By Dave Kahle

Are you guilty of projecting your attitudes onto the customers?

I just received an email from a frustrated salesperson. His problem? He found it extremely difficult to “pick up the phone and call a prospect.” Ruminating in the email, he shared this thought: “I think part of my problem is I don’t like telemarketers. I always thought to myself, ‘If I want something, I’ll call you. Leave me alone!’”

It is easy for us, on the outside, to see the root of his problem. He doesn’t like telemarketers. He projected that attitude onto his customers, assuming that they thought just like him. Since he didn’t like telemarketers, his customers must not like them either. So, he didn’t want to be seen as a telemarketer because, after all, his customers don’t like telemarketers.

The source of his problem is inside him — his attitude — not anything that the customers did or did not do. Yesterday we had a bit of an issue with a customer of ours, who wanted us to not charge for one of their managers who attended an entire two-day sales training seminar. In the customer’s mind, since the manager had a different title than most of the participants, he should be free. Three weeks ago, that same customer called and wanted us to discount the fee for sending two people to one of our open-enrollment seminars. As we looked back on previous conversations with this client, we concluded that almost every conversation was about some request for a discount.

Interestingly, one of the major training issues that the CEO asked us to address was how to get away from having to be the low price. I suspect there is a connection between the attitude of the client, and the problems of the CEO. In both of these cases, the individual’s behavior was an expression of a deeper attitude and set of values. The frustrated salesperson had identified the issue: He didn’t like telemarketers. The discount-requesting client hadn’t yet seen the obvious source of his behavior – a deeper value which held that nothing is worth the price – that everything can be discounted. The subconscious thinking goes like this: If nothing I buy is worth the price, then that must be true for my customers as well.

These deep-set values turn into attitudes, and the attitudes express themselves in innumerable ways. And one of the most important of these expressions is the habit that we all have of projecting our values onto our customers. Since we don’t like telemarketers, we subconsciously project that attitude onto our customers, and can’t bring ourselves to make cold calls. Since we think nothing is worth the stated price, we subconsciously project that attitude onto our customers, and find ourselves constantly discounting. The source of our difficulties is not the customer – it is us!

Here’s the way this works:

1. We develop a deep seated value.

2. That value colors our behavior and eventually ingrains itself into an attitude. (An attitude is merely a habit of thinking)

3. That habit effects our actions in all sorts of subtle and not-so-subtle ways.

4. Our actions get reactions from our customers.

The most common expression of this process that I see revolves around the common complaint – “Why do I always have to be the low price?” Before you start blaming the customers for holding out for a lower price, ask yourself what you might have done to instill that idea in them. Reflect on your attitude and your values and see if the root of the problem isn’t there.

If for example, you…
• purchase everything at the discount stores
• continually beat up your suppliers for discounts and concessions
• don’t invest in improving yourself
• refuse to spend money on your customers,
you probably have a deep-seated value which holds buying cheaper is a higher value than investing in value. And since that’s what you believe, you find it difficult to expect anything other than that behavior from your customers.

I often respond to a salesperson who asks, “Why do I always have to be the low price” by asking this question, “If I’m one of your customers, why should I pay more to buy it from you?”

The overwhelming majority of the time, the response I get is silence. They can think of no reason someone would pay more to buy it from them. They see no added value to their company’s offering. And, since they don’t believe that they have added value, they certainly can’t convince their customers of something they don’t personally believe.

The root of the problem of having to be the low price is, then, very commonly, inside the belief system of the salesperson. I’ve found it to be very difficult for someone to rise above their beliefs unless they first challenge and modify those beliefs. I suppose that’s why, in a whole different arena, it’s impossible to reason with a terrorist. Their actions are entirely consistent with their beliefs. They won’t modify their actions until they change their beliefs.

I don’t mean to suggest that the actions of a salesperson in dealing with price issues is in the same league as the actions of a terrorist. But the principle that your beliefs influence your actions is the same. Change your beliefs, and you’ll change your actions. Change your actions, and you’ll see different reactions on the part of the customer. That brings us to this point: How do you change your beliefs? While I don’t propose to have the final word on this, I have made some observations over the years. Here are two suggestions:

1. Remember the direction of the Apostle Paul to first century Christians, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” If you are going to transform your beliefs, you must start by choosing your thoughts. In practical terms, that means that you intentionally inject positive and different thoughts into your head. If you are going to change your beliefs, you must expose yourself to ideas and thoughts other than your own. You must break out of the world defined by your information sources and associates.
Buy positive books and read them. Buy positive CDs and listen to them. Find a local group and join it. Attend seminars. Surround yourself with intelligent, thoughtful people who can challenge you. As long as you don’t stretch your thinking to take in new ideas, you’ll be forever locked within the confines of your legacy beliefs. The first thing that every cult attempts to do is separate its members from others who think differently. Whether it be fundamentalists like Jim Jones or extremists like Osama Bin Ladin, other ideas are thought to be a threat. That’s because, thoughtful people will, upon exposure to other good ideas, accept some of them and change their beliefs. Since changed beliefs equals changed behavior, you can’t control someone who has access to other ideas.

For us, the opposite is true as well. If you want to break away from beliefs which hinder you, you must expose yourself to other ideas. Break out of your routines. Rub shoulders with new people. Take in new and positive ideas. You’ll find that new and different ideas inevitably nudge you to modify your beliefs.

2. Examine yourself. Ask yourself questions, and thoughtfully consider the answers. Why do you hold this belief? What is the basis for you thinking this? Was it some emotional experience from years ago? Was it a case of repeated experiences that ingrained themselves into your psyche? As you challenge your own beliefs, you may find that some of them are irrational and based on incidents or information which is incorrect. If that’s the case, then the belief which resulted from those incorrect pieces of information must also be in error. You can reason yourself to different beliefs.

So many salespeople lament the customer’s actions without realizing the root cause of the problem may very well be the salesperson’s attitudes and beliefs. Before you next complain about price issues, look inward to see if you are part of the problem.

Dave Kahle is a high-energy, high-content motivational speaker, focused on sales training and B2B sales, with a special gift for engaging his audiences and stimulating people to think. A world-class speaker, he has presented throughout the United States and seven countries, bringing a wealth of practical information to his clients. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toledo, and a Master’s degree from Bowling Green State University. Dave is a member of the Author’s Guild, Sales and Marketing Executives International, the Christian Businessmen Committee, and the Association for Training and Development.

By Dave Kahle

I wish I had a dollar for every time I was asked that question in a sales training session.  It’s certainly one of the most common questions I hear coming from professional salespeople – and their bosses.

There are a variety of answers — too many for just one column.  But, we can identify one of the most powerful ways to deal with this problem.

First, let’s start with this premise: “Low price” is not the main reason people buy!  In every survey of buying motivations I’ve ever read, low price is never the primary motivation. Yes, it’s important.  And, when everything else is equal, it will be the deciding factor. But very rarely is everything else equal.  And very few people in this world buy only on the basis of low price. How many of you are driving used Yugos?  Or wearing a suit you bought at a garage sale?  Or watching an 8-inch black & white TV?

You’ve got the picture.  You don’t always buy on the basis of low price, so why should you think that all your customers do?

The truth is, they don’t.  And here’s a secret that almost nobody knows, including all those gurus telling you to sell value.  They don’t always buy the best value. But, they can invariably be counted on to buy the lowest risk!

The biggest issue in the minds of your customers and prospects is not price, and its not value – it is risk.

What’s risk?

Risk is the potential cost to the individual customer if he/she makes a mistake.  It’s not just the money, although that is part of it.  It is also the social, psychological and emotional cost that your customer will pay if your choice isn’t the best one. The lower the risk of the decision, the more likely your customer will say “yes” to you – regardless of the price.

Let’s become comfortable with this concept of risk first, and then discuss how to use it in your sales efforts.

In order to really understand risk, you must first see this issue from your customers’ perspective. Try to put yourself in their shoes, and calculate the amount of risk that you expect your customers to take when you offer them an opportunity to say “yes” to you.

Here’s an illustration to help you understand this concept. Imagine that you are under orders by your spouse to pick up a package of disposable cups on the way home from work today because you’re having friends over for a casual evening of dessert and drinks tonight. You stop at the local grocery store, and make a selection between brand A and brand B. You pick brand A.

After you bring the cups home, your spouse mixes up a pitcher of margaritas and pours one.  The drink leaks out of the bottom of the cup and puddles on the counter. There is a hole in the bottom of the cup. You pour your drink into another cup and it leaks, too. In fact, every one of the cups you bought is defective.

What happens to you in this instant in time? What is the consequence of your decision?  I don’t know about you, but I would be the recipient of some negative emotion.  My spouse would be upset with me. That may be the most painful cost of your decision.  But there are other costs.

You’re going to have to fix the problem.  If there’s time, you’ll have to run back to the store and replace the cups. So, in addition to the emotional cost, you must also pay in terms of extra time and additional money. All because of your bad decision. Those costs — negative emotions, time wasted, extra money spent—all combine to form the risk you accepted when you made your decision.

Here’s a simple exercise to help you understand this concept. Draw a short vertical line.  At the top of the line write the number 25.  At the bottom, write the number  zero. Now on a scale of 0 – 25, where would you put the risk of buying a package of disposable cups?  You’d probably say it is close to zero.  So, put an X on the line from 0 to 25 where you think the risk of buying those cups would be.

Let’s look at an illustration at the other end of the scale.  I once had an adoption agency as a client. When a young lady is in a crisis pregnancy, and she’s making a decision as to whether or not to release her unborn child for adoption, how big a risk is that for her?  Put your X on the line that represents your assessment of that risk.

Most people put their mark around 25. The risk in this situation is a lifetime of consequences for at least four people – the mother, child and adoptive parents. That’s a very high risk.

Compare the X’s for the two different decisions, and you’ll conclude that different decisions carry with them differing degrees of risk.

Now, let’s apply this concept to your customers.  Remember that every time you  ask your prospects to say yes to you, they are accepting some risk. And each of those decisions you ask of them carries with it a different degree of risk.

Imagine your typical customer.  Then think of the typical offer or decision you ask of that person. For example, take one of your newer products.  Imagine you are presenting it to your customer for the first time.  Now, put yourself in his shoes, and see the situation through his eyes. On the 0 – 25 scale, how much risk does your customer accept when he says “yes” to you?

For an easy way of calculating it, just ask yourself what happens to that individual if you, or your company, messes up.

If your customer buys that product and it doesn’t do what you claim it will, what trouble will that make for your customer?  What consequences will he/she pay?  What is the risk?

And don’t say that there is no risk because you’ll take care of any problem that might develop.  You may think that, but your customer doesn’t know that.  And remember, you’re trying to see this from your customer’s point of view, not yours. The amount of risk is what your customer perceives it to be.

I had a great example of the role of risk in sales several years ago. A young man approached me to help his company with their sales efforts.  They were selling a product that was, at the time, a real state-of-the-art breakthrough. The company designed computerized controls that were retrofitted on production equipment.  As a result of the use of these controls, the savings in energy consumption would pay for the cost of the equipment in less than a year.

It looked like a great product.  But he couldn’t sell them as rapidly as the company wanted.

“Tell me how you go about selling them” I asked.

“We qualify our prospects to the point where we know we have someone who could use the equipment.  Then I call the production engineer or the plant manager on the phone, and gather some information about the type of equipment they use.  Then I create a written proposal showing the economic payback, and mail it to him.  Next I call and try to close the sale.”

“Let me see if I understand correctly,” I said.

“You are calling a plant manager on the phone.  I would guess that most plant managers are men in their 50’s, probably with advanced degrees, and who have been in the plant for a number of years, is that right?”

“That’s right.”

“OK,” I said.  “So, you’re calling someone twice your age, asking him to spend $20,000 – $30,000 of unbudgeted money on equipment he’s never seen, from a company he’s never heard of, and from a sales person half his age who he’s never met.   Is that right?”

My client became a little defensive. “If you put it that way, I suppose it’s right.”

“Well put it that way,” I replied, “because that’s the way he sees it.”

The problem was simple  – risk.  On that scale of  0 – 25, how much risk would you think the plant manager would be accepting if he said “Yes” to the over-the-phone offer?

Put yourself in his shoes. Suppose the equipment didn’t work the way it was supposed to? He could shut down production lines, spend weeks trying to make things right, cause all sorts of havoc in the plant, and potentially even lose his job.  Now that’s risk.

If you were that plant manager, how much more than the original $20,000 quote would you spend to reduce the risk?  It wouldn’t be hard to justify a price double that.

That should give you a clue as to how to fight the “low price” issue.  Worry less about low price, and more about lowering the risk.

Here are four strategies to do so.

• Build solid, deep relationships with the key decision-makers.  Relationships mitigate risk.  The greater the relationship, the lower the perceived risk.  That’s why the salesman with the longer relationship almost always has the benefit of the doubt in a competitive situation.  It’s not the price – it is the risk.

• Make ample use of third party recommendations, customer lists, case studies and testimonials.  All of these say to the customer that someone else, or lots of  someone elses, have used the product or service.  That means its less risk for your customer to buy it.

• Try to get your customer as physically involved with the product as possible.  For example, if you’re selling a piece of equipment, try to get the customer to trial the equipment, or at least visit somewhere its being used.  The more your customer can see and feel the actual thing, the less risk is it to them.

• Finally, work with your company to create offers that reduce the risk.  Trial periods, money-back guarantees, delayed billing, warranties, service desks – all of these reduce your customer’s perception of risk.

The winners in the competitive selling arena of the Information Age are those who are the low risk providers, not the low price people.

Dave Kahle is a high-energy, high-content motivational speaker, focused on sales training and B2B sales, with a special gift for engaging his audiences and stimulating people to think. A world-class speaker, he has presented throughout the United States and seven countries, bringing a wealth of practical information to his clients. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toledo, and a Master’s degree from Bowling Green State University. Dave is a member of the Author’s Guild, Sales and Marketing Executives International, the Christian Businessmen Committee, and the Association for Training and Development.

Christian Sales Assocation