They may say they are and you may think they are, but they’re not. They are not just interested in the price. It’s never just about price when it comes to buying a mattress. It’s always about the story your customer is telling themselves about price. Your “Price Only” customers are telling themselves that the lowest price will give them the best value. The problem is, that logic is rarely true when purchasing a mattress. If we were talking about a commodity item like gasoline this line of thinking would be more valid. The cheapest gas you can find will obviously give you the best value. With gas, it’s all pretty much the same. Whether you buy it from BP, Exxon or Chevron you will get the same end experience. It only makes sense to save money if you can. The difference with mattresses is; you will likely get more value when you spend more money (Your $300 mattress and your $3,000 mattress will not be the same). For your “price only” customer, this logic could seem counter intuitive, making it even more important for you, the professional, to help them understand the true value of a premium set of bedding. If a premium mattress will give you a higher level of comfort, superior level of support and ultimately help you sleep better, it is worth spending a little more, right? (It’s also important to note how much sleep affects your overall standard of living but thats for another post) A premium mattress (Like a Tempur-Pedic) will give you all those benefits plus a longer comfort life. Meaning you will be more comfortable, have better support and you will have to replace the mattress less often. In the long run, a premium mattress will cost you substantially less (Click here to read my article about price vs. cost).
These are the things we need to help our “price only” customer understand. If they are telling themselves that the cheapest price will give them the best value then naturally they will shop until they find the cheapest price. If you can help them change the story they are telling themselves by helping them understand that buying a quality mattress will give them the best value over time then they are much more likely purchase a premium mattress from YOU!
When your customer seems fixated on price alone, focus on helping them change the story they are telling themselves about price. You will have happier, more satisfied customers.
Question: How do you help your customers understand the true value of a premium set of bedding?
Douglas,
I had an experience many years ago that left a lasting impression on me. Memorial Day 2004 I was visiting a poor performing store with the District Manager. A family, mom/dad/2 sons and their wives visited the store. After 2 1/2 hours of negotiating both sons were the proud owners of a top of the line Simmons World Class BR. I removed my sport coat and unveiled a serious perspiration issue. While the Store Manager was typing up the invoices I mentioned to the mother that they she had raised two very keen negotiators. Her response was “every buyer is a seller too.” So everyone that buys from you is selling you on why they need a lower price. As a professional it is our responsibility to not “pick up what the customer is putting down” and use our skills to assist the customer in recognizing the value. Since retail pricing is not transparent in our industry it is up to us to engage in superior selling skills to the buyer’s selling skills.
Wow, really awesome story Barrie! Thank you for sharing. Every buyer is a seller too, I love it!