[downrightmike]

The major lesson will be to ask for the sale. And work that into the conversation, so less "that'll be $99", but more like "So, would you like the blue or pink one?"

If you don't ask for the sale, you won't get it. If you're solving a problem, making the sale is helping people. They came to you for help for a reason, so treat them well.

[sb8244]

This x 1000.

"No askie, no gettie" is something my co-founder and I say.

I'm the engineering side and struggle with it, but he's really good at it.

[hermitcrab]

Yes, you should ask for the sale. But "So, would you like the blue or pink one?" might come across as a bit pushy. "would you like to discuss pricing?" is more of a soft close.

[bombcar]

There's a subtle difference there - the first is asking "past the close" but also is asking a pertinent question about it - people who want it will have a color they want, or need to pick one.

Nobody wants to discuss pricing. It's orthogonal to getting the desired end. You have to discuss pricing, but it is not on the list of things people want to do (if you give it to them free, they won't protest). The second is way too easy to say no to.

[hermitcrab]

Some of this may also be cultural. Something that works fine in the US, might be seen as pushy in the UK, for example.

[vundercind]

It’s pushy here, too.

I think the difference is willingness to be pushy if that pushiness results in more total sales. Which I take as a symtom of general lower consideration for others, objectifying them as a system you just need to press the right buttons on to get what you want.

[edit] Another way of looking at it is what a culture considers acceptable freely-given consent. If someone wouldn’t have said yes if you hadn’t pulled out every trick in the book, is that an OK way to get a “yes”? In US business culture, it is.

[linuxftw]

I think it might seem pushy to people that are highly skeptical of the product, but in most cases, a sale is implied. When you go to Starbucks, they ask what they can make for you. They don't say "Let me know if you want to talk price."

Car sales is another obvious example. They don't talk price until you're committed (at least in principal) to purchasing the car.

[paulcole]

> "would you like to discuss pricing?"

Nobody likes to discuss pricing!

Early on in the call, tell them your price to see if they object. If they do, then get off the call. If there's objections, raise them early and either overcome them or figure out that they can't be overcome.

[szundi]

Less of a problem than not having sales