Q.   Do you plan to offer a Seminar Discount?

Over the years, the program has come down in price from an initial $500 in 1989 to the current $150 (US) / $199 (Cdn) price. Every time, that price decrease was because of a special Seminar or Retreat price. I have just never had the heart to raise the price again afterwards!

So the answer to the question is Yes, I do offer a special Seminar price, and it has been going on since Seminar 1997, when I last offered a discount. I am leary of any further discounts, because I know that they will set precedents - not to mention the fact that those who bought at a higher price will be chagrined that they paid more. I have always heard that a discount is a public admission that the goods weren't worth their original price.

That's not to say that I might not offer an incentive to order early. For instance, if I know that I am going to be away in Thailand for Christmas, I might offer 10% off to those who order before I leave. I might also offer a discount to those who help me spread the word about the program. At Christmas 2000, I combined those two promotions to offer a savings of up to 20%.

The truth is, the DCMS is worth every bit that I charge - and more. My users who know custom-designed small business software are amazed at how much they get for the price. Many have noted that I practically give the program away, for all it does. A friend of mine, for instance, makes draperies from his home. He bought a program last year that helps calculate how much material he needs for a job and tracks the ordering of that material. He paid over $1,200 for that small program - and did so gladly because it was a great boon to his business.

I would never charge that much. But I do know what it costs to support my business and my users. If I charged less, I would have to cut something out (or get a part time job). The program, if used, will easily pay for itself in extra business and lost sales taxes recovered. And, of course, the purchase of this program is fully tax-deductable.
 

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