"We need to give them a win"


"We just raise up the price 30% and then go and give them (the customer) a 30% off. That way they'll go to their boss saying they got a deal. And they'll buy"

Their closing rate: 40%

Reality?

A product in the market that's underpriced —and living in a discount culture.

Money left on the table? A couple million euros per year.

Here's the thing:

Inflating your prices to give a discount means a couple of things:

  • You're not talking to the ones who call the shots.
  • You're getting ready to take more off the price.
  • An experienced procurement person will go hard and see how much low you can go.
  • You'll be seen as easily exchangeable.
  • When they figure out your math, they'll push for way more than your 30% off.

Giving them a win doesn't mean to cut your prices down, but how it can be profitable for them AND for you.

For both parties to be happy with the deal, and for you to find ways to better-serve them.

And that's not math.

Rod Aparicio

Get one tip, question, or belief-challenge that just might change the way you market, to help your customers buy. A *daily* email for b2b founders on improving your business —without the bullshit.

Read more from Rod Aparicio

One way that makes the process of articulating what's different about you simpler (not less painful, though) is through your insight. April Dunford defines insight as "the thing we understand about the market that the others do not." It starts with what you see in the market that doesn't make sense, that makes you cringe, that pisses you off. And the way you approach it that's in another direction from what everybody else does. It's your understanding. That's what makes you different.

They're all a by-product. You don't look for them as the main focus, they are the result of what you do in service to your customers.

A common pattern that I see in people who are new in leading positions is they try to maximize the results. What's that even mean? That in order to get the best results, you have to seize the right time. At uni, it might work. In real-life... not so much. Because it's about waiting. Waiting for the right time. Time that might never come (as perfect as expected). In business, the right time is not too early, nor too late. The right time is when you make a decision. A decision that might be...