We bartered a bit more, and then she picks out another
ring, this one for her friend. I say I would give her a
package deal on the three. She then pulls from her purse
several large bills--showing me that she not only had
enough money--but needed change!
A long time ago I used to sell mobile homes. One lesson that
was drilled into me was that customers would usually try to get a
discount. The key to succeeding in sales though was to NEVER
fold on price without increasing your own profit. For example,
if they wanted to also purchase the furnishings, then they would
also receive a percentage discount. I have learned that the
customer may always ask for a discount simply because they may
have received one elsewhere in some other deal. Now, once you
give a discount, the customer will continue to push for more.
The game has shifted from “Can I have a discount” to “Did I get
every discount I could?” The ONLY one who wins this game is the
customer. Granted, there will always be those customers who
would not buy anything without some kind of “break” on price, but
if you hold to your reasonable profit you won’t need those
customers. Just my two cents on “discounting” Terri D.
I was at an art fair last summer when a woman looked at one of
my pieces and really liked it. She asked if I would come down on
the price and I said no so she walked away. Later her daughter
came back to see if I had changed my mind, I said no. Later,
still, her husband came back and bought the piece saying that she
would be really mad that he had paid full price. None the less,
he paid it.
Dear Terri, I give an automatic 10% discount to any retail
customer who has cumulatively spent $1000. or more with me. I
keep track of sales on my mailing list. The discount is
permanent, but does not extend to their friends or relatives. My
Thousand-aires are incredibly grateful and loyal, and because of
the discount, tend to buy considerably more because they’re
getting a break. What’s more, they come to almost every show and
buy something. They’ve told me it makes them feel appreciated.
Everyone else pays full pop… My two cents. Lisa
I havn’t heard where we are supposed to make the thearpy
donations, have you? Some people can be absolutely
infuriating. It sounds like a lesson learned but for me, I guess
I am a slow learner as it seems I have to go through this sort of
thing a number of times before I “see it comming” and can take
action rather than haveing to get “repaired” after the “hit” has
occured. Hope all of you on the list are faster learners than I
am.
John
John and Cynthia/MidLife Crisis Enterprises
Maiden Metals/C. T. Designs/ Bloomin’ Wax Works. etc.
PO Bx 44, Philo
CA 95466
Ph 707-895-2635 FAX 707-895-9332
Sitting still and wishing makes no person great.
The good Lord provides the fishes, but you must dig the bait.
Thanks for the tip laura. I wanted to let you know that I do
not work out of a store. I do most showing at my office. I
show one item at a time. I put each item back before I show
another.
I’ve done some shows in the past when people start to try to ask
to look at this, hand it to their partner, and then say, “wow,
that’s nice too! Can I see that?” They try to get you to pull
several things out of the display case at one time while placing
an item in their pocket during the shuffle. I will not say that
I will never be taken, but I am aware of some of the stuff that
people will pull.
Doesn’t it stink that people have no respect for other people’s
hard work and the law?
We used to get people who would see us the first day, whine
about a price, and then show up the last day offering us less
than wholesale “So we didn’t have to cart it home again.”
Nine times out of ten I’d rather cart it home again and melt it
down than give in. Bad for my business, and bad for everyone
else’s.
Lisa- What a great idea about the discount. I use a discount
when I want to track the effectiveness of my mailings - bring the
card and get 10% off. Deb
I’ve never worked in the jewellery industry (I’m still working
on the basics like sawing, polishing, etc), but I do work in a
Computer Service Shop and I expect the warranty “issues” are
quite similar.
Warranty only covers normal “wear and tear”. If somebody drops
their notebook computer and cracks the display (or puts their
piece of jewellery through the wash, or a meat grinder (??!!)) it
is not covered under warranty. I order to have this hold up in
court, though, I expect you will need a disclaimer.
In order to have something fixed under warranty, you have to
return it to the person/organization/agency that offers the
warranty, or an authorized agent for them. In order to get a
warranty repair on your Apple computer you would have to take it
to an Apple authorized service centre (the authorized agency).
Even if you purchased your computer from the “ABC Computer Shop”,
your warranty would not be with them, it would be with Apple
Computers. As a service the “ABC Computer Shop” may forward the
computer to an Apple authorized service centre. In your case I
expect the warranty on the watch was actually with the
manufacturer (unless you offered an additional warranty of your
own on the watch). In this case the watch would have to be sent
to the manufacturer for replacement. Unless the customer took
the watch to an authorized “repair centre”, she is out of luck.
Of course that is only the theory. In real life, if you make
enough noise you can get what you want. And if that doesn’t work
you can always go to court and then it would probably end up
being your word against theirs.
It might be useful to find out exactly what you need to win such
a court case? ie. what kinds of disclaimers, etc.
Also, what should customers be told regarding the warranty,
etc., before they purchase?
What a great idea about the discount. I use a discount
when I want to track the effectiveness of my mailings - bring
the card and get 10% off.
We do that. About 20% will bring their card. But if they
mention the card, we give them the discount anyway, as this shows
that they at least read their mail. (I don’t, hardly ever. I
find discount cards 6 months later, the the big stacks of “I’ll
get to that later” mail.)
I, too, like the idea of a discount. Regarding shows when you
don’t intend to haggle, I like the idea of a “show special” of
maybe 10% off. This way the customer feels the urgency to buy
something then instead of having you send a catalog or have them
drop by a store later on. Plus, it kinda gives them the unspoken
“this is a special price” and don’t try to bargain.
Of course there are always those who say: it can’t hurt to ask.
My husband is one of those. A neighbor was selling her newly
built 3,000 square foot Victorian-style home that was completely
customized. I mean GORGEOUS!!! Asking price was $300,000. My
husband asked me to ask them if they would take $100,000 for it.
He said, “it doesn’t hurt to ask.” ;-)))
Speaking about the discount hunters, my experience has been that
the ones that ask (and I succumb to) usually don’t return, but
the customers that appreciate my work and are willing to pay full
price turn out to be my repeat customers. In this last year I’ve
become totally convinced that a customer will pay whatever the
price is based on the value he perceives (provided, of course,
that the piece is within his reach financially). Its my job to
make sure the piece is priced according to its real value, and
that includes the design, material AND craftsmanship. Until this
year I wasn’t convinced of the value of my work and my prices
reflected that. Thanks to a few good, supportive, and motivating
friends I started raising my prices. Each time I did my sales
were higher and I had fewer requests for discounts. I finally
"got it", it’s not just their perception, but equally my own.
Now I just have to keep those same friends around to make sure my
head doesn’t swell.
However, that said, I particularly like Colleen’s "35 year"
answer for those customers who want my work, but at department
store prices.