Sell the sizzle ............

You will all have heard the phrase “sell the sizzle not the sausage” and you probably associate it with the sellers of snake oil and believe that, in today’s ‘information’ market the price is all-important in the hunt for the elusive sale.

Well, it is, as long as you’ve weighed it up and your proposal is no better, or even worse than the majority of your competitors. If your product, service, availability, quality, responsiveness, sales team, computer system and credit control is no better than your competitors, then it’s price for you my friend and even then, you’re on a hiding to nothing!

Examine your business and products: is there no area where your offer outshines the competition – there is, hooray! - that’s your sizzle. What you have to do now is to package that sizzle and sell it to your customers.

For example, if you deliver 3 times a day and the norm is 2, then your pitch should be based around your delivery service. Of course your price package should be in keeping with your market, but if your market has a variation of say 5%, then price at the top end and shout about the service.

If you have examined your business and you really can’t put your finger on any area where you excel, then you should consider some changes. Perhaps you can get a better product, improve your customer service or improve your stock availability.

Things that can really make a difference, but are often ignored are:

- Returns procedure – make it slicker
- Issue credits quicker,
- Resolve queries rapidly
- Phone your customer back!

Giving a cheaper price is the easiest thing to do, but it won’t make you richer, paying attention to those other areas most certainly will.