3 ms·

Its a negotiation tactic. A good one. Have the prospect call for the item and then start closing from the start. You can fix this if you can fix selling.

mchannon 14y ago
It's not a good negotiation tactic, because it's the very opposite of closing from the start. Imagine a Taco Bell with no prices posted on their menu board (if they even have a menu board), drive-through only, minimum 30 minute conversation (most of which involves silence) to place an order, and the resulting long line of cars. If business X makes a widget that costs more, does less, takes longer to deliver, and has lower quality than business Y, I guarantee you business X will outperform business Y if business X discloses their prices ahead of time and Y doesn't. X will also waste significantly less time selling to people who aren't going to buy.
- michael_michael 14y ago
  That's a weak analogy. There's a huge difference between buying a taco and buying, say, a piece of heavy equipment or an enterprise software package. Tacos cost little. They have no long-term commitment involved. I won't need follow-up support for a taco, and a taco's advantages or disadvantages compared to other potential pieces of food are relatively apparent. Also, I would like to know what sources you have backing up your guarantee.
  - mchannon 14y ago
    I don't see the distinction. Tacos cost more per pound than bulldozers, and cost more to produce per additional unit than enterprise software (assuming off-the-shelf and not custom-built). A taco has just as large a long-term commitment as any durable good. The taco stand has to deal with more, in fact: if the shell is cracked or they forgot the meat, they have to deal with after-the-sale support. If I come down with e.coli and am hospitalized for two weeks they have an additional degree of commitment and exposure to deal with. The problem I'm describing isn't with custom-built, built-to-spec goods (like some software), but rather commodity durable goods and materials. Whether I design my widget to be made out of stainless or titanium often depends on pricing, and determining that pricing carries unnecessary overhead which serves neither customer nor manufacturer. The opportunity cost of opening the dialog with the titanium company's salesperson becomes nontrivial, because now I have to wait a few days for them to call me back to tell me it costs more than my alternative. Salespeople should be taking down orders, driving traffic, cajoling hot leads, and negotiating discounts, not performing the work of a javascript in a significantly less capable manner. Until someone does a double-blind study with identical products, my guarantee is based on anecdotal evidence (and as Bender once said, "I can guarantee you anything you want"). I think it would be fun to experiment with an app store listing with "call for price" as its cost. Would it really be so hard to predict a difference in sales?

mchannon 14y ago

It's not a good negotiation tactic, because it's the very opposite of closing from the start. Imagine a Taco Bell with no prices posted on their menu board (if they even have a menu board), drive-through only, minimum 30 minute conversation (most of which involves silence) to place an order, and the resulting long line of cars. If business X makes a widget that costs more, does less, takes longer to deliver, and has lower quality than business Y, I guarantee you business X will outperform business Y if business X discloses their prices ahead of time and Y doesn't. X will also waste significantly less time selling to people who aren't going to buy.

michael_michael 14y ago
That's a weak analogy. There's a huge difference between buying a taco and buying, say, a piece of heavy equipment or an enterprise software package. Tacos cost little. They have no long-term commitment involved. I won't need follow-up support for a taco, and a taco's advantages or disadvantages compared to other potential pieces of food are relatively apparent. Also, I would like to know what sources you have backing up your guarantee.
- mchannon 14y ago
  I don't see the distinction. Tacos cost more per pound than bulldozers, and cost more to produce per additional unit than enterprise software (assuming off-the-shelf and not custom-built). A taco has just as large a long-term commitment as any durable good. The taco stand has to deal with more, in fact: if the shell is cracked or they forgot the meat, they have to deal with after-the-sale support. If I come down with e.coli and am hospitalized for two weeks they have an additional degree of commitment and exposure to deal with. The problem I'm describing isn't with custom-built, built-to-spec goods (like some software), but rather commodity durable goods and materials. Whether I design my widget to be made out of stainless or titanium often depends on pricing, and determining that pricing carries unnecessary overhead which serves neither customer nor manufacturer. The opportunity cost of opening the dialog with the titanium company's salesperson becomes nontrivial, because now I have to wait a few days for them to call me back to tell me it costs more than my alternative. Salespeople should be taking down orders, driving traffic, cajoling hot leads, and negotiating discounts, not performing the work of a javascript in a significantly less capable manner. Until someone does a double-blind study with identical products, my guarantee is based on anecdotal evidence (and as Bender once said, "I can guarantee you anything you want"). I think it would be fun to experiment with an app store listing with "call for price" as its cost. Would it really be so hard to predict a difference in sales?