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Recently, I was on a Mastermind Call with a group of moms, all entrepreneurs, who were exploring different business offers. During the discussion, one of the women raised the question of whether to pursue a high-ticket, high-touch approach or a low-ticket, low-touch approach to serving clients.
Like many entrepreneurs, this is a decision I’ve grappled with in various businesses throughout my career, so I’m eager for us to talk about it today. It certainly sparked a great conversation amongst the women in my mastermind group so let’s bring it to today’s show!
We’re going to chat about the pros and cons of each type of offer, examples for various industries to get your wheels turning, and how to determine the best offer for your business based on the season you’re currently in.
Let’s dive in!
Let’s Chat Pros and Cons
In my experience, when I was a photographer, I had the opportunity to work on high-end weddings, serving a smaller number of clients but providing them with a very personalized and high-touch experience. On the other hand, I also explored offering mini-sessions, which are shorter and more affordable, allowing me to serve a larger number of people. Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages.
The major advantage of high-ticket, high-touch offers is that you can provide an exceptional level of service and customization to a select group of clients. This often translates into higher profit margins and the ability to establish yourself as a luxury brand.
According to research done by HubSpot, 68% of consumers say they are willing to pay more for products and services from a brand known to offer good customer service experiences. So keep in mind that if you’re charging premium prices, you need to provide a premium experience.
However, the biggest “con” of high-ticket, high-touch is that it requires a significant investment of time and energy to cater to each client’s individual needs.
On the other hand, low-ticket, low-touch offers allow you to reach a broader audience and generate revenue from a larger customer base. While the profit margins may be lower, you can compensate for it through volume. The key advantage here is scalability, as you can serve more people with less individual attention.
Low-ticket doesn’t mean you can abandon customer service, though. 78% of customers have backed out of a purchase due to a poor customer experience, according to research done by Glance.
Of course, the disadvantage of low-ticket, low-touch offers is that you make a lot less money per ‘lead,’ meaning that you have to ‘sell’ a lot more.
Examples Per Industry
I remember in my photography days thinking about it this way: If I wanted to make $50,000 a year, I only needed 25 clients to say “yes” to me.
That totally changed my marketing because if I wanted to make $50,000 a year selling a $50 product, my marketing would have needed to be a lot broader. That doesn’t mean I couldn’t make $50,000 that year–it would have just required a different approach.
This is the same for other industries, too.
Example for a boutique:
- High-ticket: Designer clothes serving a small market that may include better customer service and a drink when you walk through the door
- Low-ticket: or you could sell lower budget clothes serving a large market that don’t require any personal touches
Example for real estate:
- High-ticket: You could be selling million dollar homes to less than 10 clients per year
- Low-ticket: or you could sell <$500,000 homes to 20+ clients per year
Example for e-commerce:
- High-ticket: Maybe you sell jewelry on Etsy- you could sell high-quality, 14K gold necklaces with beautiful packaging, custom engraving, and fast shipping for a higher price to less buyers
- Low-ticket: or you could sell costume jewelry at a low price to a ton of people
Do you see how there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer for any of these industries? Chances are, you can think of a business in every industry that does high-ticket and low-ticket offers. They sell the ‘same thing’, but one is a bit more luxurious and expensive than the other… and neither is the ‘right’ way to do business, they’re just different.
So let’s explore exactly what IS different about them, and how you can decide which is right for you.
How to Decide Which Is Right For You
No matter what your business is, there is one MAJOR thing to consider between high-ticket, high-touch offers and low-ticket, low-price offers: ENERGY.
I know–you probably thought I’d say time or money, right?
The truth is, you can make the same amount of money with these two different business models, and spend the same amount of time. But in my experience, it’s what you have the ENERGY for that is the most variable.
Before I had kids and was a full-time wedding photographer, I LOVED offering a high end experience at luxury prices. I loved to over-deliver, exceed my client’s expectations, and charge for that experience! It even led me to try other services with this model like mentorship and a mastermind.
Then, becoming a mother was a game-changer for me and my business because it shifted my priorities and energy allocation. I found that low-ticket, low-touch offerings made more sense for me in terms of managing my energy levels. I chose to focus on developing online courses rather than offering mentorship or one-on-one services.
Creating a course allowed me to channel my energy into the initial creation process and then focus on marketing and selling it, rather than continuously serving individual clients. With a low-ticket, low-touch model, I could create a course once and then leverage it to serve a larger audience without depleting my energy reserves. It allowed me to strike a balance between fulfilling my entrepreneurial ambitions and being present for my family.
Since I’ve shifted my focus to online courses and scalable offerings, I’ve been able to reach a wider audience and generate consistent revenue. The ability to create a course once and sell it repeatedly has provided me with the freedom to allocate my time and energy more efficiently.
For me, I’ve really enjoyed low ticket high volume offers and meeting people at those beginning stages. That’s not to say that maybe someday in the future, I won’t create a ‘next level’ offering.
But right now when I’m looking at it from an energy and a lifestyle standpoint, doing these course launches is a pretty light lift compared to, for example, leading people through like a three day retreat.
But maybe that’s EXACTLY what you want to do right now… and that’s great! This is exactly what I want to help you identify today: what season are YOU in?
Here are some questions to get your wheels turning:
- Where is your energy best spent right now?
- How much energy do you have to devote to something or someone?
- Are you in a season where you can dedicate a lot of time and energy to your business, or not?
- What are the expectations of what you’re offering?
- What are your revenue goals compared to the price of your offer?
Still Not Sure?
If you’ve answered the questions and you’re thinking, “I hear you, Jenna, but I still don’t know which one I want to do,” then listen closely….
Do both. (Yep, you heard me!)
This may be controversial advice, but I’m a firm believer that sometimes you need to try two different things in order to make up your mind.
The different offerings I have promoted in my career is the perfect example of that! I only know that I like low-touch, low-price offers today because I TRIED different things previously. So, do both!
Create two offers: one high-ticket, high-touch and one low-ticket, low-touch. I would choose two launch dates a couple months apart, then spend the same amount of time marketing each of them on your social media and email list, and see which one your audience responds to more. That should help you decide!
Then, once you decide, go ALL IN on it. Having an excessive number of offers can confuse your customer, so it’s best to pick one and stick with it for a season. Businesses that try to cater to too many different people or have too many offers may struggle to develop a clear brand image, which makes it harder to stand out from competitors.
This is why, in my business, we launch in seasons – I will promote one of my courses for a few weeks, spend several weeks, if not months, serving my audience without promoting anything, and then I’ll promote another course for a few weeks, and the cycle continues.
I hope this episode helped you decide between which type of offer you should promote in your business! Remember: the decision ultimately depends on your business goals, personal circumstances, and the energy you can allocate. And that will probably change based on what season of life you’re in!
As long as you learn to pay attention to these seasons and make changes to your business model accordingly, your customers will pivot with you!
I’d love to hear what you decide on, so be sure to hop over to @goaldiggerpodcast on Instagram and share the type of offer you’ve landed on for your business. And remember: I’ll always be in your corner, cheering you on every step of the way.
