Monday, November 05, 2007
How Pablo Picasso Dealt With The Price Objection
Whenever I'm doing an in-house corporate sales training program, I always ask the group this question. "What are the biggest challenges you face in growing your business?"
Within ten nanoseconds, someone raises his hand and says, "The price objection."
It never fails.
Is this how you feel? Do you find it difficult and aggravating to defend your price on a daily basis?
There is a better way. Why defend your price when you can explain your value?
But first let's see how Pablo Picasso dealt with the price objection when it was raised.
This is a story about Pablo Picasso. The source is unknown.
In Paris, there was a woman strolling along a street, when she spotted Picasso sketching near a sidewalk cafe.
"Not so thrilled that she could not be slightly presumptuous, the woman asked Picasso if he might sketch her, and charge accordingly. Picasso obliged. In just minutes, there she was: an original Picasso."
“And what do I owe you?” she asked. “Five thousand francs,” he answered.
“But it only took you three minutes,” she politely reminded him.
“No,” Picasso said, “It took me all my life.”
He established the value not the customer, though she wanted to.
What are you worth? Have you ever thought about that?
What's your time worth? What is your experience worth to a potential customer?
It seems to me that too often a price is put on a product. And this price is compared to a competitor's price. That's pure nonsense!
That's like Picasso being compared to Hooey Tooey a young painter in Paris.
Each painter has a sketch in pencil on paper. I'm sure a Un jeune peintre (a young painter) wouldn't consider charging five thousand francs for his sketch.
As an entrepreneur or professional sales representative you count.
Your ideas, creativity, and imagination count too.
Your experience counts even more.
If you don't share it with your prospects and customers they won't see your genuine value.
It's up to you to establish your value - the higher the better.
When you start thinking like Pablo Picasso, you'll start selling more and start selling more profitably.
PS - Picasso knew how to close a sale. I hope you do too. If this isn't one of your strengths, my best selling CD titled, "Closing The Sale" is made for you.
Use this link
Sales Management Tip
Now you can save $400 when you register early for my next Sales Training Boot Camp scheduled for May 7-8, 2008. This special price is limited to 20 (14 still available) people and expires 12/31/07 whichever comes first.
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And all Boot Camp participants will take a behavioral styles profile which will enable them to adapt their selling styles to their customer's buying styles.
You can get more information here.
Time Saver Tip
Pressed for time - you can now see this Newsletter posted on my Blog. I'm usually able to post it the same day the Newsletter is published - FYI.
Go here to see the Blog:
http://meisenheimer.com/startsellingmore.html
Sales Tip
I was reminded of this the other day.
People love to buy, buy they hate to be sold. Don't you feel this way?
As you drive from account to account and make your sales calls - remember you're calling on living, breathing human beings.
Take an interest in them and they'll likely take an interest in you.
The single best way to show your interest in another human being is to ask good questions.
As you know I spend a lot of time with professional salespeople and it never ceases to amaze me how weak most salespeople are when it comes to asking questions.
It's ironic that most salespeople are comfortable with the questions they're asking - because they always ask the questions out of habit, not because of stellar results.
I can help any sales person ask better questions. It's all in my book "The 12 Best Questions to Ask Customers." I have 20,899 subscribers to this newsletter which means 11,949 subscribers have taken a pass on getting this book.
If I had to pin my success during the last 19.5 years on one thing and only one thing, I would say, I am where I am today because of the questions I ask when talking with my prospects and customers.
If you're not having the best sales year of your career, it could be you're not asking the right questions. Heck - it could also mean your competitors have read my book and are asking better questions than you are. Scary thought!
You can help your customers buy your products / services as soon as you start asking better questions.
The "12 Best Questions To Ask Customers" book is available as an eBook or paperback.
Words of Wisdom
How to succeed? Try hard enough!
Malcolm Forbes
You are the product of your own brainstorm.
Rosemary Konner Steinbaum
Anything you can imagine is real.
Pablo Picasso
Rants, Raves, and Other Loose Ends
I have used your "Art of Closing the Sale" course with my nineteen (19) person sales staff in Dallas Texas with an extremely favorable response to the material. Short and directly to the point is what they felt impacted them the best.
No extensive chapters to read, just concise facts that will benefit my entire team.
Ed Snelling
Vice President - Sales
Total Design on Marble & Granite
Start selling more . . .
Jim Meisenheimer
Publisher - Start Selling More Newsletter
19.5 years . . .
505 corporate customers . . .
83.3% repeat business . . .
(800) 266-1268
PS - When your prospects and customers like you, they'll begin to trust you. The way you get people to like you is to take an interest in them. And the best way to do that is by asking "The 12 Best Questions to Ask Customers."
# posted by Jim Meisenheimer @ 4:38 PM 
