Features Tell, Benefits Sell: Real Coaching on Pricing, Tiered Services, and Landing Your First Big Client

This episode is a real, unscripted group coaching call from inside the Ergonomics Blueprint program. Every month, Blueprint members get a live session with Darcie where they bring their actual clients, actual pricing questions, and actual challenges. This is what that looks like.

One of our members is in the middle of landing a significant new client: a nonprofit emergency response agency that wants a full suite of ergonomics services and has already invited her to their Safety Day. The questions that come up are exactly what practitioners run into when a real opportunity is in front of them and they want to handle it right.

What this call covers:

• How to structure and price follow-up visits so you never get painted into a corner after the quote goes out
• The tiered service model: discomfort survey, group training, quick workstation checks, and full assessments only for who needs them
• How to write proposals that sell benefits, not features (and the 'So that?' question that changes how you describe every service)
• Why presenting quotes in person turned a cautious HR contact into an enthusiastic client 
• The three-option pricing strategy and why the middle option is always the one they pick
• How to price a project where you don't know upfront exactly how many full assessments will be needed
• What to give every participant after a group session so the client has documentation and you have a record

If you're figuring out how to price your first big client, how to structure a proposal that doesn't scare anyone off, or how to explain the value of what you do to someone who has never heard of a discomfort survey, this call is for you.

Ready to get this kind of coaching for your own practice? 

The Ergonomics Blueprint teaches you how to do office ergonomics assessments from the ground up, including the business side, the pricing, the proposals, and how to bring in the clients to use those skills on. Monthly group coaching calls with Darcie are included.

If you're a healthcare professional and this episode got your wheels turning about office ergonomics - good. I've got free resources to help you take the next step at ergonomicshelp.com/resources. 

Transcript

0:00

Why, hey there. What you're about to listen to is an actual group coaching call from inside the Ergonomics Blueprint program. That's right. Every month, blueprint members get a group coaching call with me. They bring their real questions, the real challenges, and the real wins. And what comes out of those questions is almost always something I wish I could share with everyone because it turns out the things one is struggling with are exactly the other things that ten people are quietly stuck on too. Welcome to The Business of Ergonomics Podcast. I'm your host, Darcie Jaremey. I'm a board-certified professional ergonomist with over 15 years of experience delivering ergonomics programs to employers of all different types. In this podcast, I share what other healthcare professionals are already doing and being with ergonomics assessments, and how to land those clients that you dream of. Without further ado, let's jump into this episode right now I wanna give you a little bit of context before we dive into today's show, because there's a few things happening in the field right now that are making these conversations more important than ever And this particular call is one I wanted to share because of what comes up in it. We talk about the things that a lot of ergo professionals out there are quietly trying to figure out on their own. One of our members is in the middle of landing a significant new client, a nonprofit response agency that wants a whole package of services and has invited her to their safety day before she's even started. And the questions that come up are exactly the questions you run into when a real opportunity is in front of you and you want to handle it right. Things that we are going to be diving into include how you structure a follow-up visit. Do you charge for it, or do you build it into the original quote? What does a tiered service offering actually look like? And when not every employee needs a full ergonomics assessment, how do you explain the value of a discomfort survey to an HR manager who has never heard of one before? And that phrase that I think is going to stick with you, Features tell, but benefits sell." We get into all of that and what it actually means for how you write your proposals. We also talk about something that doesn't always get acknowledged, which is the relationship side of this work. How showing up in person, delivering a quote face-to-face, and taking the time to actually connect with people is what turns a cautious prospect into an enthusiastic client who invites you to the cookout. This call is a good one. Here it is.

Audio Only - All Participants 2:49

you do your full assessment, and let's say they, they buy some new equipment, right? And all of that, and you- Mm-hmm you come back a few weeks later, and you kinda see how everything is going with that new equipment or whatever- Mm is going on there, whatever got changed. Do you charge an extra charge to come back for that, or is that something that you just kind of factor into the original pricing, or is, or is that just, like, one of those is it just kind of a freebie? I mean, what's the best way to approach that. Okay. Well, good question. So question, before we dive into all your options. Is this something that you're quoting, or is this something that's already happened? So options are, and I think this is a good thing that you're talking about this and mulling over options before going into the quote, because there's definitely a few options that you have here. Okay and I like how you have a- already identified that once they get the equipment in, there's probably gonna be some slight adjustments, or even you installing the equipment, if that's something that you wanna charge for. So like if you were going to install equipment, that would just be your hourly rate. Okay. And however long it would take. Because some places, they just don't have that person with a power drill to install a keyboard tray. Got it. Because that's what we're talking about, a keyboard tray specifically. Everything else is probably pretty okay, or maybe like a sit-stand desk too if it's worth your time to do something like that at 150 bucks an hour. Do you want to do stuff? Are you confident? Something for you to mull over. What do you think? Could you see yourself doing that? I think it would depend on the equipment and it would also, I think, depend on who I was working with, you know? Like, some folks are kinda, they're sorta chill about it and whatever. Yeah. And some folks are just like, "No, it all has to be..." You know, and in that case, I might be more hesitant, I think, to jump in- Yeah with both feet, you know? Depending on- That is $300 an hour, right? Exactly. Oh. Okay. But- That's good so something to consider, right? Okay. So we have that. And, many ergonomics consultants, they can get their himself kinda like painted into the corner when they don't think of this upfront because they didn't anticipate that workplace may have needed so many fixes. So they wanna come in again and visit them out of the goodness of their heart, but no, it doesn't work like that. We have to charge. So your options would be to either inflate the cost of the project-based ergonomics assessment if you wanna do an in-person visit, or just have that as a line i- item on your, I guess, what- whatever you wanna call that, just a line item on your contract, receipt, whatever. But it doesn't necessarily have to be in person, right? You could do that video call, a phone call an email too So it could be that you wanna... And it's totally up to you. You could say, "Hey, we'll do a follow-up based on what the solution is. It may require me to revisit, but I'll try to do as efficiently as possible. So if I'm in the area, I'll stop by, or if I'm at your building doing another assessment, I'll make it as efficient as possible. You don't have to charge the full rate for me to come out. But if it's not as in depth, then why don't we do a video call or, other options?" Okay. Okay. So- That sounds good. But at least it's being identified upfront instead of a, an afterthought. My experience, workplaces are a lot more lenient to that. Okay. That's good to know. That's good to... Yeah, nobody likes that surprise, like when you go to the mechanic or something- Mm-hmm and you come back out and you're like, "Oh, I thought this was gonna cost 200 bucks," and- Yeah And I always like to encourage people to think of analogies and share the analogies to why a follow-up is important. So it's like something that would really speak to your ideal client, that HR person. So whether it's that car mechanic suggestion that you have, but like- Or it's like having everything set up perfectly, getting a new piece of equipment, and then having that like luxury Mercedes Benz but just keeping it in first gear or something like that. Yeah. Like- Yeah just so they understand like it's, you did the assessment, it's not gonna be fixed until everything's adjusted for them, so you're just solving half of the problem, and that second piece, the follow-up, is really important. I, I'm excited because I started talking to this place and, and they want a good number of assessments. And I think you saw my email. And they- Mm-hmm they haven't had one in a l- in kind of a long time. But what's- Yeah great is we kinda hit it off from the get-go. They actually invited me to their safety day, so I'm going there for a cookout before I ever even start working there and stuff. Wow. So yeah, it looks like it's gonna be good. I get to meet people and, and see what everything looks like, and really, you know, get a good understanding of them I think. R- really the big thing with ergonomics is kinda like people understanding what it is so they can really use what it can do for them, and they can buy into the whole process, and get them excited. So if they have like an ergonomics expert, you, come in and just talk about how important it is, they might come home at the end of the day and like you'll have this whole group and they might be able to share to their friends or like their partners or spouses or whatever. And like if you come in and like you really own that ergonomics expert and have all these analogies to why it's important, you might get some more referrals. Just that level of excitement that you can bring to that extra opportunity of talking to the group, like either one on one or whatever lunch scenario is. And it's a, it's a a nonprofit, and so I said, "Well, they have to present to the board for funding," and I'm like, "Well, if you want me to, I'll just come and talk if that helps," 'cause if they have questions or whatever, okay. Like you said, maybe people don't really know about ergonomics. Well, let's have that conversation. Yeah. Exactly. That's so awesome. What a way to get your foot in the door with all of these assessments I was excited. I couldn't believe it. Yeah. It was like all of a sudden, and it was just because, oh, last winter I sent out a flyer to places that do like emergency management type stuff. Okay. And then I didn't hear anything for like three or four months, and then I get a phone call. So then I went there and kinda did a presentation for HR and for one of the ops people, and then I didn't hear anything again for like- Yeah. Oh, lord three or four months. I had sent a, a little handwritten thank you note for meeting with me and that kind of stuff, you know? Yeah. And I was like this is okay." You know, they have other priorities. And then I get this phone call and they're like, "Okay, we wanna, see about bringing you on- That's so great I drove there. I sat with them. You know, I had all my portfolio all together and printed out for them they could take it with, and it was just kinda a really nice base touch. So I enjoyed that. Like you said it's this... There's the work side, but there's the personal connection side as well. So. Mm-hmm. Yeah. You nailed that. Nailed like and trust. Way to go. I think, these folks were, o- originally kind of like, let's talk about what we need," and you know, that kind of stuff. And I... So we kind of- felt it out and edged into it sort of cautiously, and then by the end of the meeting we were just chattering it up. So it just, it worked out pretty well. I had a really nice first meeting with them, so I got really lucky with that. Awesome. Yeah. And good strategy. Good strategy. People don't know that you exist or you have these services until you do something like that outside your comfort zone, so. Well, outside many people's comfort zone. I shouldn't speak to who- Nope who, but you know what I mean? It's- You're right putting yourself out there is, not a lot of people would do that, and I'm glad that you did. So way to go. Oh, thank you. My husband actually had a really good idea. He comes up with these things sometimes. I'm like, "That is a really good idea." So he's like, Don't just mail them your quotes. Ask them if you can come in and discuss the quotes with them face to face. And then if they have any questions, you guys need to troubleshoot something, you're already there. You can just iron it out all at once." And that's what led to me getting invited to Safety Day, cause they're like, "Hey, since you're gonna come out, why don't you just come to Safety Day? It'll be fun. Let's just make it a, a thing." That's so awesome. Cool. So I gotta learn to listen to my husband more often. He comes up with some doozies sometimes, like... and it makes sense, too. And if you've ever had, like, generations in the workplace training, certain age groups like to do stuff in person versus over email and- Mm-hmm And so it's kind of nice to understand your audience and maybe kind of the way that they like to approach projects. So that, that worked out, really well I think in this instance, because now they know, okay, we can have a dialogue about this and we can go back and forth on it. And if there's something that you're not comfortable with, let's tailor it to what you were thinking about initially. Maybe you have a different idea, or you thought this was gonna go a different way, or that's just not in your budget right now, but we can do these things right now, and then we can do these things later, you know, or whatever. It's just sometimes a little, little easier depending on the, group that you're working with. So I think, it's a good fit for these folks and they've been wonderful to work with, so I'm really excited to get started. Like, really excited, so. Great. Do you have any other, like, angles that we can look at together about this project or whatever you have in your horizon that we can brainstorm, look at options? Oh, my goodness. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be picking up Accelerate because now that I'm moving into all of this, I'm gonna need more support I think, you know? The blueprint was great. Like I said, I was able to get so much stuff out of that to even help me draft up the quotes that I got, that I have going on right now, and that helped a- that was just huge. So I liked having- Thank you. You're welcome. That was a big deal. I don't know what people do when they don't have tools. The amount of time it would take you and the frustration, like- Yeah. I know. I lived that. That's why I designed the ergonomics blueprint. Ah. I was just so close to quitting, but you have this, and you won't quit. You spend your time doing other things. I am learning that more and more now that I have a small business. Mm-hmm. It's like, okay I'm trying to figure out how to make everything more efficient- Mm-hmm all the time, constantly. Yeah. So that's why having, having the pricing playbook and, and being able to go back and just say, "Okay." when I was building out my quotes, for example, I was like, okay, so if I include the discomfort survey, like a definition, like a, a two-sentence definition or three sentences about exactly what's the discomfort survey, so trying to boil it down. so I was trying to work on that. Like, what are the high points that somebody would need to know if they were looking at that? Okay. Yeah, yeah. So like, discomfort survey, and then other parts of the ergonomics process as well? Yes. Mm-hmm. So, like, you know, even doing, like a, like a lunch and learn training, what would be like- Yeah This is a really good question because it's talking about, like, the marketing side of this, right? Yes. 'Cause it's, it's not just the, what it is. The ideal client's not gonna care about what the features are. Bingo. It's, it's the benefit. 'Cause features tell, but benefits, they sell, so. Oh, I love that. That's a great slogan. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, like, one thing that I found to be really useful when going through all these elements is asking yourself the question, "So that?" So a discomfort survey has such and such, so that what? Is it going to give better information for, the ergonomist to diagnose issues before they become problems? Is it effective, a better use of resources, a way that they can manage the long-term health of their employees that they can go back and just see how they're doing? Is it a compliance thing with OSHA because they have to be doing something? There's so many elements, but based on, you know- Yeah who your ideal client and what you think they would care about most, you can just- Okay or do a combination of everything that we talked about there. I like that. So, like, keep it short and sweet and what your ideal client, that HR person, would care about. So what do you think they would care about with that discomfort survey? Is it, like, tracking employees or- Yeah identifying issues before a problem? That's the big one right there. Yeah. I think it's identifying issues. It's been a long time since they've had anybody in, and really it's, it's not knowing what their people are going through. Okay. So... And because they're a response agency, sometimes they're working extended hours to deal with some kind of an emergency. So, there might be stuff that they hadn't even realized was a problem. Yeah. So I was thinking almost doing the discomfort survey, tailoring a training, and then according to what came up in the survey, then figuring out how many, like, full assessments need to get done. Brilliant. Because it might not be, Everybody might not need, And I know that, I mean, money is a- an issue for everyone. But you wanna get the most bang for your buck. I put in different pricing tiers. Like, okay, this is, you know, this is if everybody got a full assessment. Yeah. And then, like, this is if we, did the discomfort survey training. Yeah. kind of triage who needs, like, the full assessment and- And so trying to build it out a little bit according to, like you said, like, w- what do they really think they need? Because they might not realize not everybody needs a full assessment personally. Yeah. and research is pretty clear when there's three options you're gonna- they're gonna choose, like, the middle option. So, make solution that you really wanna serve them with, make that the middle option. Okay. Like, the one that you really wanna do. But you're right. It could be... I've done enough ergonomics assessments to know that the training, the, like, lunch and learn or whatever, that should solve about 80% of the issues. It really should. And if you can tie that to a lunch and learn and then all the participants that come, a quick, like, two-minute review of each participant's office so that you know that they set it up correctly, just really, really quick. And then from there, there's two tiers. People that need, like, maybe an extra 10, 20 minutes for you to, like, make sure everything's okay. Maybe they're just, like, a chatty Cathy, and, like, you just need... You're really enjoying your time with them, and you just need a little extra time. And then those people that need a lot of help because they have a chronic health issue, a chronic back pain or whatever, and they, those people will need a full assessment. So it's a really good way to, if you were to draw that out, everyone is getting served, but it's so much cheaper than everyone getting a full office ergonomic assessment And, and I feel like sometimes when folks are looking at it, they want to make sure they're getting bang for their buck. Mm-hmm. So it's like, "Okay, so here's everything that I get for this pri- You know, it's like, oh. Yeah. It, you know, sometimes things like they just seem like they're getting more stuff even though, you know, like a full assessment is a big deal, you know? But it's like, okay. Yeah. With this one I'm getting training and whatever. So it's just- Yeah it's fascinating to me how to, how the marketing side goes and how people would need to, to tailor, you know, their buying preference to what their perceived need is. But it's, it's- Yeah fabulous. This is like really good learning experience for me. I feel like, ah, what if you get those Chatty Cathys that need 10 or 20 minutes? Make sure after you see everyone, just give them a checklist. Now, here's something else that I don't wanna add confusion, but you could... Maybe this, nonprofit's not the best solution here, but you could give them s- each person that you see, you can give them a checklist of what we found, the changes that you made, and that would... you could have something like, "Hey, I saw this person. This is what we saw. This is what we changed." Just a checklist, and then you give that to them. But back to where I was initially going with that, you have a list of all the participants and as you see everyone, you give them a check, and the people that you can tell from the get-go needs more coaching, just make that a mark, and the people that need a full ergonomic assessment, make that mark. I would bring it to the HR decision-maker and let them know how the process went, 'cause they have the final say. I would leave it to them whether or not, or let them in the know that's what you're doing so they're not surprised by the bill coming in. Because as you quote this, you might wanna say, "Based that 80% of people, will probably not need a full ergonomic assessment." You can price out your rate for a office ergonomic assessment times 20% of the participants. So you can give them a ballpa- park of what is expected, but it could be less, it could be more. Maybe you wanna guesstimate of that 20%, half would be more coaching and half of that would be a full ergonomic assessment. And so you would factor that in to even keep the prices a little bit more down, 'cause that's probably what we're gonna see in the first place. 'cause you, you wanna price fairly, but you don't wanna take anything away from yourself. Like you said, your time is your money. Yeah. And- Yeah you know, you're, it, you're bringing expertise to the table, and- Yeah I think it's fair to do. I just had somebody a little bit ago come by and fix my dryer, right? And I paid $125 for 35 minutes of that person's time. You know? Yeah I think that's fair, and I was okay with that because- Yeah I needed that service done and the person came right out and did it. I was fine with it. You know, I know they have- Yeah a small business. They have a trip charge. They have things, and I'm, I'm, I was okay with that. And I think, you know, as long as you present things fairly and you do a good job, I think people are pretty open to it. But knowing how to lay it out, like you said, so you're not surprising them, huge.

20:09

And that's where we wrapped up. I wanna highlight a few things from that conversation because I think they're worth sitting with. First, the follow-up question. So many ergo consultants get painted into a corner on this because they don't think it through before the quote goes out. The time to decide how you handle follow-up visits, whether that's building it into the original price, adding it as a line item, or offering a video check-in instead, is before the client sees the number, not after. Once someone has a quote, any addition feels like a surprise. Get it on the table up front and nobody flinches. Second, the tiered service model Training will solve about 80% of the issues in a typical office. If you go in quoting a full individual assessment for every person in that building, you're pricing yourself out of the engagements that could actually serve more people more efficiently. Discomfort survey, group training, quick workstation checks for everyone, then full assessments only for those who need them is such an effective way. Workplaces love it, and it's a way that you can help more people and still bring in revenue. It's a smarter, more defensible approach too, so that's why it's easy to sell. And third, the features versus benefits framework. We get into a lot about this in the Accelerate Business of Ergonomics membership, but in the Ergonomics Blueprint, which this call is from, we just kinda touch on it, because the focus of the Ergonomics Blueprint is to do office ergonomics assessments really well. So when you're describing a discomfort survey in a proposal, no one cares what that is. They care what it does for them. So that question to ask yourself, "So that what?" is something I want you to carry into the proposal you write, every lunch and learn pitch, every LinkedIn post you draft. What does this do for the HR manager who signs the contract? Start there. If you're in the Ergonomics Blueprint, thank you for bringing your real work to these calls. This is exactly what they're for. If you're not in the blueprint yet, this is what it looks like inside. Real practitioners, real clients, real conversations, and feedback that actually moves your practice forward. The blueprint teaches you how to do office ergonomics assessments, and importantly, how to bring in clients to use that skill on. We connect the clinical and the business side from the start, because one without the other doesn't build a practice. Head to ergonomicshelp.com and get the details to learn more. And if you're further along and ready to scale, Accelerate the Business of Ergonomics is where that happens. Thanks for listening. I'll see you in the next episode