7 Questions to Answer Before You Create Packages for Your Services

Whenever I go out to eat, I’m pretty excited about all of the possibilities for what I could eat. But if it’s somewhere we’ve been before, about 80% of the time, I end up getting the same one or two dishes. (For the record, lots of guacamole and cheese are usually involved.)

Why? Because I’m overwhelmed by all the options, so I go with what I know will work for me.

Many times, this is how our potential clients feel when it comes to figuring out how they could work with us. Even if you offer a wide variety of services, saying “I can do all the things,” not being able to clearly articulate that makes it stressful for your potential client.

The answer is to create packages for your services.

With packages, you’ll be able to move away from hourly-based work into value-based work. Or at least if you’re offering hourly packages, you can ensure you have clear deliverables and expectations as well as a minimum level of engagement.

Plus, when you package your services, everything from sales to pricing to actually doing the work becomes much simpler.

You can get started with creating your package (or revamping the ones you may have already) using the 7 key questions below:

1. What do you currently offer that you want to charge more for?

When you’re looking to create a package, the best place to start is with what you’re already doing and want to charge more for. The idea of the package isn’t for you to randomly start offering a bunch of things but rather for you to do more of what you want to be doing and get paid in a way that helps you reach your business goals.

2. What service(s) do you offer that you can systematize?

Over the years, I’ve created a number of packages, and the easiest ones to sell — and for me and my team to deliver — were highly systematized. Even if custom work is involved, there should be a well-defined system for your services that you follow each and every time you work with a client.

3. Who is this service for? Who is this service not for?

Before you can sell your package, you need to ensure that there’s a market for what you’re offering and that you know who you’re selling it to. Take the time — before you get too excited about your package — to define who the ideal client is for you to work with. Also, make sure you outline who you don’t want to work with, so you can screen out (or even repel) those people as part of the process.

4. What makes you the perfect person to hire for this service?

Fact: people hire people they trust, which means they’re looking to hire someone who can do what they say they can do. Spend some time on getting clear on why they should hire you and what unique skills or experiences you bring to the table.

Don’t be modest; this is an opportunity for you to really own your awesome, and share why you’re so good at what you do. It may feel awkward, but trust me, people want to know, and if you’re holding back, you’re just making it harder to market and sell your packages.

5. How will you deliver the service to the client?

Many, many potential packages have been scrapped thanks to this question over the years. You can have the best idea in the world for a package — and there can be a real need for it — but if it’s going to be a real pain in the ass to deliver to the client, it’s likely not worth it.

For example, if you design a package that requires four phone calls, and you loathe being on the phone, it’s likely not the best idea for you to create that package. Focus on designing the package in a way that works for you and how you want to work with your clients.

6. What benefits will the client experience when you’re done working together?

When a client hires you, they’re looking for the transformation that will occur as a result of working together. They don’t want to hear about how they get a beautiful workbook but rather what the end result of your work together will be and how that makes their business or life better.

Digging into the results your clients get and being able to share those in a way that paints a picture for your prospective clients is key. Also, this is where case studies, testimonials, or examples for your package can help act as proof of what you can really do.

7. What do you want to charge for your package?

Finally, if you’re going to create packages for your services, you want to make sure you’re getting paid. For your package, don’t pick a number out of thin air, but instead, look at how many hours you’ll need to deliver on the package, what your “base” hourly rate should be for this work as well as any hard costs associated with delivering the package.

From there, you can work the numbers to come up with the price for your package, and don’t hesitate to introduce your package at one price to test it out and then increase it over time.

Creating a package for your services offers a proven way for you to be more productive and more profitable in your business. Take the time to answer the questions above to create or update your package.

If you want help creating your package, grab the Create Your Signature Service Workbook below, which is full of prompts you’ll want to use to design your package.