At a recent conference I attended, one of the keynote speakers said something that hit me like a brick – square between the eyes.
He said, and I quote, “Your prospects self-worth or ability to pay is not your problem. They are not your customers. Don’t let them make you feel guilty or drag you down.
This is a profound statement, because we often find ourselves wasting time with tire kickers. These are the folks who are looking for the high service levels you can provide, but don’t want or can’t pay the price. As a result, they will beat you up on price, threaten to buy from a competitor, and basically suck all of the life out of a room. You know who I am talking about.
Here are three things you can do to minimize your exposure:
- Positioning – How you present yourself and your business in the marketplace can be a big deterrent. You are building a reputation among the buying public. You are saying this is what I do, this is my specialty, and this is what I charge. If they don’t accept these terms, they are not your customer.
- Advertising – Change how you market your products and services. In most cases, your advertisements include a supplier, a destination, and a price. Unfortunately, we are taught to offer the lowest available, stripped down rate for the least desirable accommodations. In negotiating terms, this is called an anchor. Usually it is the amount a prospect is expecting to pay. Your job is to upsell to better accommodations. I suggest offering a realistic price and let it weed them out. Also, it is a lot easier to offer a suite and sell down than it is to go from the bottom up.
- Referrals – These are the holy grail of prospects. When you have a proactive process for asking, you are able to specifically request exactly the type of prospect that best fits your ideal client avatar. By doing so, you will avoid getting referrals to any and all business – only those that you want to work with.
It is your business; you are in control. Always remember, you are in it for the long haul and their lifetime value is typically zero. This means turning down business that is not a good fit or profitable as well as not allowing unwanted prospects to intimidate you into doing something that will not benefit you or your company. If you decide to take their business, beware, they tend to be very high maintenance.
Dan Chappelle is a professional sales performance expert. His training and consulting firm help develop sales focused business leaders and entrepreneurs in the travel and tourism industry. His bestselling book, Get Your S.H.I.P. Together: The Wealthy Travel Agent Guide to Sales is available on Audible.com and Amazon.com.
For information on how Dan can help transform your business, visit: www.DanChappelle.com
©2019 Dan Chappelle, CCI Inc.
