Persimmons are far and away my favorite food.
They outrank everything including chocolate, pasta, pizza, bread and butter, bagels, black and white cookies, onion soup, salmon, fried clams, applesauce… even my mother’s tuna casserole (sorry Mom!)
In fact, as they’re only available for about 6 weeks in the fall each year, if you happen across a ripe one in February, I might be willing to sell you certain non-vital organs for a bite.
But the other day I had a strange experience at Whole Foods (our organic grocery here in New England) the first week they were available this fall.
Sharon and I go shopping most Sundays. And I practically fainted when we walked into the store and saw a display full of hundreds of them. HEAVEN, I thought!
I rushed to the display (almost pushing Sharon aside – and I’m only half kidding) and started filling up a gigantic bag with about 14 of them. (You can’t eat’m before they’re ripe by the way or you’re going to throw up)
Then… I paused.
Because the season just started, they were $1.49 EACH.
Which meant I was going to be shelling out about $20 for the bag.
And despite what I just told you (I’d almost sell you my Mom for a bag), despite the fact that $20 isn’t very much money to me these days…
A Big Hairy Price Policeman in my head shouted “NO WAY GLENN… YOU CAN’T PAY $20 FOR A BAG OF FRUIT!!!”
And therein lies your pricing problem.
If your prospect thinks of what you’ve got to offer in any kind of predefined commoditized category… you’re sunk 🙁
But there’s good news.
I did indeed buy the big bag of persimmons, and walked out with my head held high.
Do you know why?
Because I remembered that I’d probably spent $40 on “Decaf Venti Soy Lattes with No Foam” at Starbucks that week.
And I said to myself “I’ll be damned if I’m going to let Starbucks hijack my brain into believing I should spend twice the money on a quarter of the nutrition and a tenth of the pleasure of this big bag of organic fruit in front of me”
I BROKE THE COMMODITY SPELL.
I made an apples to oranges comparison in my own mind and castrated the price police.
Which is exactly what you need to do with your prospects.
You need to ask yourself what artificial, commoditized category your prospects place your product or service in, then make comparisons to things they’re already spending without thinking about, and show them with specific, well grounded logic why they’re actually going to get a LOT MORE from you with this purchase than they’re brainlessly spending elsewhere.
Makes sense?
And the best part is… if what you’re selling actually IS packed full of value, then you’re doing them a favor, like I did myself a favor by buying the persimmons.
G 🙂