I had a very frustrating shopping experience the other day.  I wanted to share this with you.  Here it goes…

I’ve been shopping around for better health insurance and have been busy comparing rates and benefits from different providers.  I’m not necessarily shopping for the cheapest insurance.  I realize that not every health insurance plan is the same and I’m willing to pay for better coverage.  But, it is important that I know what I’m getting myself  into in terms of cost.

Some sites were easy to navigate and I was able to determine what I will roughly be getting and for how much.  Other sites were void of any information.  AND – there was nothing to give me an idea of how much I would be spending.  I realize I won’t get a fixed quote until I can speak with an agent and give them all my exact details.  But, I’d like to know what I can generally expect for someone of my age with 2 family members.  It doesn’t have to be exact.  But, there is a lot of difference between $500/month and $3000/month.

On the sites where I could not get any information, I had to fill in all my contact information and wait for someone to contact me.  I don’t like being SOLD at, so this doesn’t sound appealing to me AT ALL… not without having some general information under my belt.  I want to be able to research a bit on my own before talking to someone about what their health insurance plan can give me.  I want to be an informed decision-maker.

Do your clients go through this?

I realize that health insurance is A LOT different from wedding services… but… are your potential clients experiencing frustration from your website?

I encourage most* wedding pros to list starting rates on their websites.  Potential clients need a general idea of what wedding services will cost.  Yes – our services are very customized and it’s impossible to give a fixed price until we have a consultation.  (This is much like health insurance.)  BUT – you should have ‘starting rates’ on your website.  People need to have the ability to research on their own.  They need to have general information at their disposal.  Or, they’ll leave… frustrated before they’ve even met you.

Have you had this experience before while trying to buy something?  How did it make you feel?

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*I say “most” because every business is different and every business has a different target market.  If you are a very high-end wedding planner I would not encourage you to list pricing.