Price and…Using your eyes…

Price and…Selling it

Price is a funny and often underrated benefit. That’s right, a benefit. The fact is we all associate price with quality. If something’s too cheap, we’re inclined to think it’s also of poor quality. Inversely most buyers see high price as an indicator of quality.

Of course that doesn’t mean they’ll buy it. And it doesn’t automatically follow that high price always equals high quality.

And then there’s also the matter of practicality. Rolls Royce has a reputation for quality – and a price tag to match, but most are unlikely to snatch one off the showroom floor when a Ford or Chevy will do.

But price is still a strong indicator, and we need to be prepared to use it. That 100% active laundry detergent you’re pitching is certainly expensive, but its ability to launder a load with just one ounce will dramatically reduce their cost per formula.

In that circumstance it might be kind of cagy-smart to set up the buyer to suspect the price will be high in order to get them to ask. Because that’s where you get to say something like, “I’m glad you asked because it’s not cheap. In fact it’s probably twice what you’re spending for a pail now”. But the good news it it’ll dramatically cut your cost per load, and it will give you whiter, brighter, fresher smelling sheets and terry than you have now.”

If you’ve gotten that far, it’s probably time to explain how you’ll do what you’ve proposed and then pose that closing question.

Using our eyes…and tempering our pitch

It’s pretty amazing how tunnel visioned we can be when we’re in sales mode. And that’s especially true in that cold call.

There’s an understandable tendency for us to focus only on the person in front of us – but doing that to the exclusion of taking note of the surroundings can hamper our sales efforts. Alternatively picking up on them can help us succeed.

Maybe that manager has pictures on his wall of a daughter riding a horse, a plaque on the wall recognizing his efforts in some fraternal organization, or maybe a sports team memento. Any one of which you might be able to use to make a personal connection.

The point is that we need to be actively open to looking for cues that can connect us and shorten the bridge that separates us from that potential buyer. And even if we can’t directly use anything we see in our presentation, it allows us to adjust our presentation to reflect their values or interests.