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

Time to fill up the car tonight.  I grabbed $40 and headed down to the nearest gas station.

I usually buy the regular unleaded.  Gas is gas, right?  Plus, I read a lot about how the oil companies are sticking it to us at every turn so why should I give them the satisfaction of a smoother running engine! 

Ha!...I won't give them the satisfaction.  I'll show them...

So, I reached for the regular unleaded, just like always...

...then I stopped.  The regular price was $2.47.  The premium higher octane gas was $2.67.  A 20-cent difference.  I did the math.  For about 14 gallons of gas, I would be shelling out another $2 and change for much better gas.  If I did that every week for a year, I would be paying an extra $150 per year in gas.  Unless you're a chimney sweep, that's not a lot of money.

So why had I bought-in to the "evil oil company is gouging us all" sales pitch?  When did it happen?  How long have I been missing out on great gasoline so that I could keep some spare change in my pocket?

I like bottled water.  On a per gallon basis, that costs about $12 per gallon.  But I don't complain, and neither do most people.

Sales messages take place everywhere we are.  All the time.  Politicians, movements, products, services...they are bombarding us with messages.  If you're a sales professional, you probably have to battle those perceptions and subliminal messages every time you try and sell something, because your prospect has slowly formed pre-conceived ideas about your product, or the product in their office that you're trying to replace.  It's tough out there for sales professionals.

You know what?  I'm going to buy premium unleaded for the rest of the year.  Forget those pre-conceived ideas about gas prices.  It's one sales message I'm not buying into.  If I can shell out $20 a gallon for water and $6 for a sandwich at a deli, I can pay an extra 20 cents for gas.