People hear what they wanna' hear

[sofadoc]

A customer picked up several sample books to take home a couple of days ago. She asked what the prices were.
What I SAID was:
"The prices in those sample books start in the low 30's".

What she HEARD was:
"All fabrics are $30 a yard"

Of course, she headed straight for the $80 stuff, and multiplied the yardage estimate that I gave her by $30. Her jaw dropped when I corrected her calculations.
My fault really. I should know by now that customers will always misinterpret my statements to their advantage.
She was actually very nice about the misunderstanding. But because she already had her heart set on the $80 stuff, she just couldn't get enthused about anything cheaper. So she aborted the project.
I guess it's like when you've been driving 80 MPH for while, and then you have to slow down to 30 MPH. It feels like you're not even moving.

I always try to warn people when they grab an expensive sample book, But I dropped the ball this time.
You win some, lose some, some get rained out.

[gene]

Sofadoc, I don't know why you constantly talk about repairing toasters on this forum. This is not a toaster repair forum!!!

LOL (Sometimes I just crack myself up. This is one of the reasons I love working for myself.)


If I hear what you are typing correctly:  

1. Many people want quality at a Wal Mart price. They hear along these lines.

2. Perception: If that lady had it in her mind that the fabrics were $130 per yard, and she still chose to look through the samples, and then she found out that the fabric she wanted was only $80, she would have given you a big hug and a kiss and your wife would have walked in and saw this and you would now be in the process of getting a divorce. But hey, at least you would have gotten the job!

My point is that the issue is not "$80 per yard". The issue is the perception that "$80 per yard is too much".

3. I do not like people who tell me that I said something that I did not say, when they know that what they are saying I said is totally unrealistic. For example: I said $120 each for the 18 boxes cushion covers, not $120 for all 18. And you want to argue with me that I said $120 for all 18???

gene

[kodydog]

So she aborted the project.

Really? She gave up and went home? Sounds like someone needs a big ol Texas reality slap.

No way would I blame myself. The prices are in the back of the book, aren't they?

[lc]

Definitely prices for the most times are in the back of the book . I always show my potential customer where to find the name of the fabric and direct them to the back for an example on how to find the price.
It's too bad you lost that job yet it's surprising how  some will come back and say go for it after pondering about it.

I once had a lady so set on this expensive fabric . I could tell it was the only one she liked and I felt her slipping away.
I called her the next day with a wee fib and told her that fabric had just went on sale...I didn't drop the price hardly at all but she went for it.
there are some odd ones out their for sure.

[sofadoc]

The prices are in the back of the book, aren't they?

Yeah, the prices are in the back. I thought that she was just asking a general price range. I didn't know she was going to take me so literally.
A lot of customers naturally assume that the prices in the back are negotiable. I do give a discount on the really high stuff. But on the $30 stuff......nope.

If the lady had known up front that the fabrics might be in the 80's, she probably would've been OK with it. But the sudden $$ shock scared her off.
Like I said, my fault for not spending more time explaining everything. Sometimes I get busy, and cut my spiel short.

[Rich]

You're absolutely right about unmet expectations. It's starts when we're children (on a rainy, cold morning) "But you said we could go swimming at the pool today!" and continues to all ages. I've considered giving prices by starting high and going low, but the closest I've come is on on-site jobs. What I do when I'm quoting a few items together is quote the highest price on each and if it is all done together, add a line for a MCD, or multi chair discount. This can be sizable if there is a longer trip involved and most times, the focus is on the fact that there is some real money to be saved by doing it all together at one time. I don't think there's been a person born who didn't prefer to go from higher to lower rather than the other way around. This works especially well for us b/c most folks haven't a clue what upholstery goes for anyway!
Rich