CarusoBlog

Some Folks Are Still Interested in Quality Over Price

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. 

Put a Shine on Your Product or Service

Composed in Grapevine, Texas-

Almost every product and service can be presented with more value.  Why bother?  Value is what distinguishes you from the competition.  Value keeps keeps customers coming back, even as your price point stays higher than the competition's.

I recently returned to speak at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, just outside the Dallas-Fort Worth airport.  The hotel is a top-notch facility.  It's modeled after another fabulous Gaylord property, the Opryland Hotel in Nashville.  The designers took all the good things about Opryland and added value.

The resident shoeshine at the Gaylord Texan is an impressive gentleman by the name of Dr. Irvin.  He says he's a "Doctor of Shinology" and he certainly did a good job on my shoes.  But, it was the extra value that caused me to pay more and vow to return. 

Dr. Irvin's menu of services had a range of price points from a good $7 shine to a deluxe shine package that included a glass of wine.  The man was dressed in a tuxedo and as charming as a sommelier.  While I sat in his chair, he could've talked about anything, but he chose to discuss one of my favorite topics--me!

Even the most basic product or service can be shined up.

Pretexting As A Selling Strategy

Composed in Peachtree City, Georgia--

     The buzz is subsiding about the ugly happenings at Hewlett Packard.  HP leadership allegedly conducted some covert spying on its board members and employees by using a technique known as pretexting.

     According to Wikipedia, pretexting is a form of fraud used to establish legitimacy in the mind of the victim.  Pretexting  is usually done over the telephone and involves lying or deception.  An example of pretexting would be if your boss called you on your "sick day" and pretended to be a representative from the gas company, while he tried to find out if you were really sick. 

     Yet, sales people have used a form of pretexting for a long time.  Have you ever received a call from an unfamiliar voice who sounded like she was a good friend?  She probably called you by your first name as you tried to recognize the voice.  Then, the caller turned out to be a salesperson who was pretending to be familiar to you. 

     Acting friendly with strangers is a basic and proven selling strategy, which could be one of the reasons sales people have such a snarky reputation.