Let’s see. You just delivered a good pitch and it’s just an inch away from closing the deal. Everything went fine, until the customer asked for a discount.
Then, you feel the urge to give the customer a discount to make things ‘smoother’. You think the discount was required, due to the pressure the customer was placing on you. In your mind, you said to yourself that “a little discount won’t hurt.”
The truth is, it hurts so much. You just approved a customer who does not have the slightest appreciation for your services and what you provide. And why should they bother?
They bought on price, not on the solution you’re providing them.
Now here is the bad news: this cheapo customer is now going to trouble you, your customer service team and everyone else for days, weeks and months over what they bought. What’s in their mind is the belief they can push anyone enough to get what they want. And why shouldn’t they feel that way?
They pushed you far enough to got the discount they were looking for.
You should avoid these low-price customers. They are the worst kind of customer. The last thing you want to do is give them a discount to buy, having already cut your profit margin. Now, with them grumbling everyone in the company, they’re cutting your profit even more, making it a perfect nightmare for your company.
So what should we do?
The most important key to remember is to not allow price to be included in the selling process from the beginning. You might want to examine on criteria about how a prospect is qualified to even be worth it for your business. Some prospects are simply not worth the efforts, and if you don’t get them out of your environment as soon as possible, they will lurk around and never leave until they get what they want, which may cost you more than the payment.