Posted from Royal Oak, Michigan-
I was e-chatting recently with Richard Rosa, garment guru for the Steve Harvey line. His company did a fashion photo shoot at my home earlier this year.
Richard commented how buyers are enchanted with low prices and I'm sure this is true. Books like The Wal-Mart Effect helped me understand the importance of price, even when times are good.
That's why I have to tell you what happened to me this week. I made a first-time visit to an out-of-the-way Orvis store a couple days ago. It was eye-opening, to say the least.
As an author and speaker for sales teams, I constantly encounter sellers who want to know how to deal with price objections. The key, of course, is to offer so much value that price becomes a non-issue. Value can be the quality of the product/service, surround-stuff such as warranties and customer service or even information.
My Orvis clerk was very friendly without being smarmy. I commented on how hard it must be for his out-of-the-way store to get foot traffic. He said, "Not at all. We're a destination store."
He explained that the Orvis brand is so strong, people will find a way to get there. Hmmm . . .
The clothing was very well made including "green" clothing and a special outdoor fabric that repels mosquitoes. The prices were reasonable, but definitely not low. The matter-of-factly explained that well-made clothing lasts up to 70 washings.
I celebrated my 50th birthday in August and expect to live another 30 years, but never knew the life expectancy of a shirt.
They had a few summer items on sale, but didn't have my size in a shirt I wanted to buy. The clerk said, "Let's make a phone call," and put me on the phone with a very polite Orvis service rep who filled my order in my size at the sale price and no charge for shipping. A confirmation e-mail was waiting for me when I got home. Wow!
Price is important, but it's refreshing to run into retailers and consumers who still believe in quality.
You can bet this lesson will find its way into a video clip for my new Role-Model Selling information product.
Being a Mary Kay consultant, I find this post encouraging.
Posted by: Lisa | January 10, 2009 at 10:41 PM