Have you ever had a client ask for a discount and quite aside from the fact that you can’t afford to give it because your margin is tight, you don’t want to do it as a matter of princple? You are feeling a bit squirmish about it, and it’s quite clear:

You will need to deny the discount request.

So how the heck do you do that graciously?

I feel the need to go back to the mindset here:

It is important that you are totally at ease with your position, which means:

Assuming that you succeed in communicating your decline of their request tactfully, if the client still chooses to be offended and take their business elsewhere, then that will need to be ok with you.. It is important that you can stick to your principles here.

Let’s take a specific example and play it through:

You provided a proposal to a client, they asked you for a 20% discount to go ahead with the proposal. You don’t want to give any discount because you feel the price is totally justified and lowering would sell you short.

Here is what to check:

- Have you done a good enough job on establishing the value for your client in what you propose?
- have you set out exactly what you will provide and the value of each item?
- have you provided choice (eg. two packages of differing value to choose from)?

Assuming you have done that, and they still want a discount:

Be surprised and ask “oh, I thought you could see the value in this offer, which part of the offer do you not see as valuable enough to justify the full price?”

Now they have to name one, you ask “Is that the only one?” and you can have a specific discussion about the value of that item and all you need to do is demonstrate how that item justifies the value you put on it.

If your client is quite upfront and just wants a special deal, be upfront with them as well by saying:

“I can appreciate that you want to be sure to get exceptional value and when you look at the Return on investment with this offer which is at (say what it is for them) you will see the offer at this price is exceptional value already. I want to make this a true win win for both of us and that’s how I have priced it. Giving you a discount would mean I would feel that I am underselling my value and that’s not a good frame of mind to be in when delivering highest quality service which is what I am striving to do for you.”

This is generally enough for clients to pull back. Nobody wants to have a service provider that feels resentful and therefore provides only second best.

If someone still doesn’t ‘get it’ , I’m afraid you will have to be pretty clear in saying that you don’t give discounts. You believe that you are providing the best possible solution for the job and that’s what you are focusing on. At this stage the client request will be more a haggling contest that you don’t want to engage in.

If you have done good work in your sales process and if you are making it clear in your unique selling proposition that you are competing on quality, not on price, then that should preempt this discussion completely.

Preframing is alwasy easier than reframing after the fact!

Your Business Mindset Breakthroughs Assignment:

1. Apply this tactic either to a discount request or any other request that you need to decline.
2. Share your thoughts and experiences in leaving a comment on this blog!

To your Success
Yvonne

I was made aware of this video from one of my friends on Twitter (btw while you are at it, follow me on twitter)

When I watched this I immediately applied it to networking. Many people think that in order to be good networkers they have to be experts, provide incredible value, be someone, etc. when really all that is required, is to make someone else feel good about themselves. Watch this video and discover the true power of connecting with people!

It’s 15 minutes well spent!

Would love to know what you think about it! Please leave me a comment!

Yvonne

What you can expect from this blog:

• Have you every wanted to know how to avoid the anxiety and stress that goes with not feeling ‘good enough‘ to do something?
• Would you like to find out what the mindset is of people who are highly productive and DON’T procrastinate?
• Are you interested to know how to maintain your drive and focus when in business for yourself?
• Ever wanted to outsell your competition and have your prospect pipeline overflowingly full?

These are just some examples of areas where what we think creates a certain result for us in business. I am specifically looking at the best mindset strategies to master these and other challenges, how we come to think in a way that is holding us back and how we can breakthrough our limiting beliefs to think in a  more useful and effective way.

Be prepared to have numerous business mindset breakthroughs! I will be letting you in on all the secrets I have uncovered in the last 5 years of practicing NLP and coaching business people to improve their own and their businesses performance!

There will be practical tips on how to do things as well as ways to shift your thoughts and perspectives on things.  visit often or subscribe for email alerts to new posts!

I am looking forward to interacting with you on this blog!

Here’s to your Empowerment!

Yvonne