Did you ever wonder why all football field goals are worth three points or all touchdowns are worth six points? I have…and the more I think about it, the more outdated the tradition seems to me, and changing the values would make the game more exciting.
Aren’t 50 yard field goals tougher to make than 20 yarders? Certainly they are, so why aren’t their values different?
In gymnastics and other sports, the degree of difficulty is rewarded so why not football.
Here’s a thought…how about…
- Making all field goals between the goal line and 10 yard line worth 1 point
- 11-20 yard line = 2 points
- 21 – 30 = 3 points (probably today’s average kick)
- 31 – 40 = 4 points
- 41 – 50 – 5 points
- 51+ = 6 points (double the average)
Wouldn’t this single idea create cool new strategies and more game excitement in the NFL, College etc.? Yes it would – it would open up the game a ton. I’m not sure about changing the value of touchdowns, because the degree of difficulty getting a touchdown in the Red Zone (20 yards in) can be tough, but why not look into it. Why always stay with the status quo especially when the environment you exist in has changed?
The NBA finally adopted the 3-point shot in the 1979-80 season after seeing it tested over the years, so why can’t the NFL change?
Bringing this marketing idea home to you and your business, what can you take away from this discussion?
Well, for starters take a hard look at your pricing and see if the pricing of the selling of your goods and services (goals) truly reflects what their real and perceived worth is to your customer.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself when reviewing your pricing policies:
- Do you offer better terms of service than your competitors
- Does your stuff last longer
- Is your stuff simply better
- Are you nicer to do business with – more trustworthy
- Do you offer guarantees – replacements
- Are you faster
- Are you cleaner
- Are you more thorough
- Do you offer more prestige
- Do you offer more value-added services
- Is it harder to do what you do
- Is your error rate smaller
- Does the quality you deliver reflected in the time and care you take to deliver
- Do your ideas transform businesses into more long term profitable brands vs. short term easy to lose small gains
Certainly this list isn’t exhaustive, but you get the idea. You get the picture.
In my experience, over 80% of the pricing problems I see with brands, turns out to be that they should raise their prices and clearly demonstrate their true value .
The problem most brands have (if they have a quality product) is that they do not clearly communicate and demonstrate the value they offer, so they simply resort to lowering their prices until their customer believes their effort to be of some value.
I contend that 50 yard field goals are worth a lot more that 25 yarders and should be valued accordingly – it’s certainly easy to demonstrate the value because they’re longer and harder to make!
What do you do that’s better than your competitors, but your prices are similar?
Figure out what your dramatic difference is and clearly demonstrate your value-add and win! If you don’t have a dramatic difference that you can clearly demonstrate…get one!
