Hey There,

Have you ever accidentally bought something just because you needed it and were desperate? Yup. This happens. When the timing is perfect, sometimes the sale just happens. 

Last month I was traveling quite a bit for work, and my beautiful $30 Amazon Backpack had a zipper malfunction it just couldn’t come back from. As I struggled through the airport after departing my flight, I saw the Tumi Store and headed right in to fix the problem ASAP by replacing my backpack instead of holding my broken backpack closed so my life wouldn’t fall out. They had a solid 10 choices, so I picked this simple style and started loading my life into it while she rang me up. 

The sales associate said no words to me the entire time I was in the store. The bags were not marked with prices. I had zero knowledge of Tumi and its value proposition. I just figured this was the place for business travelers to grab a new bag on the fly and figured it would be pretty good quality. I figured I might be having to pay up to $200 for my bag on the fly, and while I wasn't happy about it, I was in a situation. Guess what? Freaking $600. My mouth dropped open while she took my AMX out of my hand and rang it up without me having time to think. I was already packed up in my new bag and walked out of the store with it on my back trying not to freak out and worry about my accountant losing her mind for the world's worst business equipment purchase of all time. 

Assuming the Sale. I’ve done a lot of “assuming the sale” in my day. It’s an excellent sales technique. Oftentimes (not this time), it involves you asking all the right questions, and knowing that you’ve helped your client choose the perfect solution, and there shouldn’t be any roadblocks or objections. When you assume the sale and say, “and how would you like to pay for that?” the client should be pleased when they hand you their card and not surprised by any price because you’ve done such a great job building the value and tying it back to their needs. 

In this case, I’m still not sure of the value. In fact, as I researched to write this article, I learned that this backpack is trackable in case I lose it (How?) and has a warranty. (How long?).

If you catch yourself in an “assumed sale” situation where the client has a little bit of shell shock at the price, there’s always a chance to go back and remind your client of the value vs price. Sometimes, you get a sucker like me who doesn’t have the nerve to unpack her bag and change her mind. Lucky you.

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Lisa Proeber | Owner, The Middle Six® 

Let's Compare the Backpacks — What do you think?

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