Hardwood Floors June/July 2019

By Paul Reilly

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that sells in our industry” or “I sell a commodity and we have to match the competition.”This negative self-talk influences selling behavior. Flush these thoughts from your mind. Embrace a positive attitude. Emphasize the unique aspects of your solution and present the impact on the buyer’s business. Salespeople are paid to sell. Anyone can cut the price; that takes neither talent nor skill, just a sharp pencil and a calculator. The next time a buyer gives you a price objection, hold the line. Use the objection as an opportunity to sell your value. The No. 1 reason buyers object on price is because of a perceived lack of equity – buyers don’t believe your solution is worth what they have to sacrifice to attain it. But rather than decreasing your price, find a way to increase your value. Price only becomes an issue in the absence of value. g Paul Reilly is president of Tom Reilly Training and co-author of Value-Added Selling, fourth edition (McGraw-Hill 2018). For additional information on training programs, call or email Paul at 636.778.0175 or paul@reillysalestraining.com. You can also visit reillysalestraining.com and sign up for his free newsletter.

online” or “This price seems high. I will have to send this out to bid.” In any negotiation, whoever feels the most pressure will make the most concessions. When salespeople feel more pressure, they discount. When buyers feel more pressure, price is less of an issue. If buyers are in a hurry to buy something, price is less of an issue. If you are the only supplier that has the product they need, price is less of an issue. Experienced buyers do a better job of concealing these pressure points, but they are still present. The next time a buyer requests a discount, ask yourself, “What pressure is the buyer experiencing to purchase our solution?” 6. Guilt Some salespeople feel guilty charging higher prices than the competition charges. These salespeople may not see themselves paying that much for a product and feel bad charging customers those prices. Guilt happens when salespeople are too close to a customer. These salespeople haven’t created enough professional distance to have the

tough conversations. 7. Bad attitude

Attitude drives behavior. If salespeople embrace a negative attitude about price, they're more likely to cut their price. Some salespeople will tell themselves, “Price is the only thing

the magazine of the national wood flooring association

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