Selling at a discount is an invitation to complainers.

In the world of sales, there is a
“discount you must never offer.” I have been on the front lines of door-to-door sales for over 40 years. And in that time, I have seen it happen over and over again. The reality that a “contract won by lowering the price” ends up being the most painful one in the end.

Selling at a discount is an invitation to complainers.

The customers you sell to at a low price are the ones who end up costing you the most later on. Anyone who has worked in the field for a long time knows this. But when people aren't selling, they tend to run to discounts.
But when sales are slow, people tend to run to discounts.

・I need one more sale this month
・I'm short on my numbers
・I don't want to be rejected
・I really need this contract

Driven by that impatience,

“Just this once...”
“I normally can't go this low, but...”
“If you decide today...”

they end up breaking their own pricing.

I was like that in the past, too. The harder it was to get a contract, the more I thought,
“I want to close this even if I have to lower the price.” But after more than 40 years in the business, I can say this for certain.

Contracts won through discounting are the ones that cause trouble later.

It is truly strange how it always follows the same pattern. People who buy at a discount are looking at the
“price,” not the “value.”

In other words,

“I want this product” is not the priority; “I want a deal” is.

That is why, even after the contract is signed,

“Can't you do something about this?”
“Can you make this free too?”
“This isn't what I was told.”
“It was cheaper somewhere else.”

their demands just keep growing. The salesperson, thinking, “They went through the trouble of signing with me...”, acts submissively. Then the other party becomes even more demanding. This pattern is very common in the field. Conversely, customers who sign a contract at a fair price because they are convinced of the value do not cause trouble later. This is because they decided based on

“trust,”

not
“price.”

There was a time in the past when I was chased by numbers. With zero contracts for a long time, my stomach hurt every day in the car. Rainy days were the worst. Anyone who has done door-to-door sales knows what I mean. On rainy days, the whole town has an air of rejection. The voices through the intercom are cold. The front doors won't even open. Even when I finally got to sit down, the atmosphere was heavy. When you are short on numbers on a day like that, you lose your composure. And then, you end up thinking,

“I'll just close this with a discount.”

But that contract was the beginning of hell.

Countless phone calls after the work was done. Petty complaints. Additional demands. Opposition from family members. “I never heard about this.” It really wore me down mentally. Back then, I thought, “Once I get the contract, it's over.” But I was wrong.

Sales begin “after the contract.”

There are so many salespeople who don't understand this. The best salespeople don't sell at a discount. Many people misunderstand this point. Successful people aren't necessarily pushy. It's actually the opposite. They have composure. That's why they don't break their prices.

Because,

“I only need people who want it even at this price.”

I know this to be true. This isn't just about sales.
It's the same in human relationships. If you force yourself to be liked, you will be treated poorly.
However, those who do not sell themselves short are treated with respect. Sales is exactly the same.
Protecting your price is protecting your work.
And, this is the important part, in my long career in sales, I realized that
“contracts are not decided by pushing, but by the ‘flow’.”

I became even more convinced of this after learningMayan astrology and horoscopes.

It’s strange, but there are days when the atmosphere is such that a deal will absolutely not close.
Conversely, there are days when it closes naturally for some reason. In the past, I tried to break through that with sheer willpower.
But sales that go against the flow will break you.
That is why I now place great importance on“not forcing a pursuit.”If you push hard on a day when it’s not meant to be, it easily leads to: - discounting - aggressive closing - contracts that lead to complaints. Conversely, on days when the flow is there, it closes even without a discount. It’s truly mysterious.
The more someone struggles in sales, the more they think about “how to push.”
But that is not what is truly important.

・Who to sell to
・When to approach
・Whether today is a day to pursue
・Or a day to pull back

It’s this. Having done this for over 40 years, I feel that“sales through effort”is ultimately less powerful than
“sales that read the flow.”Selling at a discount is easy for a moment. But the price you pay is high.
It’s not just about profit. Your heart is worn down. Your confidence is worn down.
And in the end, you come to hate
“sales itself.”So, if you are currently struggling with your numbers and are tempted to escape by offering discounts,I want you to remember this once. A contract won through a discount might just be bringing future suffering forward.
Sales cannot be sustained by sheer spirit alone.

There is a flow.
There is timing.
There is compatibility with the other party.

If you ignore those things, you will break.

Conversely, if you change your method and the flow, your sales will change.
Your life will truly change, too. Are you in the “I sell more by discounting” camp?
Or are you in the “discounting changes the type of customer” camp?

I have been in the field for 40 years and have experienced many times that“the more you discount a contract, the more painful it becomes later.”
I think everyone who works in sales or customer service has had a similar experience at least once.
Please share your stories in the comments: stories of regretting a discount, stories of being thanked even when the price was high, or experiences where a customer turned into a complainer.
I am very interested in the reality of the field.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 written by mooko

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