Price per hour vs. price for value
READ TIME: 3 minutes
Dear Reader,
A text?
Or a handwritten card?
Is there a difference in how the message is received if it’s the same message?
Of course!
The emotional impression of a handwritten card is way higher. Because: the receiver knows someone put effort into their card*.
How would this work in a business context?
It’s known that content nowadays should be valuable.
But it’s as important to have a credible writer.
If I were to write about building a house, you wouldn’t take me seriously.
The NEW, interesting thing today is that people now care about HOW the message was made.
Why is this interesting?
Because of AI.
AI plays an increasing role in our jobs
It not only changes what we communicate
It also changes how we view the creator
The writer of a text weighs in on the value people give it.
If someone sees that something is undoubtedly written by a human, it will feel different from when a text comes from a system within seconds.
The origin of a text becomes a sign of interest, care, and effort.
And that influences the appreciation, even when the content is exactly the same.
Is there proof?
Yes!
1600 participants at the University of Pittsburgh** rated poems. Poems by human poets and by AI.
When participants didn’t know who the author was, they rated the AI poems higher on average than the human ones.
But as soon as people *knew* that AI had written a poem, they gave it lower scores. If they thought a human had written it, their appreciation increased.
Conclusion:
AI delivered ‘better’ results than human poets.
But as soon as the participants knew it was AI, they suddenly found the opposite to be true.
Lesson here → As soon as people know something’s made by AI, their appreciation drops.
Simply the idea that less effort was put into it is what prompts people to shift.
This made me think.
Isn't it precisely what we see happen in the whole price-per-hour vs. all-in package battle?
I've seen so many business coaches telling you to show the value in your offer.
“Price per hour is like digging your own grave.”
“You can never scale.”
Etc.
The situation of a locksmith perfectly illustrates this.
A new locksmith needs an hour to repair a lock. He asks $100, and people will pay without hesitation—they see how much time goes into it.
But that same locksmith, 10 years from now, has become a pro. He's quicker. It only takes him 10 minutes to prepare a lock.
His price stays the same. But suddenly, people find it too expensive.
“Why $100 for such a quick job?”
It proves → Willingness to pay is consciously and unconsciously linked to the visible effort involved***.
Mystery solved: Convenience and efficiency are good for you, but detrimental to the other person's perception of value.
Isn’t that bad news when you’re all about time management and efficiency, like me…?
I guess, the solution here is: transparency.
→ Show the thinking process and choices. Why do you choose to do it a certain way? What have you learned in the past?
→ Make your content personal. Write like you talk. And don't shy away from your viewpoints. People love people with vision.
→ Slow down at times (always a challenging one for me) so people notice. When I wrote personal cards to some of you last year, it took me A.LOT.OF.TIME.
But it was rewarding. For you and me. About 50% responded on their card. I never get that high percentage in email responses.
God knew this all along. He could’ve made the world within a second, yet He took 6 days and kept the ‘crown’ for last.
Good things take time.
We can still be efficient, but with excellence.
Blessings,
Jane
Founder Born to Fly
P.S. Was this helpful to you? You would help me if you’d let me know. Email me at hello@borntofly.faith
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