For as long as there have been documented records, there have been merchants, or as we are called in modern vernacular, salespeople. People want things. People need things. Considering that there will always be a public demand for something, there will always be a need for salespeople! It has been said that "Nothing happens until someone sells something." This is absolutely true. The sales function drives every other aspect of a modern company. Sales must come first, for without sales, there is no need for marketing, accounting, manufacturing, human resources, etc

Ask almost any average salesperson what his greatest problem or objection is and more than likely you will hear the word price. "My prices are higher than my competitors" or "Our prices are too high" are often the mantra or excuse for lackluster sales figures. Ask a superior salesperson however, and I suspect that you will find, in reality, she has learned that price is seldom the real issue. Let's consider the acronym P.R.I.C.E. for a moment: Perceived Reality Investment Cost Expectation.

Perceived: Sales are most often a process involving perception, or perceived value. Our job as professional salespeople is to sell the value of our goods and services. Once the customer sees that the value of the product or service offers more to him than the selling price asked, the sale is made and the issue of pricing actually never became an issue at all.

Reality: Let's face it, so often sales people use the price excuse for the reason why a sale was not made. Assuming that you are dealing with a qualified prospect, and you are wasting your time if you are not, the reality is that your prospect needs to learn exactly how your product or service fills his need, closes the void and meets his requirements in a timely manner. That is plain reality.

Investment: The customer must be shown that by purchasing from you, she is making a wise investment and not simply incurring an additional expense. Buyers are not interested in driving their costs higher by spending more money. They are interested in solving their problems. They desire to make cost-effective decisions based upon perception and education.

Cost: As a professional salesperson, interested in meeting and exceeding the expectations of your prospects and customers, you must always be aware that price is simply not equal to cost. Remember the old axiom "Beware the cost of the lowest price." Cost of ownership, payback time and solving problems are the true issues a professional buyer is really looking for.

Expectation: Today's customer assumes quality. They assume service and delivery. Your buyer expects that the products and services that you propose are actually presented with her best interests in mind and that they will meet her needs. That is the starting point. Do not be fooled when a buyer asks you about pricing. If they can maximize their value and get it at a lower price, they will attempt to get it, but they will buy at your set price point if expected value is there.

To simplify things further, remember that the customer actually makes the purchase decision only once. The money allocated to acquire your product or service is typically spent one time for each purchasing decision. For each purchase, the company must then deal with the reality of that decision. The item purchased is then placed into service within the structure of the buyers' company. After this point, various employees and internal departments such as engineering or maintenance, must deal with that particular purchasing decision. There will often be ramifications from each purchasing decision within other departments within the company. The true cost of each purchasing decision will show itself over time. Cost issues continue to present themselves over the useful life of the product or service purchased, long after the purchase was actually made.

Cost and price are two very different concerns indeed. Do not get caught in the trap of thinking otherwise. Superior salespeople have learned that hard lesson at some point earlier in their careers. Do what all superior salespeople do; shorten your learning curve by acting on this new information. Move your career into high gear by accelerating your learning of these superior principles.

Daniel Sitter

Daniel Sitter has been a student his entire life. He continues to assimilate and synthesize knowledge from dozens of sources and a wealth of personal experiences over a twenty five year period into material that he draws inspiration from. He has been fascinated by the workings of the human brain and various learning strategies in particular. He often ponders why it is that some people are more receptive to change, are more productive and earn substantially more than others, even within the same industry. He has observed that many people are frustrated that they find learning to be a difficult and tediously slow process and he seeks solutions to their dilemma.

The author has attended dozens of seminars presented by the foremost authorities on human performance, personal development, psychology, sales, family, manufacturing and business. He enjoys the viewpoints of others and has absorbed their accumulated knowledge at each event. He has read and listened to dozens of books and audio programs in a variety of disciplines. Fueled by an insatiable hunger for knowledge and personal development, Dan continues to apply the principles he has learned into all aspects of his life on a daily basis. The results are continuously evident.

Dan has a wealth of business, sales and marketing experience in the technical fields. He has made a career in the mechanical/electrical engineering industries as an automation/fluidpower specialist. He holds a BS degree from the University of Akron, but he is quick to point out that his real education actually began after his formal education had concluded. An advocate of continuing education, Dan is always feeding his mind with new material that can help him to be continuously growing beyond his current comfort zone. He has designed and written numerous industry newsletters, business and personal development articles, various marketing materials and has authored the popular, breakthrough e-book, Learning For Profit, which teaches principles for accelerated learning and personal growth.

His hobbies are guitars, music, Shotokan karate, computers and electronics. An avid musician, Dan has played in a number of bands over the years and has written and performed dozens of original songs.

A devoted family man, Dan has been married for 21 years, has teenage children, a dog and a cat. He enjoys working out, family dinners on Sunday, relaxing trips to the beach and eating spicy ethnic foo