Home
>
Strategic Planning
>
8 Ways to Earn More Without Working Harder

8 Ways to Earn More Without Working Harder

Conventional wisdom has it that there are only three ways to grow your business: find new customers, increase the amount of each sale to existing customers or get customers to buy more frequently. But I've seen business owners go blank when presented with those three options. So here is a more useful list of ways to increase your total revenues without in most cases having to put in more hours at the office.

1. Charge by the project rather than by the hour. Hourly fees are a death trap for the experienced professional. You get penalized for being able to zoom right in to the nub of the problem and its solution. If you are good at what you do, instead provide customized quotes for each whole project. Most clients prefer this anyhow, so that they know in advance what they will owe you. The exception is when you can't nail down the scope of the project before getting started; in that case alone, revert to hourly fees.

2. Boost your exclusivity and perceived value. If you emphasize that you don't sell to just anyone who shows up at your door, but you have certain criteria for the clients you choose to serve, people become more eager to engage your services. Likewise, if you drive home the value that you provide with testimonials, case studies, client lists and specific results you have achieved in the past, you'll get a greater return from all the marketing you're already doing.

3. Create higher-end, higher-priced programs and options. A photographer friend of mine learned that people enjoy options to select from, and they most like to select the next-to-most-expensive option. So to increase her income from framed family portraits, she simply offered a larger and more expensive frame as the biggest option. Customers were then more likely to choose the second biggest, which cost more than the previous second biggest frame.

4. Create a repeat-billing product or service instead of selling one-shot products or services. Get clients to sign on to some sort of ongoing service plan, and you get a longer, larger return from each of your marketing efforts. For the photographer, this could be a plan for enlargements tailored for a number of holidays spread throughout the year, such as Mother's Day, Father's Day, Christmas and Valentine's Day.

5. Revise your current products and services for a specialized market and charge more. Whatever the industry, people believe they have special needs and therefore they will pay more for products and services specifically for them. By making small and in many cases insignificant changes in your offerings, you can increase people's willingness to pay more for your items or your knowledge.

6. Sell related products and services - your own or someone else's - to current and past customers. Hair stylists easily sell mousse and conditioner to their clients, who want to look as great when they're on their own as they do when walking out of the salon. When people buy from you, what else do they typically need to enjoy a complete solution to their problem? Mark up the offerings of other service or product providers along with your own, and your total revenues go up.

7. Make it possible for clients to prepay and "stock up" on your services or products. I pay for the next winter's fuel each summer and get a lower price per gallon, and the fuel company gets lots more money earlier. Similarly, offer a slight discount for six months or a year's worth of your consulting services, and your cash flow can instantly improve.

8. Simply raise your prices. Most entrepreneurs charge too little and are thereby earning less than they could with every sale. Raise the price of your book from $17.95 to $19.95, or of your fee for cleaning teeth from $90 to $99. Usually there's little or no resistance from your market. Sometimes with a significant raise in prices, you lose some customers but revenues increase overall. That's the goal!

Marcia Yudkin is the author of 6 Steps to Free Publicity and 10 other books. She runs a private member site, MarketingforMore.com, which supports business owners who are growing their businesses. Learn how to avoid the most common pricing mistakes in her free report, "Charge More & Get It," available from http://www.marketingformore.com/survey.htm .

trusted cleaning company Lake Forest ..

In The News:

Mac malware campaign uses fake AI chat results to deliver AMOS through terminal commands, security researchers report. Attackers exploit trust in AI-generated cleanup guides.

States require AI disclosure in healthcare as California, Colorado and Utah implement laws mandating transparency when artificial intelligence influences patient care decisions.

ETA sharing on Apple Maps and Google Maps keeps contacts updated automatically while you drive safely. Learn step-by-step instructions for iPhone and Android.

Data removal from brokers protects against AI-powered scams and deepfake threats in 2026. Learn how data brokers sell your personal information to scammers.

Learn how to act against cybercriminals in 2026 with essential security steps like two-factor authentication, software updates and credit freezing.

Choose between OpenAI releasing Sora text-to-video model, the AI race heating up, or Waymo driverless cars launching in cities across the country

Learn how to set up Google Maps and Apple Maps on your phone to automatically remember where you parked. Step-by-step instructions for enabling location services and parking detection.

Phishing scammers use rnicrosoft.com domain to impersonate Microsoft by replacing "m" with "rn" in typosquatting attacks that steal login credentials.

OpenAI announces new teen safety rules for ChatGPT users under 18, blocking romantic roleplay and requiring extra caution on body image topics.

A 2025 data breach at fintech company 700Credit exposes personal information of more than 5.8 million people through compromised third-party integration partner.

Retailers lose $76.5 billion annually to return fraud as nearly 10% of U.S. retail returns involve fraudulent activity, with $850 billion in returns expected in 2025.

ShinyHunters claims responsibility for stealing 94GB of Pornhub user data affecting over 200 million records and demands Bitcoin ransom.

ChatGPT 2025 now connects to Apple Music, Canva, Expedia, TripAdvisor and OpenTable through built-in apps that help users create playlists, design graphics and more.

Apple releases emergency patches for two zero-day vulnerabilities actively exploited in attacks. iPhone and iPad users urged to update immediately.

DoorDash launches Zesty, an AI-powered social app that recommends restaurants through conversational search, now testing in San Francisco and New York.

Cybersecurity firm Infoblox reveals that over 90 percent of parked domains now redirect visitors to scams and malware, making simple typos extremely dangerous.

The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

GPT-5.2 is now live for all ChatGPT users with improved coding, writing and image interpretation, with Kurt Knutsson offering his review.

New iPhone replacement scam uses pressure tactics and fake carrier calls to steal devices from buyers. Criminals claim shipping errors and demand urgent returns.

Amazon Ring's new facial recognition feature sparks privacy controversy as Electronic Frontier Foundation critics argue the AI upgrade expands surveillance risks.

New Android banking trojan Sturnus steals credentials, reads encrypted messages and controls devices.

Denmark's 3D-printed student village proves automation builds 36 apartments faster than traditional methods. Skovsporet project shows housing future.

Discover Android's new Sound Notifications feature that alerts you to smoke alarms, doorbells, and baby cries even when wearing headphones.

New SantaStealer malware reportedly threatens holiday shoppers with password theft. This Christmas-themed info-stealer targets browsers and crypto wallets.

The Christmas season brings a surge in Netflix phishing scams targeting shoppers with fake emails. Stacey P received convincing scam but verified account first.

8 Ways to Earn More Without Working Harder

Strategic Planning