If the customer doesn't understand the value...you have failed, not them.
In speaking with a vendor, I let them know that I "couldn't get over the price hurdle." The vendor, who was a little frustrated said "if you can't see the value/ROI then maybe this isn't a match!"
It got me to thinking about our function in sales and marketing. A prospect is always going to enter into the conversation with "price" on their mind. In fact, I guarantee that price is always going to be one of their first objections. Even knowing this, we are still rarely prepared to tackle it head on.
A prospect who "can't see the value" isn't the one who failed...we are! It's not our prospects' job to "get it," it's our job to lead them there. It's our job to address that elephant.
But we have to be strategic in the price conversation approach. Our job during the sales process isn't to make "price" go away. Think of a scale with one side being price and the other side being "value" (or ROI). Our real job in sales and marketing is to layer in so much value and ROI that the scales shift. Not just to be balanced, but to the point where there's so much value on one side of the scale that the price (while still there) is completely outweighed by the value we offer.
Without price being a part of the conversation, we can't have a real conversation about value and ROI. Diminishing price or removing it from the conversation all together works against us in helping a prospect see the value we bring to them.
We should never be afraid of the price conversation nor try to sweep it under the bed. Know that the conversation is coming and plan for it. Use it to your advantage to showcase how the value of your product/service adds exponential return to the price the customer pays. By being prepared, positioning your value and addressing the price objection head-on, you'll be way ahead of most sales people.
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