3-2-1

3-2-1

When I sold Kirby vacuum cleaners there was one standard price for the vacuum and one price for the optional shampoo kit. Prospect would ask how much the machine was after the demo and I would tell them. Sometimes they asked about the shampoo kit. Again that was one price with everything. I sold many of both packages.

“Give the prospect three choices of sales packages. One higher than they want to spend with more options than they need, but you feel will work extremely well. A second exactly what they want and you know will work for them. Third give them a cheap package you know won’t work for them and the client  will choose the middle one each time and occasionally the higher package when they see that it isn’t too much more than the package they originally wanted.”

The above was advice from my first sales manager on how to sell to clients.
I used this method faithfully for many years. It worked…just not as fast as I had hoped.
Instead of getting a decision in that meeting it would be dragged out for days or weeks until the decision was made. Usually the client chose the middle package and very rarely did they choose the bigger package.

As the years moved on and sales styles changed and the instant information age came upon us, it became much easier for a prospect to do their own research on the products they wanted. They recognized what was being pushed upon them with the 3-2-1 sales package method and didn’t want anything to do with that. The prospect has Sales has a “I know what I want so give it to me at the price I want” type of thinking. In fairness they always had that and it was our job as salespeople to uncover their true objections/pain and sell them what they needed and not what they wanted. After all, we are the experts in our products.

These days because of the internet prospects often know their problems and what can solve them.
So why not present them with one package and let them tell you what they like and don’t like?
I recognized that and went back to the tactics I used when selling Kirby vacuum cleaners.
The result was the client still asked me questions, however it was only about the one package. I am able to use their questions on the one package to uncover answers to questions not asked, or uncover other opportunities. Best part is one solution eliminates the extra waiting time taken to mull over three options. That has led to faster decision making and more sales.
Give it a try.

Thanks for reading!
Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy