A Client Driven Model for Service Pricing

The pricing of services is perhaps the most important and perplexing issue facing marketers today. Success depends on setting it correctly. Although economic principles do provide pricing guidelines, they are often too general to apply in everyday business settings. This article presents an alternative by describing a pricing model meant to help the front-line marketer. The model is "Client Driven" because it is built on client response to price, namely the quantity of services used and the number of clients gained or lost. Its objective is to set a price level, both short and long-term, to maximize profits. It works equally well for the marketing of either services or products. This article explores the model's structure, major findings and implications. A number of interesting results are obtained; for example the relationship between optimal price and market share. The article also illustrates with an actual case how to use the model in practical settings. The model can easily be set up on a personal computer, and is a useful simulation tool for exploring pricing strategy.