The Price Objection

One of the things I always and cognizant of is price.

That in mind, I wanted to highlight something that my good friend Tim Rooney, of Rooney Earl (http://www.rooneyearl.com/) sent me …

It’s so important in our world.

Sometime fifty years ago, on a sunny afternoon in Paris, the sidewalks were alive. At a café in the Place Royale in Marais an austere woman was about to experience the ultimate romance of the city. Seated beside her, nearly unrecognizable in his late age, was the famous painter Pablo Picasso.

“Je m’excuse, Mr. Picasso,” she said with her best pronunciation, “would you sketch me?” and in her request coyly slid a napkin across the table between them.

Picasso contemplated the woman for a moment then pulled a pen from his coat, saying nothing. When he finished he slid the napkin back to the woman, who nearly wept in exaltation.

“Merci, Merci!” she exclaimed, “what can I pay you?” the woman asked half-heartedly reaching for her purse.

“5000 Francs madame,” replied the painter. “5000 Francs?! But it only took you five minutes?” “Je m’excuse madame, in fact it took me all my life.”

Ah the price objection. That stubborn, tight-purse stringedness that we understand all too well when we’re the one holding the purse – usually a last resort negotiating tactic for big purchases like televisions. And for some of us the negotiation itself can become such a thrill we find ourselves haggling over $5 trinkets in fishing towns. But when you’re running a business the price objection is an unwelcome obstacle. Many of us find it difficult and aggravating to defend our price, especially when that price is already competitive. There is a better way.

When in business, do like Picasso
Picasso wasn’t daunted by the request of an overbearing tourist asking him to draw her portrait. Demanding clients are par for the course. Usually those same demanding clients are the ones who want the best price too. Leaving aside the “discount debate,” have you ever thought about what you’re worth? Picasso understood that all his years of study and work as a painter created in him a value that extended far beyond five minutes of drawing.

Why defend your price when you can explain your value?
Another way to contemplate value is through your differentiator. Think about computer programs with their checkmark columns that distinguish the basic kit from the premium from the professional. In these scenarios it’s obvious to see that the professional package is the most comprehensive – maybe more than you want or everything you need. But what about your competitor’s “professional package?” When all the checkmarks matchup between you and the competition, inevitably there has to be some differentiator that tips the scales of the customer’s mind – preferably in your favour.

Don’t dare to compare, be different!
Establishing the worth of your time and experience is fundamental in understanding your value. Once you know your worth you can easily communicate it to your customer. But there is a caveat – value is perceived in the mind of the customer. Lead with your differentiator, prove yourself an expert, and insist absolutely on value over price.

What I learned from Blackberry

So, I have been in Blackberry hell for the past few days. Why? Simple! After months of having two devices (iPod for music and Blackberry for everything else), I decided to transfer all my music onto my Blackberry. Simple, or so I thought. Wrong! It’s working better, but still not right.

Over the course of the last 4 days, here’s what I have spent the past 6 hours doing, (mostly with the assistance of Blackberry’s tier two tech support):

Rebooted my PC at least 8 times
Uninstalled old software from my PC and Blackberry
Installed new software onto my PC and Blackberry
Uninstalled the new software from my PC and Blackberry
Reinstalled the software again
Formatted my Blackberry’s memory chip in my device (twice)

You can see where I am going with this – and it’s not to a good place. Anyway, here’s what I learned from the many interactions I had and will still have with RIM tech support:

1. Answer each call promptly – The reason why people are calling is because they need answers and they’re frustrated. Putting them on hold for 15 minutes with an annoying message saying how important your customers are to you is hardly appeasing. In fact it’s downright aggravating. Respect the fact that your customers’ time is no less valuable than your own

2. Speak the language – I am no racist and have no issues getting help from anyone who can fix my problem. But when I hit 2 for English, then I think it is fair for me to expect the person on the other end of the phone to actually speak and understand English

3. Keep notes – Since I had to call in at least 7 times over the past 3 days, I really enjoyed the fact that each call had been well documented. Although I spoke to a different agent each time, it was clear they had comprehensive and accurate notes as to what the person prior did or said

4. Know your stuff (winging it is not good enough or as my father says, pretty good is actually petty bad) – Again, the reason why people call tech support is because they want their problem fixed as fast as possible. They are not really interested in the complexities of computing – they just want their problem fixed

5. Be open – This is a 24 hour world. People work off-shifts and do all-nighters --- even I do from time to time. Nothing sucks as much as not being able to have your problem solved anytime

Are my problems all solved?
Yes, except for one quirk that seems more to be a gmail thing than a Blackberry issue. Does Blackberry score well on all the above? Hell yea!