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Inside Sales, Scripts & Cold Call Techniques from Michael Pedone

How to Answer "Is That Your Best Price?"

by MichaelPedone 29. May 2012 05:04

Sales Question:

"Is That Your Best Price?"

"I received a call back from my prospect (whom is the info gatherer) regarding a proposal we've been working on. She said her boss (read: decision maker) was interested in setting up a meeting with me to discuss the project further, and then she asked me if what I sent her was my "best" price… I wanted to get the meeting and was afraid if I said "Yes, that is my best price" that they would not agree to meet with me and would go with one of my cheaper competitors… So I said we could offer a little more off… Did I answer it correctly?"

Answer:

The "is that your best price?" question can have many different responses. There isn't a one size fits all rebuttal. You must consider the situation and understand the facts before selecting the response that would give you the highest % of achieving your desired outcome.

With that said, based on the information provided for this scenario of not dealing with the decision makers but rather the "information gatherer" here's how you may want to responded the next time this scenario happens in order to make sure you aren't leaving money on the table:

PROSPECT: We've reviewed your proposal and we're interested in setting up a meeting with you and our (decision makers) however just a quick question for you… Is this your best price?

YOU: (Prospect Name) I'm glad your company is interested in setting up a meeting and I appreciate your question regarding price… Let me ask you this… Other than price, is there anything else standing in our way?

PROSPECT: No! We really liked (____, ____ and ____)

YOU: Great… And just so I understand, what would we be hoping to accomplish at this meeting?

PROSPECT: Select start dates and agreement of milestones.

YOU: OK so let's do this… let's have the meeting and once all the details are worked out, we can circle back and see what options may be available to us regarding the final price, fair enough?

PROSPECT: Yes. Can you meet with us on…

So What Did We Do Here?

1) We identified what the meeting would be about;
2) We secured the meeting;
3) We avoided negotiating with a non-decision maker;

Why Is This Response Better?

1) The danger with agreeing to a lower price up front is that you committed to offering a better price and received nothing in return other than a meeting. That's not "negotiating" that's "surrendering".

2) For all you know, they were going to move ahead with your proposal at the current price and now you've left money on the table.

Michael Pedone
CSS: Chief Sales Scientist
SalesBuzz.com (A 2011 Sales Training Company Watch List Award Winner!)

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Categories: Negotiation

How to Avoid Losing Profits Due to Dealing with Non Decision Makers

by MichaelPedone 1. February 2011 08:03

Sales Question:

How should you respond to the scenario presented below?

"My manager said a 10% discount is not enough since we are interested in purchasing a 3 user license. Considering the number of other options available to us, he says a more acceptable discount would be 20%. Can you match this discount?"

Sales Answer: First thing I notice is the "My manager" statement… this tells me that the sales person isn't following a proper sales process. If they were, they would have realized way before ever sending out a proposal that the person they are in communication with is not high enough on the totem pole to be handling a negotiation. The sales rep needs to own this mistake and correct it from happening again in the future.

Secondly, if you look at the phrasing of the question, there is no guarantee that you would get the deal even if you "matched" the discount. And even if you did get the deal, what good is it if you gave up a significant portion of your profit margin?

So step one is to learn to follow a proven sales process that will eliminate these scenarios from happening in the first place.

"Great!" you say… "but how does that help me with this scenario?!"

Ok… here's how you get yourself out of this jam (that you caused… did I mention that already?!?)

So here's what you can say / do if you find yourself stuck in this situation:

"Mr. Non-decision maker, let me ask you this… assume for a moment that we were able to match the 20% discount… what happens next?"

You can learn a lot just from asking one question.

What I'm looking for is:
  • what their intentions are with the 20% discount (are they using me for a better price from a competitor or are they ready to buy now?)
  • uncover the prospects purchasing process and
  • identifying all the players involved in the purchasing decision.
Once I have that information, I'm in much better position to move the sale over to a more advantageous playing field to where I can close the deal without sacrificing profit margins. I'll discuss how this is possible in future blog posts.

PS… The next 12-Week Live Online B2B Phone Sales Improvement & Reinforcement Webinar Program is now open for registration. For group rates, click here.

Sincerely,
Michael Pedone
President/CEO
SalesBuzz.com
(888) 264-0562 Ext. 1
http://www.salesbuzz.com/blog/

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About the Author

Michael Pedone, founder and CEO of Live Online Sales Training Company SalesBuzz.com
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