One of the best sales tricks I ever learned was how to approach a prospect and politely explain to them how they weren’t ready to use our services because what we had to offer was too powerful.
I would couch it in terms that didn’t sound arrogant and highlighted confidence and security and nine times out of ten they would insist that I tell them more about what I had to offer.
Afterwards it usually didn’t take much to push them to sign on the dotted line. I was good at that approach but I didn’t like it much because I prefer to take more of a consultative approach and that usually led to the hard sale.
I like establishing relationships and not one-off opportunities.
How That Story Relates To This Post
The headline I used on this post reminds me of that old approach. It is easily abused and if you are not careful you can kill the relationship with your reader almost immediately.
That is because the substance on a post like this can be questionable.
There is nothing profound or insightful in a blog post about content is king. There is nothing particularly useful in telling readers about how a responsive design is more important than ever.
It is only when you start to delve into the nuts and bolts of some topics that things become more interesting. Talk about the value of Google Authorship and how you can incorporate Google Plus Hangouts into your marketing efforts.
Explain SEO and how to properly set up Yoast or one of the other plugins and you start to provide value that your readers can latch upon and you stop sounding like a million other bloggers.
But This Post Isn’t About Those Things Either
That isn’t where I am going with this. If you want information on those topics you can try something like About Google Authorship or Why Google+ Is the Best Social Platform for Content Marketers .
That is because I am still focused on the tales about my big move and the endless blog fodder it provides. You might be surprised to learn that these stories are getting quite a response and that they have been among the most popular posts here.
Maybe it is because people relate to tales about getting lost in new cities and the experiences that creates. Maybe it is more common and touches upon a more personal nerve.
All I know is that Wednesday night while driving from the far corner of Dallas back to Fort Worth I found myself feeling like I wanted to bang my head against the wall.
I paid a visit to a store whose name rhymes a bit with diarrhea (yeah, that is colorful, sorry) and wanted to scream because I was given misinformation about delivery services, as well as few other things.
Customer Service Makes All The Difference
Good customer service makes a significant difference and I am almost always willing to pay for it.
When I purchased furniture back home I borrowed a truck and grabbed a couple of friends and we moved it from store to house ourselves. It was an easy way to save a hundred bucks and I would have done it here except I don’t have those resources yet.
So delivery is something of particular import to me and when I got to the store I expected to pay about that hundred bucks to have my pieces moved, except I found it the cost was double.
Needless to say I was irked by this and when I didn’t find any couches that made me sigh with delight I walked out of the store and got ready for the fifty mile ride home.
I made a quick stop at Double Dave’s Pizza and picked up some food for dinner and drove home rolling my eyes about several other things that happened at the build your furniture with Tinker-Toys shop.
What Is Good Is Not Cheap And What Is Cheap Is Not Good
That is what was rolling through my mind. What is good is not cheap and what is cheap is not good.
It is worth paying for quality. It doesn’t always require breaking the bank either, but sometimes you really do get what you pay for.
Stay tuned folks, there is more to come on this.
Hey Josh,
This reminds me of one of my clients, a car dealer in Norway. They have probably the best service of all car dealers in Norway, and the customers are coming back again and again. And because they’re just that good, the prices are fairly high as well. People understand that they are getting the extra, and they are safe with this car dealer, and that’s worth a lot of money. We shouldn’t compete with price, customer service is way more important.
Hi Jens,
I agree. Service is huge and of tremendous value. It makes a huge difference. When you compete on price you devalue all of the other things you offer.
I have always found that it is worth waiting and saving up for the highest quality. For years I kept buying inexpensive tennis rackets and was never happy. When I took the plunge and bought a really nice one, it made a world of difference immediately. I ended up buying a second racquet just like it.
Now, when I get obsessed with a new sports hobby I always investigate the high end stuff to see why it matters. If you spend 150 – 250 dollars on a table tennis paddle (bat) you’ll know right away what it matters. I spent about 180. It is the same with badminton and squash. Lighter, faster, stronger, those are all benefits one gets with the high end stuff.
I would imagine that a three thousand dollar couch would last for generations compared with the cheapo, but alas, I haven’t researched it.
Quality is worth it.
Hi Brian,
Good quality products are worth paying for because the difference is often quite distinct. Although there does come a point in time in which the extra cash doesn’t lend extra value unless you have the skill to make to use of it.
Obviously that doesn’t translate with all products but…
Oh, dear. The field trip to IKEA (there, I outed them for ya) when awry…so sorry to hear that! I bet you money, those local furnishing joint are just dyin’ to meet ya (that’s a song).
All of these trials and tribulations are the sign of your adulthood. Remember back in the day when we were in college or in our first joint after college? We didn’t do all this kinda rigamarole to find the best, cheapest, functional, blah, blah.
It was all about Goodwill, Salvation Army and it worked. Sorry it’s you; I’m just giggling with your activities you’re so kind enough to share.
Hi Jayme,
Well one of the local places here did take care of me so all worked out just fine. So glad the horsemeat using Swedish meatball making furniture place took such good care of me.
Fifty miles for nothing is much appreciated. 😉
If nothing else the adventure has made for good blog fodder.