And the competitor has a lower price!

In a small close negotiation, about two dozen managers gathered and gave away sales that were free from the “telephone watch”. In the stuffy air between the managers and the invited consultant, the practice of selling and working with objections was strained:

- Tell me what to do here in such a situation, - the manager began with a challenge and nervously, without even rising from his chair, - does the client declare that the price of a competitor is cheaper?
- Did he really get the same price from a competitor?
- Well, he says yes! I can't check it out ?!
- Well, let him take it there ... Just say so to him: if you are sure that a competitor will give you the same price for the same product, ship it at the same time and take less for delivery, take it there, because it’s really stupid to overpay for the same thing. Then pause, slam your eyelashes and wait for the reaction of the client. Just speak in a non-mentor tone, which does not mean your regret or embarrassment, because somewhere the prices are cheaper and, at the same time, in a tone that does not mean your desire to stop the dialogue. Do you know how?
- Well, he will leave!
- If he has already promoted offers and is just bluffing, he will not leave. He may leave to leave, to understand that he was mistaken or buy where, indeed, is cheaper!
- Well, it's stupid!
- Really stupid! It is foolish to be sure that you offer the client the best conditions and, at the same time, doubt the client's rationality - say so and look at his reaction. Most likely, his rationality and your confidence will return him to the discussion of your proposal. Now, if you are not sure of your offer, then you have three possibilities:
let go of the situation and the client and see how it all ends ...
begin to sag under the client. At the same time, where the region is and if the client does not get the price from the competitor even lower for any of your price cuts - you will not be able to find out that!
it is still possible to offer the client together to think about exactly which offer he was given a lower price and how it differs from yours.
- So what to do?
- Be confident in your proposal and do not bend or let go of the situation. Offer the client to discuss then not your amazing offer, but the fact that competitors are actually trying to sell him. Offer the customer to "lay the cards on the table" if he has a lower price or release the customer.
- Well, what you say is not new. We are forced to do just that, because the management does not allow us to unreasonably lower prices. We have to let go of the client!
- And what is the result? What do customers do after you "send" them to look for a price and think?
- The obvious - they do not return!
- And what do you mean by "obvious"?
- What a customer bought where cheaper!
- Why do you think that the client bought "there" and "cheaper"?
- Well, since he did not return ...
- It is clear, see why the client may not return to you at all:
he bought cheaper - yes, this is the case you are considering;
he did not buy anything similar from what you suggested;
he did not buy anything at all;
he bought more expensive, but elsewhere. Yes, he bought more, but not you!

and while you continue to wonder what was said, let's look at all the options when the client does not return, and start from the end:
  
He bought for the same money or even more than what you offered him, but he never returned to you. After he "hit you", and you "sent" him ... After he was "so convincing" in his knowledge of the market and the place where there are "cheap prices" ... But after leaving you, he didn’t I found the prices he needed - he bought elsewhere, simply because he could not appear before you as an absolute profane, and even offended by you. Yes, he bought for the same money a similar product in another place, but not from you. He is just ashamed, ridiculous, uncomfortable, indecent to contact you again!

Another obvious thing could have happened easily - he bought something else. Finding no such thing, he found a replacement. Worse or better, was forced to buy more than necessary, but imposed by the seller in exchange for a lower price or bought the leftovers and less than he needed. He bought something worse in quality. And yes, such prices, as you suggested to him, he did not receive! He was offended at you, he did not return to you, but he bought something completely different from your offer!

He didn’t buy anything at all - it could easily be that the customer didn’t really need your product and, having not found a similar offer, he simply postponed the purchase for a while.

He bought from a competitor cheaper - it can also be! Well, you are cheaper and do not give to sell managers. What have you lost?

Thus, there are three to four possible scenarios, when the client did not return to you. It is necessary to understand that since the client has not returned, this does not mean absolutely nothing! Whether it bought cheaper or something else happened - these are just your guesses!

“So what should have been done,” the manager asks, “if we are forced to refuse the client?”
- So you do not refuse him. Failure is the termination of a relationship! Failure is the fact of loss that has occurred and is recorded in the mind of the client. Let him go so that he is fixed in the mindopportunity to return to you. This is the first. The second is more important. Who told you that if the client did not call you back, then you lost? Did a client tell you about this? That you yourself recorded in your own mind the fact of loss. But your mistake happened a little earlier - from the very beginning and by all means here and now you decided to sell your goods to it. Not selling here and now, you decided that the client is lost for you. This is a typical erroneous logic of attitudes and behavior observed in sales managers! Even if you have lost a client, in order to understand this, you need to call him back, after a while, and find out what happened to him in the search for a price: if he bought cheaper, then where, for how much, and the bill with the price in exchange for a discount next time, can send? This is a loss, but not a disaster! This is even great, because this information will help your marketing further; if, for this money, he bought only the remnants of goods (drains, re-cut, less than he needed), for the sale, then this is bad, but not fatal. After all, it’s systematically in the low-price market, it turns out, no! If he has bought something worse, a marriage, an illiquid asset, a cheaper product is bad, but this is a client’s choice. You will not compare prices for unequal goods and sell your goods at the price of marriage ?! If he bought in another place and does not want to continue the conversation and interrupts further communication, this may mean that he is embarrassed, not happy and He is angry with himself for not having bought cheaper from you. And it certainly doesn’t mean that he is satisfied with the deal with the competitor. On the contrary, the malignancy and gloating from the winnings usually dictates the desire to belittle the failed partner and customers often reveal information about the transaction; If he hasn’t yet bought anything and is still looking for cheap prices, then your call is a reason to return to continuing the relationship the client will be pleased and grateful for your attention and accuracy; If he doesn’t really need it and he hasn’t bought anything at all, then this is a reason to remind himself in the time agreed with him. Sending a client to visit places with cheap prices that he knows: Once again, mark his benefits from working with you; Agree on a new upcoming contact when the client does not wear a cheap price - how, when and on whose initiative this contact will take place. Tell him that after a while you are happy for both parties to continue communication. Tell him that if he does find cheap prices, notify you about the find and confirm the price received, then you will give the same price and even cheaper by 10 kopecks for his next purchase. Just add the following phrase at the end: "... although this deal will be unprofitable for me" - this will immediately make it clear to the client that the price cannot be lower, because this is a trade at a loss. When doing this over time, never ask: "found or not?". Claim: “my offer is in force and your benefit is still waiting for you!” Remind you that by respecting his efforts, you give him an extra bonus. Accordingly, before you call him back, work through sales marketing promotions for such cases, if they are typical, or personal conditions for this client, if it is important to you. And never think about the client (leave or not), do not try to predict or think out for him - continue communication, call back and find out! And about why the closing of the transaction in the overwhelming number of cases is not possible here and now, read the opinion of the outstanding seller and the meter of sales