• Survey of Rural Challenges
  • Small Town Speaker Becky McCray
  • Shop Local video
  • SaveYour.Town

Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource

A row of small town shops
  • Front Page
  • Latest stories
  • About
  • Guided Tour
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • RSS

People appreciate the opportunity to pay more

By Becky McCray

professional photographer doing a rural portrait. Photo by Joe McCray.

You can just sell the portraits. Or you can offer more. If what you do a great, people want more. Photo by Joe McCray.

People appreciate the opportunity to pay more for the stuff that matters to them.

Maine photographer Meg Hatch offered a photography mini-session for families before the holidays. She sold a lot of them. She over-delivered, taking more shots than promised and going over and above the call to get great photos for families.

One customer bought the mini-session, loved the photos, bought some canvas prints on special, and ended up spending around a thousand dollars. This same customer has told Meg over and over how happy she is and how important the photos are to her.

Customers appreciate the chance to spend more money with you, to pay you well for your best work, for the things that are important to them.

She didn’t just spend the money because she’s happy; she’s also happy because the spent the money on something that matters to her. She feels like she got her money’s worth, and more, even though she spent more than other customers.

Give customers a chance to spend more with you. A few will appreciate the opportunity.

 
New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Get our updates.

 

  • About the Author
  • Latest by this Author
Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.

www.beckymccray.com
  • Twenty Years of Small Biz Survival
  • Local Products Make the Best Swag
  • The End of Year Checklist for Small Businesses

January 18, 2016 Filed Under: customer service, entrepreneurship, marketing, Small Biz 100

Wondering what is and is not allowed in the comments?
Or how to get a nifty photo beside your name?
Check our commenting policy.
Use your real name, not a business name.


Don't see the comment form?
Comments are automatically closed on older posts, but you can send me your comment via this contact form and I'll add it manually for you. Thanks!

Comments

  1. Becky McCray says

    January 18, 2016 at 11:47 am

    Jerry Johnson shared this thought about pricing by email:

    “I worked with a custom builder ,several years ago, designing spec homes on a golf course . He build 3 and 1 was a furnished model . Several rounds of marketing and advertising resulted in no customers . Time went by………he hired a new salesperson . He suggested that their pricing was all wrong and got them to “RAISE” the prices……..Guess what customers came….product sold . Customers are ” SAVVY ” and expect to pay for good product and services . Know your market ,your customer, and be willing to adapt . Jerry”

    Loading...

Howdy!

Glad you dropped in to the rural and small town business blog, established in 2006.

We want you to feel at home, so please take our guided tour.

Meet our authors on the About page.

Have something to say? You can give us a holler on the contact form.

If you would like permission to re-use an article you've read here, please make a Reprint Request.

Want to search our past articles? Catch up with the latest stories? Browse through the categories? All the good stuff is on the Front Page.

Partners

We partner with campaigns and organizations that we think best benefit rural small businesses. Logo with "Shop Indie Local" Move Your Money, bank local, invest local Multicolor logo with text that says "Global Entrepreneurship Week" Save Your Town logotype

Best of Small Biz Survival

A few people shopping in an attractive retail store in refurbished downtown building.

TREND 2025: Retail’s Big Split: what small town retailers can do now

99% of the best things you can do for your town don’t require anyone’s permission

Three kids in a canoe

Get started as an outdoor outfitter without breaking the bank

A shopkeeper and a customer share a laugh in a small store packed full of interesting home wares.

How to get customers in the door of small town and rural retail stores

Rural Tourism Trend: electric vehicle chargers can drive visitors

Wide view of a prairie landscape with a walk-through gate in a fence

Tourism: Make the most of scant remains and “not much to see” sites with a look-through sign

More of the best of Small Biz Survival

Copyright © 2026 Becky McCray
Front Page · Log in
%d