It never ceases to amaze me how intent some sales staff seems to be to minimize the size of a potential commission. Or worse yet, how they will unknowingly jeopardize an entire sale, just by committing the salesman’s mortal sin of TALKING TOO MUCH!
For example, when selling quality installation services, be careful not to “de-mystify” the process too much. When the installers’ efforts are made to sound too easy, you will find it more difficult to build value into your pricing.
Examine how other industries build value into their offerings. When a quality restaurant is “selling” their chef’s abilities, they will brag about his training, sensibilities, creativeness, uniqueness, etc. They would never say, “That dish has only four ingredients and the seasonings come pre-packaged at the market. You could likely do it yourself”. They realize that they are selling fine meals, not the groceries themselves.
That is exactly what we are telling our customers when we say, “the planks simply click together” or “this vinyl doesn’t even require adhesive”. Remember that our customers desire a beautiful floor properly installed in their home, just as the restaurant’s customer wants a well-prepared meal served on a plate. Most really don’t care what the process is; they just want assured that it will be done correctly. Sell honestly, but don’t give away the recipes!
Tom Jennings
