I hear it from many people, in various companies… like a repetitive drum beat: “Our price was out of their budget.” It’s an easy excuse. It’s what the prospect said. It’s also an incredibly lame justification for losing sale.

Translation: “I know our company provides a superior service, but the bride was too clueless to understand that we’re worth it.”

Let’s start with the word, budget. I’m convince that the vast majority of the time, brides do not have money allotted for most wedding expenses in a truly thoughtful and rationale way. At the risk of sounding dismissive, I don’t accept most budget worksheets in publications, on websites, or elsewhere to provide accurate, helpful cost/price guidelines.

More likely there are one of two reasons that a business didn’t make the sale.

1) The salesperson did not make a convincing case that their company is sufficiently different/better, in a meaningful way, to justify spending (charging) more dollars to hire them.

2) The salesperson’s company does not actually provide a superior service; therefore making that case would be mostly smoke and mirrors.

There is a fine line between confidence, self-delusion, and arrogance. Being better or best is a function of perspective. It’s not an absolute. If you provide, what is in your mind, ‘additional value‘, but that added service is not important to the prospect, then your higher price is not justifiable.

Or, if you have communicated the additional value as a feature, rather than a benefit, then you likely have missed the sales connection.

Breaking down your sales approach or hiring a service to shop you and your competition may demonstrate some stark realities. It may make you squirm, and motivate you to reframe your sales communication.

That’s a better path than just believing your own B.S..

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Authority