When a guest objects to the price of one of your products, don’t be discouraged. Many times an objection to the price is the first signal that they really want to buy the product you are selling. If guests were not interested, they would thank you and leave.
For some people part of the fun of buying is seeing how much they can get off the retail price. They have every intention of buying enjoy the back and forth on price. For the seller rule one is:
- Just because a guest quibbles over the price, don’t assume that they will not buy if you don’t give them the price they want.
If guests present objections (and price is the most likely) what they are looking for is you, as the seller, to tell them why they should buy it. They want the reasons why it was a good buy, so when their friends ask them why they bought the product they have a list of reasons why they made a wise buy.
This is particularly prevalent when selling wine. Let’s take Cabernet Sauvignon for example. There are so many different price points that for people who don’t know a lot about wine it is hard to discern why a $100.00 bottle of Cabernet is so much better than a $20.00 bottle of Cabernet.
Here are some of the things that may be prompting guests to object to the price:
“What’s in it for me?”
It may be that the guests have not internalized the benefits to them when they buy this wine. Our job as a salesperson is to go over the benefits again, rather than the features. It is the benefit to the guests and their lives that will encourage them to buy the wine.
The emotional process of buying has not been addressed
Buying decisions are made in the emotional part of the brain. We prefer to think we are making intellectual decisions, but mostly they are emotional. So speak to the guests about how they feel about wine rather than how they think about it.
Let them know the wine is worth it
What are the reasons your wine is the price it is?
- Grapes from a well-known vineyard
- Amazing winemaker
- Small production
- Customer and reviewer accolades
- Fills your whole palate with flavor
- Not easy to make wine of this quality
Selling on price alone is never a good idea. Discover from your guests what makes them want to buy and sell those benefits and features that fit with their wants and needs.
A tip of the glass from me to you.
E Column
by Elizabeth “E” Slater, In Short Direct Marketing
A recognized expert in the fields of direct marketing and sales in the wine marketplace. Slater has taught more wineries and winery associations how to create and improve the effectiveness of their direct marketing programs and to make the most of each customer’s potential than anyone in the wine industry today.
Follow E on twitter @esavant and facebook.
