small Business, then look in the Index for “pricing”)
Pricing keyword search in the Small Business Resource Center
Access this database from home with your CCPL Library card at http://tinyurl.com/ccplbusinessdatabases.
This database search yields business plans, trade magazine articles, overviews, directory entries, and websites on all aspects of small business pricing practices. (Note: if the link for the keyword search does not work, visit http://tinyurl.com/ccpldatabases, login to the Small Business Resource Center, then choose “Pricing” under Business Topics.)
Pricing subject search in Small Business Reference Center
Access this database from home with your CCPL Library card at http://tinyurl.com/ccplbusinessdatabases.
This search will help you find over 13,000 results from a wide range of journals and books on the topic of pricing. You can narrow down the search in many ways in the sidebar of the results screen. (Note: If the link for the subject search does not work, visit http://tinyurl.com/ccpldatabases, login to the Small Business Reference Center, then enter “Pricing” in the Basic Search box.)
Free Websites
Professional Pricing Society
www.pricingsociety.com
One good way to find help for just about any small business topic is to find a professional association which deals with the topic you need. This website offers on-demand webinars, blogs, and white papers on pricing topics. This organization also offers more advanced training, certifications, and other education and support for pricing.
Pricing keyword search at Export.gov
http://www.export.gov
Links to articles, videos, and book chapters on pricing exported goods. If you’re interested in exporting, keep in mind that this is just one of many ways that the federal government is interested in helping you become a successful exporter.
“Pricing, Quotations, and Terms” in A Basic Guide to Exporting
www.unzco.com/basicguide/c11.html
A dated, but still helpful article on how to price exported goods.
CCPL Book Collection
Here are some books on pricing that are part of the CCPL nonfiction book collection. If you have a CCPL library card, you can reserve any of these titles online or over the phone for pickup at your local branch. Click the title you’re interested in or call us at 805-6930 to get started.
- The 1% Windfall: How Successful Companies Use Price To Profit and Grow by Rafi Mohammed (2010) 658.816 Mohammed)
- The Art of Pricing: How To Find the Hidden Profits To Grow Your Business by Rafi Mohammed (2005) 658.816 Mohammed
- The Crafter’s Guide to Pricing Your Work by Dan Ramsey (1997) 745.5068 Ramsey
- Power Pricing: How Managing Price Transforms the Bottom Line by Robert J. Dolan, Hermann Simon (1996) 658.816 Dolan
- Priced To Sell: The Complete Guide To More Profitable Pricing by Herman Holtz (1996) 658.816 Holtz
- Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value by William Poundstone (2010) 658.816 Poundsto
See also
- CCPL Business Center’s Business Verticle File: “Pricing” folder (Contains 2 older but useful articles from lowe.org which are no longer available online)
- Subject heading for Pricing in the CCPL Catalog (You’ll see the books that I’ve already listed and any new ones that may have been added to the collection)
I hope that these sources help you get started with pricing your goods and services! Don’t forget that you can also to try to work out what your competitors are charging for similar services by checking up on their promotional materials. Some brave folks even get friends to pose as potential clients to try to get some information directly from competitors, so remember to be creative with your research, too!
Article History: published June 30, 2008; updated December 20, 2012
Online at http://ccplbusiness.wordpress.com/pricing/
