Using the “Trial Close & Pre-Sell” Technique to Protect Your Price

"Show class, have pride, and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself."  - Paul Bryant: Alabama Crimson Tide Football Coaching Legend   

In sales, we know that there are just those customers who continue to shop our price. Regardless of how we try and approach their business, they continue to shop our price in order to secure lower pricing from their current vendor. We try and try again, but regardless, they continue to use our price against us.

Well, it simply doesn’t have to continue. In fact, you actually can stop a customer from using your pricing to lower other competitive bids. In doing so, you’ll be leveling the playing field, and sending a strong message to your customer that they must respect your price and your position.

Customers Need Good Suppliers

Don’t be concerned about upsetting the customer when deciding to protect your price. After all, if you’ve not been able to secure any business, what’s there to lose? Even if you do get some business from time to time, but still find your customer uses your price against you, you are still well within your right to stand up for yourself.

 

The fact is, companies need good suppliers. They need them in good times and bad, and if your customer is coming to you for pricing, then it is a sure bet they need you as a vendor. Even if they haven’t purchased from you, they still need you. Customers need good suppliers, and your customer may view your business in a favorable light, but see nothing wrong with shopping your price – it’s up to you to stop them. Here’s how it’s done.

 

  

Step #1: Be Straightforward & Explain Repercussions

  

When you go out of your way to give an account an unbeatable price, should you be rewarded for your hard work? Of course you should. When you aren’t awarded the order, and later find out your customer used it to lower your competitor’s price, how do you feel? Horrible! That’s perfectly normal. How many times can you give that customer the better price until your management tells you to stop? Once, twice, three times, more? Eventually, your management will tell you to move on to something else, and you’ll no longer be able to provide this customer with your best price. This is the outcome of them using your price against you. So, tell them!

 

Tell this customer what will happen if they continue to use your fantastic price against you. Tell them that eventually, you’ll no longer be able to give them these prices. Tell them that your management will eventually tell you to move on. Tell them that you need your management’s approval to get these prices, but without any orders to show for your efforts, you’ll no longer be able to come to the table with these offers.

 

 

 

Don't be afraid to stand your ground and fight for your hard work. This will help you during those periods where you have to defend your business against overseas competitors. To learn more go here. 

  

Step #2: You'll no Longer do Your Competitor's Job 

When you think about it, your customer is saving money without ever buying from you. Just think of how much more money they would save if they just started to purchase from your company. Why should you continue to do your competitor’s homework for them, while they simply wait for you to raise the bar? Well, you don’t have to, and you can tell your customer this. Do it professionally, and sincerely, but don’t be afraid to tell them that if you had their business, you wouldn’t wait for someone else to force you to lower your price.

  

Step #3: When All Else Fails, use the "Trial Close"

  

Finally, we get to the good stuff. I’ve written about the first two steps to give you some ammunition to try and get your customer on the right track. However, if you’ve tried everything, and your customer continues to use your price against you, then you have one final option. It also happens to be the best option available.

 

In this case, your customer is going to have to give you the price they’ll buy at, and you’ll see if you can get it. That’s exactly right. Your customer must tell you the price they will buy from you at, and you will see if you can get that price approved. Here are some variations of how you can say it. 

• “If I get this price approved, you’ll need to place the order today or it will no longer be valid”  
• “Once my management approves this price, you’ll have to provide a purchase order”
•  “If I get this price approved, will you order, yes or no?”

Your customer may still decide not to order, but at least you’ve done everything you could to give them the opportunity to do the right thing. If they do decide not to order, it is in your best interest to no longer provide pricing anymore. This customer is clearly not interested in working with your company.

 

 

 

Learn about the essentials of business-to-business (B2B) negotiation.