How to Sell Price Focused Shoppers

A common complaint we often receive from small and mid-market business owners is that, “we can’t compete with the big guys on price.”

The perception in the market place is that people are shopping on price alone. The only reason your customer asks the price up front is because that is what we (business owners) have trained them to do.

How many times have you called or gone into a business not really knowing what model, style, color or features you were looking for and purely asked for the price? At this point did the sales person come back with “that is $29.95” or did they ask you some questions about what you were looking to use the product/service for? In this instance let’s say it is a coffee pot.

Now in most people’s eyes a coffee pot is a coffee pot; but, they have many different features and offer many different benefits. So what if the sales person simply said to you when you inquired about price, “just so I can help you best, is it okay if I ask you a couple of questions about the coffee pot you are looking for?” Would you have answered yes?

My bet is that the answer would have most definitely been yes!

The sales person could then ask questions like; are you looking to replace an existing coffee pot or is it a gift for someone? Do you regularly use your coffee pot or is it rarely used? Would you like a coffee pot with a quick heating element? Have you seen the cordless options that are available? Are you looking for something to match your kitchen? So what color are you looking for? Is it important that it has an automatic cut off when the coffee is done? Are you after a stove-top option, or an electric coffee pot? Coffee pots come in different cup capacity; do you require 10 cup capacity or is 5 a better size for you?

From these questions the customer gets the idea that the sales person is genuinely interested in their needs and the salesperson is able to offer options that best suit their needs. At this point the price is not their primary concern. Now it is just a matter of asking the customer to buy.

A good salesperson would then ask, “Well based on what we have just spoken about there are two options to choose from, model x and model y, which one suits you best? Great, I can either put that away for now or I can process it on credit card for you – which do you prefer?”

If the option is credit card ask “which credit card is it easiest to process that on?” And make sure the prospect is aware there will be a delivery charge of x amount. If the option they choose is to have it put away, this gives the sales person the opportunity to get the customer’s name and contact details for your data base. If the customer chooses this option make sure the sales person gets a time frame for them to pick the item up. Be definite with the infinite. If the customer is in your business the sales person then simply takes them to the point of sale terminal and transacts the sale.

This example was based on a coffee pot, a relatively small dollar item. How does this apply to your business? This process works equally well on cars, houses, furniture, service based businesses and any other product I can think of, including plumbing, remodeling and construction projects. You just need to work out what your customers are actually looking for when they ask for the price, and what’s most important to them in their buying decision.

Remember you’re not selling, but you are building relationships and helping your customer to buy from you.

5 Reasons to Learn Via Live Events

Today I received an e-zine from Alexandria Brown that I found very interesting and want to share with you. As I've mentioned before, I subscribe to several different e-zines and newletters that help to continue my education and help me grow. I have found that Ali Brown always has some insightful ideas to share. Take a few minutes and review her article below. It reinforces what we have said before about taking the time to invest in yourself by attending programs that will help you advance your business, your income and your life in a very meaningful way.

"5 Reasons to Learn via Live Events"

by Alexandria K. Brown

I remember six years ago making a decision that would change my life and business forever. I decided to travel across the country to attend a marketing seminar. A few things about this were completely new to me.

1) The fact that I was going to spend over a thousand dollars of my own money to invest in myself. (And also maxing out one of my credit cards to do so - yes, things were pretty tight back then!)

2) Traveling across the country alone and paying for my own flight, hotel, ground transport, meals, etc.

3) Throwing myself into a new environment where I didn't know anyone else.

I'm so glad I made that decision. Not only did I learn amazing information to help my online business (which was brand new at the time), but I met some folks who remain my friends to this day. And my investing in myself in that manner also sent a message to the universe that I was stepping up and "ready to play big."

Today, I spend a minimum of $30,000.00 each year on continuing education, including home study courses, coaching, and especially... attending live events. I'd say the latter is the most important, and it pays off TENFOLD! Here are 5 reasons attending live events is one of the BEST ways to leapfrog your business forward:

1) Complete Immersion in Your Subject.When my friend Jen was in college, she wanted to learn French, so she took the opportunity to spend a semester in France. She shared with me that by doing that she made progress faster than she'd ever thought possible. They call that learning by immersion, and it's proven to be one of the BEST ways to learn fast.Hey, I'm a big fan of home study - books, CDs, and courses - and learning in "bits". But NOTHING compares to getting away from your office or home, spending a few days with teachers and other "students", and completely focusing on learning new strategies to improve your business.

2) People Who "Get" What You Do.When I first started my online business, I really didn't have anyone else to talk with about it. My friends, while supportive and sweet, didn't "get" what I was trying to do and of course couldn't offer advice. I remember walking into that first seminar and within five minutes realized I had hundreds of people to talk with who "GOT" what I was doing! We could exchange ideas, share resources, coach each other, and even cross promote. It was a whole new world and I could never go back.

3) More Business, More Leads, and more High-Level Opportunities.It wasn't unusual -- even in the beginning of my attending live events -- to come home with on-the-spot sales, more subscribers to my ezine, a few joint venture partners, and speaking invitations. Another tip I'll give you: The quality of the people at an event often correlates with the price tag of the event. I've found I generally meet more successful people at the events that cost more. Case in point: In 2003 I attended a very expensive training (the deposit alone was $5,000.00) and for the four days there I sat next to a very successful marketer from Australia whom I got to know well during that time. Well, a few weeks later, he invited me to come speak overseas in Australia, all expenses paid and including a business-class flight! (I doubt that opportunity would have manifested so soon, had it not been for my being there live.)

4) Deals on Continuing Education and Coaching.Many of the speakers at these events also offer home study courses or some type of continuing education. So it's a great place to check everyone out and decide whose stuff you want to get and who you want to continue learning from. Plus there are usually special offers given there to encourage buying on the spot. This is a smart move, and you should plan to invest in at least one speaker's package while you're there. I recently attended a seminar in Dallas where I happily dropped $10,000.00 on three different programs while I was there, because their content had just what I was looking for to help skyrocket my sales for the coming year.

5) Visit New Places and Have FUN - in a Tax Deductible Way!Talk with your accountant about this one, but in most cases these events and trips are completely tax deductible. After all, you're traveling there to learn, network, and increase your business. And for many of us who work alone a lot, these trips are a great way to let off some steam and enjoy the company of others who are in the same types of businesses we are! Tip: Even if you don't imbibe, hang around the hotel bar. You'll find that's where everyone congregates and deals happen. But be sure to get OUT of the hotel at least one night to enjoy the city you're visiting!

BONUS: Access to the "Gurus" - in Person. One more thing I forgot to add is that the speakers at these events are usually very accessible. You'll find them hanging out in the hallways, in the lobby, and in the bar. You can catch a few minutes of their time to ask them a quick question or discuss a point they made in their presentation. This is an extremely rare opportunity - you can't just call these guys and gals up and get them on the phone! This type of access is priceless and will also get you more exposure and credibility.

And When All Is Said and Done...And when it's all over, you'll be dead tired, but you'll have more energy and enthusiasm toward your business than ever before. Plus you'll have new, powerful connections with people and proven strategies ready to implement!

© 2003-2008 Alexandria Brown International Inc.

Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," publishes the award-winning 'Straight Shooter Marketing' weekly ezine with 22,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at http://www.ezinequeen.com/

Have you ever thought about what steps you need to take in your business and your life to take it to the next level? Some people want to improve their profits, others want to expand the business or organize it in a way that allows them to reduce the time they ware working in it. Still others are looking to improve relationships or enjoy the freedom owning your own business was supposed to provide you with.

So where do you begin?

There are two questions you need to ask yourself that are essential to YOUR success. Ask youself these questions:

1.) Where am I now?
2.) Where do I want to go?

Take the time and think seriously about each question. This is your life so you want to make sure you really know the answers so you go down the right path. Most people seem to have a pretty good idea of where they want to go, at least in the short-term, but are usually not very accurate as to where they currently are and what they need to do to start their journey.

Once you have given these questions some real thought, make sure you write them out. Create some clear goals for where you want to go and create a vision of what you seek. Once you have a clear understanding of what you are aiming for and where you are starting from, it will be much easier to get started and make sure you stay on track.

Good luck and don't hesitate to contact us for any support you need along the way!