LET’S MAKE A DEAL

I was at the Atlanta Airport this morning waiting for my flight and a sales rep was sitting in the row of seats behind me at the gate. I knew he was a sales rep because he was talking on the phone loud enough for the people 6 gates away hear him.

However it wasn’t the volume of his talking that tipped me off to his profession it was a phrase he used no less than 3 times that I counted. Each time I heard him say it I cringed, it was like fingernails on a blackboard. (For those of you too young to know what a blackboard is, Google it!)

So what words did he use that made me try and climb under my seat? “LET ME MAKE YOU A DEAL”. This guy thought he was either the Godfather or a game show host!

I am not going to assume I knew what the customer was saying, I have no idea. I don’t know if a price cut was needed or not. I don’t know any of the back story about the sale. I am only saying that “Let me make you a deal” isn’t the right thing to say anytime!

First let’s take the word DEAL and think about it for a minute. I am not sure there is any word that is as sleazy as the word DEAL. When I hear it I think about some guy wearing a trench coat with watches running up his arm asking me if I want a DEAL on a Rolex. (Usually spelled Rolix, on his watches).

Next saying LET ME MAKE YOU A DEAL gives the customer no idea of why you can cut your price. If you could have cut your price for no reason the customer is going to be thinking that you were talking advantage of them with the first price. Also if you can cut the price for no reason the customer will want to know how deep the well is (that means how cheap can you make it)

There is nothing wrong with cutting price if it is done correctly. Always have a reason for cutting the price and never cut your price several times in the same sales call.

Remember, PRICE CUTTING ISN’T NEGOTIATING!

Lorin