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Customer Service Information |
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When the Customer Demands: Give a Discount or Lose the Order
Periodically every sales person encounters the customer who refuses to buy unless they receive a discount. Sometimes this is driven by the organization's culture or the buyer wanting to look good to their boss and sometimes it is simply the mindset of the individual buyer them self. To some people price satisfaction and their perception of value, is not about the actual amount paid as much as it is their sense that they have negotiated the price down from a higher starting point, thereby obtaining a "better deal." A case in point is the retail consumer who will only buy items that are "on sale," even if the sale price is really no lower than the everyday price at a competitor. Although not that common a practice in the western world, in some parts of the world this "bazaar haggling" mentality is almost universal among buyers. For companies that endeavor to enforce a published price list among their sales force, encountering a customer who "demands a discount or lose the sale" can leave the sales person and the company in a no-win position. The following is useful in arming your sales force to effectively counter such customer demands. Our Pricing Commitment We cannot discount the price of our products beyond the quantity discounts listed on our published price list for the following reasons. 1. Fairness to All of Our Customers - At ABC Company we believe in treating all of our customers equally. That means we do not play favorites or offer "special deals and pricing" to any customers. We believe it would be unfair to offer selected customers preferred pricing. 2. No Hassle - No Haggle - When you deal with us, you are always guaranteed the best price for your purchases, period! You don't have to be an expert negotiator and you do not need to lie awake nights wondering if you obtained the "best deal" for your organization. When you buy from ABC Company, you know that you have received the best price. 3. One Price Guarantee - With ABC Company, the first price we quote will always be our "best price." If you don't believe us, call around to any or all of the references we provided to you earlier. The price they received, based upon their specific configuration, quantity purchased, and unit prices effective on the date of their order, will be the same as the price at which we are selling to you. 4. We Sell Value, Not Price. Obtaining the lowest price does not always mean that you have obtained the Best Value. In fact, the contrary is too often true. If through your purchase you do not obtain the optimum results for your organization, then the price you paid, no matter how low, was NOT a good value. We believe ABC Company's products are the highest quality available and we offer them at competitive prices, resulting in you obtaining the Best Value, the first time and every time you order from us. 5. Everyday we continue to invest in our future and yours through product development. Our published prices reflect the costs of not only the product you receive, but also the support included with them, as well as product development. We continuously reinvest into on-going product development, in order to bring you more new and improved or cutting-edge technologies such as .... Without this constant reinvestment, we cannot continue to support you and your organization with the materials, technologies and systems you will need tomorrow. 6. Your Trust and Our Name - Since 19XX, we have endeavored to earn your trust. Today, ABC Company has an unparalleled reputation for being the premier provider of XYZ ... in the XYZ marketplace. We will not destroy that hard earned Trust and Reputation by offering lower prices to some of our customers than others. At ABC Company, every customer is a Preferred Customer. 7. Anti-Trust Legislation - The U.S. Sherman and Clayton Anti-Trust Acts are federal legislation designed to protect buyers in all marketplaces, including XYZ. These acts require that we offer the same pricing to all of our customers within the same class of trade. As with all laws and regulations, ABC Company expects all of its sales representatives to operate well within both the spirit and intent of the law. Publishing this statement on your company's letterhead provides an excellent tool for your sales force to combat customer demands for price discounts. Copyright 2005 by John Di Frances John Di Frances is an internationally recognized organizationallegacy expert and motivationalspeaker; http://www.difrances.com
MORE RESOURCES: AI Chatbots Are Ready to Talk to Customers. Sort of. The Wall Street Journal Pricing, AI, DPA, Customer Service Tools; Bill Emerson Interview; Training This Week; STRATMOR CD Workshop Mortgage News Daily Samsung Electronics Canada Customer Service Wins Bronze in ‘Best Use of Omni Channel' at International CX Awards 2024 Yahoo Finance Qme secures $3M funding to streamline customer service across Africa Techpoint Africa Building Competitive Advantage in Customer Care Through AI The Business of Fashion 311 Customer Service Center City and County of San Francisco FTC Finalizes Order with H&R Block Requiring Them to Pay $7 Million and Overhaul Advertising and Customer Service Practices for 2025 and 2026 Tax Seasons Federal Trade Commission News Ikea expands integration with assembly services platform Chain Store Age JEA is inviting bids for 19-story downtown tower that used to be its headquarters The Florida Times-Union Consumers Demand Enterprises Modernize to Improve Ailing Customer Experience, Says Research Business Wire American Lamprecht Enhances Visibility for Air and Ocean Shipments Using Descartes Solution Supply Chain Dive Women in Fintech: A Conversation About Loyalty Ecosystems in Financial Services with Becky Hill Finovate Neterra Enhances Its Customer Service Monitoring System Total Telecom Gladly Named a Leader in Constellation ShortList™ for Digital Customer Service and Support PR Newswire QueueKiosk™: Saving Thousands of Active-Duty Man Hours & Improving Customer Service at the MPF Office Kiosk Marketplace Finally, hard data on a real-world AI business use case: It’s huge for customer service Sherwood News Liverpool reinvents customer service through digital platform ComputerWeekly.com Firm to expand customer service in Yorkshire with new service centre Golf Business News CSPI & Nutrition Action Customer Service CSPI Newsroom Textron Aviation to Open New Service Facility at Essendon Fields Airport, Expanding Capabilities in Australia Pittsburg Morning Sun Help Department of Taxation and Finance Six Game-Changing AI Customer Service and CX Strategies Hospitality Net Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) New York State Department of Health Cigna's customer-centric strategy could ripple across the sector Modern Healthcare Major AI Success Story: Giftify Achieves 40% Faster Customer Response Times with Enterprise AI StockTitan How banks can build consumer confidence with stellar customer service Insights by Samsung Contact Us About Your Bill myclearwater.com Customer Service Center apps.tampagov.net 311 - Birmingham’s Customer Service Center City of Birmingham (.gov) DESCO's meeting held to enhance customer service and power reliability The Business Standard Palm Coast Utility Department Celebrated for Enhanced Customer Service City of Palm Coast 70% of customer service to rely on AI by 2028: Gartner Outsource Accelerator Customer Service & Support Hillsborough County (.gov) My experience as a Customer Service and Sales Intern Toby Shapiro's Experience at A.D. Sutton and Sons Chapman University 3 Ways To Quickly Make $50 GOBankingRates Delta’s annual profit-sharing day spotlights ‘people first’ strategy The Atlanta Journal Constitution Welcome to Riverside Public Utilities City of Riverside (.gov) Celebrate Customer Service Week City of Riverside (.gov) Which companies have the best customer service? Amazon, Shein, Costco among top-rated brands USA TODAY Con Edison Proposes Investments to Meet Growing Demand for Clean Energy, Enhance Customer Support T&D World Contact Reverb Support Reverb Charter Names Robyn Tolva Senior Vice President, Customer Service Reliability | Charter Charter Communications America's Best Customer Service 2025 Newsweek 8 strategies for using AI for customer service in 2025 Sprout Social Attorney General Bonta Demands Better Customer Service for Californians California Department of Justice AI for Customer Service Market worth $47.82 Billion by 2030 - Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets™ PR Newswire Can artificial intelligence rescue customer service? The Economist Permits–customer services King County Lifeline Support for Affordable Communications Federal Communications Commission Department of Transportation Governor Tom Wolf President Biden Announces New Customer Service Actions, Targets Subscriptions and ‘Doom Loops’ CX Today 11 key elements of excellent customer service Business.com Launch of New Districtwide Customer Service Platform The School District of Philadelphia Shep Hyken, HPU Customer Service Expert, Mentors Students and Staff High Point University Summer EBT | Department of Human Services Governor Tom Wolf Video Quick Take: Intercom’s Brian Donahue on How AI Agents Can Be Your First Tier of Customer Service Support HBR.org Daily |
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