Principle 3: Differentiate needs and wants
In these scenarios, the retail customer needs to keep the pool sanitized, but he or she wants to be able to spend less time on maintenance and get away from storing and handling chlorine tabs. On the other hand, the service customer needs to keep the pool water balanced and properly sanitized throughout the season, but he or she wants to do more to protect the longevity of the ECG so it will not have to be repaired or replaced prematurely.
Basic ‘needs’ can be addressed with a variety of commodity products, but ‘wants’ are often better addressed by premium products through value-based selling principles.
Customers will pay a premium
More often than not, customers are willing to pay higher prices to achieve their ‘wants’ along with their ‘needs,’ and these value-based selling principles can help dealers identify these situations.
Value-based selling results in more satisfied customers, as well as increased profitability for dealers through higher margins, repeat sales, differentiation from mass merchants and ultimately, customer loyalty.
Bob Harper is general manager of pool products at Pristiva, a Compass Minerals company. He has more than 20 years of experience in the pool and spa industry and is an expert in saltwater pool systems. He can be reached via e-mail at harperb@pristiva.net.
