A discussion about sales, sales tips and advice, and about those who land the deal

Jonathan Hernandez (pictures to the left are from his blog, and they rotate...might be his son, might be his dog, might be him...) has a disagreement with my post on proposals earlier today.

His comments, which take issue with me when I said that proposals should lead with the price and follow with the details:

But there has to be some kind of compromise, at least w/the presentation, doesn't there? 

For the price-conscious like yourself, a product or service that is high-quality, & maybe higher price, might not seem worth it at all if you know the price first.  But if a salesperson presents the product or service first, then you might get an idea in your head of what it's worth.  Then when you get that idea in your head of what it should be worth, the salespersons number is presented, and if it fits he gets the sale.  If not, then maybe negotiations begin. 

Either way, "getting to the point" & showing price first might not be needed if you actually had a relationship with the salesperson.

My response...

First of all, I appreciate the response.  That's what makes blogs alive and fun.  So thanks, Jonathan.

But, I think part of my point was missed here.  I don't disagree with the need for detail, statistics and justification as to why the price is what it is.  Also, wanting the price first doesn't mean I am "price conscious"...I think of it as being "not wanting to hunt through fluff for the price."

The price is what it is.  I've been on the sales end of this process a lot through the years, too.  And not once have I thought that I was so masterful, so inteligent and so much better at word-craft than the person I was presenting to that all I had to do was weave a marvelous tapestry of bullet points, justifications and graphs and VOILA...the sales would be mind no matter the price.  I gave them the price, and then told them why it was a beneficial deal for them.

My last point on this: I think leading with the price has a certain disarming effect on the reader of the proposal, most of whom are in "full defense mode" when it comes to dealing with a sales professional.  Giving them the price up front gets them curious as to what justifies that price, as opposed to listening to all of the wonderful salesmanship that you could present them with while wondering the whole time "how much is this going to cost me?"

As a buyer, I appreciate knowing the price up front.  The details can come in later to support that price and help me justify the purchase in my mind.  But that's just me.  Thanks again, Jonathan.