Chapter 3
Research alternatives and willingness to act
Turn research alternatives and willingness to act into a defensible pricing decision in 45–60 minutes, with explicit assumptions and a measurable test—without treating stated interest as willingness to buy.
What you’ll get
- Primary pricing decision: Map all alternatives.
- Working calculation: Ask behavior-first pricing questions.
- Quality check: Separate interest from commitment.
Before you begin
Bring the exact package, current costs, expected support, buyer alternatives, and available funnel data. Set a 45–60 minutes timer. Keep facts, estimates, and assumptions in separate columns.
Conversion checkpoint
Price is interpreted with the promise, proof, alternatives, and checkout experience. Do not read low sales as a price problem until you have enough qualified visits and can see where the buyer path loses momentum.
Map all alternatives
Compare:
- Directly similar digital products
- Free content and community advice
- Software or services that solve part of the job
- Hiring a professional
- Building the solution manually
- Postponing or accepting the problem
Record audience, promise, package, price model, proof, support, and limitations. Do not copy a competitor price without understanding those differences.
Ask behavior-first pricing questions
During research, ask:
- What did you do the last time this problem appeared?
- What did that cost in money or time?
- Which options did you compare?
- What made one option feel worth it?
- What would make this package difficult to justify?
- Which part of the package matters most or least?
After showing a concrete offer and price, ask the participant to explain the decision in their own words. Avoid asking only “What would you pay?” in isolation.
Separate interest from commitment
| Signal | What it suggests | Decision weight |
|---|---|---|
| “Looks useful” | General relevance | Low |
| Saves/clicks | Attention and page interest | Low to directional |
| Specific package questions | Active evaluation | Useful qualitative signal |
| Qualified waitlist or call | Willingness to invest effort | Stronger intent signal |
| Deposit, preorder, or purchase | Real commitment under stated terms | Stronger behavioral evidence |
| Use, completion, repeat purchase | Delivered and ongoing value | Post-purchase evidence |
Finish line
- The priced package and boundaries are explicit.
- Costs and assumptions are visible.
- The test changes only one meaningful variable.
- The next price change has a reason and decision rule.
