Where did they go after getting the price

Where did they go after getting the price

Ever wonder what happened to your customer after giving them the price?

A 35-year car sales veteran turned web marketing consultant gives you some answers. Where did they go after getting the priceand tips to help you sell more?

If you’ve been in business for any length of time and have quoted a job, or on a product inquiry, then it’s likely you have experienced this.

Even after a 35 plus year career selling cars in the automotive industry, and now in my second life as the owner of Slocum Design Studio for eight years, I still ask myself, after giving the price, where did they go?

There’s a lot that goes into the buying process, after hours or sometimes days of research your finally ready to get the price on a product or service. You make the call or go online and get the price and then- silence.

What happened? The process came to an end. You researched, got the price, maybe even checked on how you were going to pay for it. Now it may be that you’re wondering if you need it, or if it’s going to make you more efficient or feel better, etc.

Even after the very best presentations, web design agencies refer to this has discovery sessions. After giving the price, you may be faced with the disappearing customer. Not much you can do about that. However, you can do your best to understand the physic of selling and do your best explaining your product or service.

Not just features and benefits?

It’s important to establish what information or content in the case of your website was given to the potential client. Meaning how well did you communicate with the customer in his or her discovery process. Price isn’t everything, while customers tend to focus on the price it’s important to understand that most often your customer is trying to justify spending the money on whatever it is your selling.

Somethings that come into play at the shopping stage that later causes the pause or the client going away entirely can and probably should be addressed at the time of the sales process.

Asking the customer to make comparisons between products or services

Research from Standford Business has shown that asking consumers to make comparisons with other services or products can lead them to buy the less expensive one. Have you ever held to products in your hand at the pharmacy, one a brand name the other a generic and boom you put the less expensive one in your basket?

Selling the experience, what would it feel like working with or owning a product like this?

Let’s for the moment assume you’re a photographer, wouldn’t it be nice working with Photoshop or On One? These are two software packages that photographers know well. The point here is that working with either one of these software packages will save you time editing images. So, in that case, your selling time over money.

Kissmetrics makes a point; Marketers need to start being aware of the meaning that their products bring to the lives of their customers before they start focusing their marketing efforts. Again, the reference to how my product or service makes you feel. This emotional selling was a central focus in the auto industry and why many effective consumer marketing campaigns focus on experiencing, rather than possessing, a product. Jennifer Aaker: The Happiness-Time Connection

If you introduce this in the sales process, online or on the phone, it may help when it comes to the buying decision and to whether or not you’ll hear silence.

Price perception

I think we can agree that you expect to pay more for a shirt at Nordstroms than you would form TJ Max. Richard Thaler in a price experiment tested this theory.

In his comparison, he compared buying a beer at a high-end hotel versus buying a beer from a local rundown grocery store. People were not happy paying the same price, even though the posh interior in the hotel had nothing to do with the quality of the beer.

Another case study on price from Robert Cialdini’s Influence, where he discusses jewelry that was accidentally priced at double its initial selling price. Was perceived to have high value by the store’s shoppers.

So then what are some reasons why they go silent after receiving the price?

Cash flow or budget issue.

For some people, it’s a cash flow issue or a budget issue. Most often people don’t put the time into accessing their finances before learning about the price of a product.

In review, the product or service is not a good fit.

Some products, and primarily services the client needs to learn from the seller- what it is and how does it work to establish if it’s good for them.

It’s too expensive.

It’s too expensive when compared to another car, another paint, another session, or another website, etc. This could cause the pause.

ROI, (return on investment)

Very often this comes up in my business when the client asks the question or makes the statement will I get a return on my investment. I understand this question, in fact, it’s very logical and maybe in review this maybe something that causes people to pause or go away entirely because they couldn’t justify the price in relationship to ROI. I always take the time to show examples, case histories, etc.

What will people think?

In the car business, this was huge; it seemed everyone had input, neighbors, friends, family, and co-workers. Cars become part of your personality a personal connection, very often I would hear, oh no that’s not me. Like a Chevrolet Suburban is not you, or a Camaro is not you? This is more common with big purchases, but it’s certainly appropriate with clothing, hairstyles, etc.

Too many choices, and not one good one. 

A possible reason for crickets might be due to you showing your customer too many choices, a significant factor in the car industry that many sales trainer caution. Show them one or two, maybe three the max… any more than that and in most cases your customer will leave saying I’ll talk it over with my wife or whomever and get back to you. Gone. Could this apply to what you’re selling? If so keep it simple, don’t introduce too many products or services.

The close

There’s more for sure, but I think by now you get the point. Prepare yourself when going into the selling process, you should take the time to know your customer. What he or she does for a living or likes to do for a hobby. When it comes to your website the same applies, know your audience. The more you know, the better you’ll overcome objections, and hopefully, you won’t cause the pause.

You can reach Mark, here on LinkedIn, or by visiting his website Slocum Studio.

(more…)

Arts and Cultural Organizational Management

Arts and Cultural Organizational ManagementPeople who know me know I’m a proverbial learner. I’ve been involved with art organizations and non-profits for years. I heard from our Executive Director about a certified course being offered by the University of Maryland (I’m on the board of my local city museum), it sounded interesting so I took the shot. I figured this course called, Arts and Cultural Organizational Management The Cycle would help me better understand non-profits and with my web marketing consulting at Slocum Studio since we help so many artists and non profits.

One of the interesting points that Michael M. Kaiser (author of The Cycle A Practical Approach to Managing Arts Organizations, co author Brett E. Egan -available for purchase through online sellers as well as through the publisher, University Press of New England) makes, is how sports teams do a superb job of making a compelling product, marketing both the games themselves but also the team as a whole to fans, and making fans feel pat of the effort. Just as Brady, and Mr.Craft repeatedly said at the recent super bowl win. Sorry I’m about 25 minutes from Foxboro home of the Patriots. But to the point, no matter what team you support you do feel a part of the organization. What if your organization had such passionate fans?

The Cycle breaks down art organizational management into 4 categories.

 

Arts and Cultural Organizational ManagementThe Cycle can be useful in a variety of organizations I think, not confined to just art.

Produce Great Art, don’t sacrifice quality. This is a point they really drill home.

The marketing is broken down into two categories. Programming and Institutional marketing, makes so much sense!

Great art, and marketing produce great interest, from family, this means your organizations family. Which consists of board members, staff, membership, sponsors, friends and family.

DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland point out that the cycle is not only helpful for performing and presenting organizations, but also for arts schools, nonprofits and service organizations including advocacy organizations, historical societies, ministries and much much more.

(more…)

mark medeiros photography, mark medeiros new logo, photographer, brand digital brand.

5 Logo Design Tips to think about

Here we are again entering a new year- and you might be thinking, besides that really old goal of loosing weight, that you would like to refresh your brand identity. 5 Logo Design Tips will get you thinking about your brand and logo.

Or maybe your preparing to launch a new startup and you need brand identity from the ground up. Designing from scratch is straight forward really, as you have no brand equity  that needs to be considered. Now if your redesigning for a brand that’s established it’s much more complicated and will require more meeting with your design firm as more needs to be discussed.

 What are the reasons for rebranding?

Some business owners think that a redesign of their brand will increase sales due to a snappy new design. While this could be true in the short term it could also derail your sales if this idea isn’t really thought through.

(more…)

How my intuition saved my life, and how I use it today

How my intuition saved my life, and how I use it today

INTUITION

“the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning”


A near fatal experience — trusting a gut feeling

I called a friend of mine who I hadn’t seen in about 3 years and asked if he’d like to go duck hunting. Although this happened nearly twenty years ago it’s still fresh in my mind.

When he showed up at the town landing I noticed he had put on a lot of weight. Waders and down jackets make you look big enough, but he was probably 40 to 50 pounds overweight.

This was a fresh water lake that neither of us had ever fished or hunted it before, but it was a central location for both of us.

I had mapped out a route from scouting the area a few days before and thought we should hug the shoreline on the east side of the lake. This made sense for two reasons, waterfowl generally land into the wind and take off the same way in addition the sun would be rising behind us.

(more…)

cheat to beat what about your brand

Cheat to Beat what about your brand?

Crazy things happening in the news lately, are we getting numb to all this noise? I find it perplexing to think when we hear of someone, or some business really doing well, and doing the right thing we think…

Yea good news now, but there probably won’t be in a few months?

We hear stories like the one about Jackie Robinson West of Chicago little league team being striped of its 2014 Little League championship. It had to do with players on the team that lived outside the teams boundaries, stacking players from the suburbs. Apparently the team used “fake” boundary maps when it met with league officials.

Or Brain Williams who yesterday was given a six month suspension without pay from NBC. This was due to false statements that Williams made about a helicopter flight during the Iraq War. He was never in the helicopter and wasn’t fired upon by an RPG missile.

(more…)

pizza delivery guy used car salespeople

The Pizza guy and the 31,000 dollar tip

The Pizza guy and the 31,000 dollar tip

The recent encounter of the pizza driver and the used car sales people was quite fascinating, it really exemplifies social justice. And a little yin & yang- one day your asked to return a 7 dollar tip, three days later you’re receiving 31,000 dollars, equivalent to a years worth of salary?

The power of injustice-

In a 2 minute video (see link below) that went viral last week, we witnessed a pizza delivery guy getting bullied by a group of used car salespeople, at a local (local to me) used car lot called F&R Auto Sales in Westport Mass. After making a pizza delivery to the dealership earlier that day, the pizza driver was asked to return seven dollars and change that he thought was his tip!

(more…)

IF I were starting out today?

Does anyone know Bob?

30 years ago I couldn’t have learned about you in a post, on Facebook or on a business profile page such as  Linkedln. I would have had to ask around, talk to my friends see if they know who you are. That’s all changed today. Now it’s quite common to do business with strangers, and from miles away! How is that possible? Instead of asking around about Bob, now you can look him up on Facebook, Linkedln or other social platforms and read what he’s all about in that space. Call it social profiling, or proofing, your judging this person from what you read and see. This is not to suggest that all face to face socializing is done with, actually it’s been morphing into other digitally promoted spaces like meetups, go to meetings, SKYPE and organizational conferences and more. If I were starting out today? (this post), in a new adventure, perhaps writing a book, selling paintings, consulting or whatever how would I get the word out?

(more…)

Career Change in your 50's, 50 plus web marketing

Career change in your 50’s

Session No: 33 Part Two: Career change in your 50’s

My transition, from a “car guy” to a internet tech guy. If you like cars you’ll enjoy taking the ride….

Part Two

In 60’s and 70’s there only a handful of used car dealerships operating in the city of New Bedford, and like the suburban new car dealer of today, it would have been desirable to have a car lot located on a busy street, preferably a main Allen Street New Bedford Ma. 50 plus web marketingartery.

(more…)

Career change in your 50's, 50 plus web marketing

Career change in your 50s

My transition, from a “car guy” to a internet tech guy. If you like cars you’ll enjoy taking the ride….

Session No: 32

In the late sixties, early seventies if your career idea was to be a mechanic, plumber or an electrician it wasn’t thought of as a real success path at the time. In fact vocational schools were usually thought of as a place you’d go when you didn’t know what you want to do with your life.

Kids were registering for college, some just to get out of town and have some fun, others were being encouraged by their parents to do something with their lives. I’m one of four brothers, who grew up in the families car business. I have two older brothers and one younger brother. I didn’t go to vocational school, two of my brothers did.

My father changed careers in his mid forties from a a successful tire salesman to a used car dealer. Is it possible to career change in your 50s? I did!!

(more…)

Resizing Photos for the Web

PHOTO DIAGRAM RESIZED

John called me… “how the heck do I crop this image to fit into my banner,” he asked. John’s  a client of mine… I setup his online store and website.  He owns and operates a very successful cycle shop. He asked me what the trick was to taking photographs that crop correctly. As he tells the story, “I shot the front of my building but when I went to crop the image so that it would fit in my slider all I got was the windows of my showroom”.  How do I get the whole building in my slider? And why is my color off? These are common questions, as the average person struggles with this issue.

Let see if I can clarify some issues, without getting too deep. Resizing Photos for the Web is a common question.

(more…)

mark medeiros photography
SLOCUM THEMES
CONDUCTOR PLUG IN WORDPRESS CONTENT MADE EASY