Selling is All About Price!

Ryan Sauers – Our Guest Columnist

OK, I Will Say It: Sales is ALL About Price

By Ryan T. Sauers

You see this article title and know it is true. Many of you tell me this from all across the country. Today, sales is quite simple. It all comes down to who has the lowest price, right? If you get your pricing tight/right, than you have a chance of winning/earning some business, right? If you cannot do this, then buyers will not consider you. Simply said, it is all about price these days. Are you feeling better about your sales now?

Not so fast, there is something else I need to mention…

The goal was to get your attention as we have the attention span of a goldfish. And this attention span is about six seconds. Friends, this “all about price “statement is absolutely and unequivocally false. If you are selling on price and this is the only/main thing that separates you from your competition … you should be concerned! You must immediately learn how to differentiate yourself in new ways.

You see, what it all comes down to is value. What is value? Value = your price + your services/offerings + YOU. Yes, you play a huge part in the value equation. If you don’t add something to this equation than you are just another price. What is value? It means creating a special experience. It means above and beyond the norm. In short, you WOW someone. You are too valuable NOT to do business with. So, you ask, does price play a role in sales? You bet. However, it is just part of the value equation. This is discussed at length in my best-selling book, “Would You Buy from You?”

It is quite simple. Some salesperson has the respect and thus the “ear” of your prospect or client. This person will help “guide the buyer” to their final decision. Trust me on this as I have done it for many years. So, are you that person? Someone is telling them your price is too high, so you will go away. It is true, in some cases, a buyer is only concerned about bottom-line price and nothing more. I strongly recommend moving on from such prospects/customers.

Let me share one more thing with you. There are a number of companies who are making money and many who are not. The ones making money are not selling on price. In contrast, those who are barely staying afloat oftentimes use their low pricing as a sales plan. This is not a good strategy.

My challenge is simple. Please take off your “price hat” and put on your “value one.”
So, let me ask you this. Why should someone buy from you over the competition? Would You Buy from You? Do you know? Can you list five compelling reasons why they should — beyond price or quality? So, ask yourself these questions: “So What?” “Why You?” and “Who Cares?” And it will help define your differentiation strategy.

Why wait? The time is now. Create value in all that you do so that price becomes a factor not THE factor in your sales strategy. Someone is selling value … is it you? For some free insights on how to add value over simply selling on price, send me an email [email protected] and I will share them with you. By the way, let’s connect online. www.RyanSauers.com Good luck and I look forward to hearing from you.

Ryan T. Sauers is President/CMO of Sauers Consulting Strategies. The firm consults with the front end of printing and related organizations across the United States. Key focus areas include: sales growth, brand positioning, organizational communications, organizational strategy, and integrated marketing. Ryan is a national speaker and writes feature articles in global publications. He was recently recognized as one of the top 80 CMO’s in the world. Sauers is an adjunct university professor teaching leadership, communication, and entrepreneurship to business leaders. He is a Certified Myers Briggs, Conflict Management and DiSC Practitioner as well as a Certified Marketing Executive. He is working on his Doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership and certification in Emotional Intelligence. Sauers is author of the best-selling books Everyone is in Sales and Would You Buy from You?