While ordering a sandwich at a nice deli last week, the cashier asked if I would like to replace the normal side of chips with an apple. Since Im trying to watch my weight, I proudly agreed to the healthier choice. When my order was up I was disappointed to see the sandwich flanked by a bruised Red Delicious apple.

For some reason, I was expecting a Granny Smith apple, my favorite. At the moment of my apple impulse, my decision was based solely on one factor health. I failed to realize that there are dozens of varieties of apples that vary in taste, size, and quality. I tried to boil my decision down to an apples to apples comparison, by comparing only one aspect of the two possible sides. As a consequence I was stuck with something that I paid for and certainly didnt want.

The same mistake occurs when prospective customers ask you to prepare your pricing proposal into an apples to apples comparison. Customers request the apples to apples comparison when they want to make a valid comparison between your proposal and the proposals of the other worthy suitors (your competitors). They want something easy to understand, something devoid of any sales tricks, and something that will make their purchase decision an easy one.

Customers really want to buy answers, solutions, or help to a current situation or problem. Period. They want a vendor who is looking out for the overall (and continued) success of their purchase, not just a vendor that wants to sell cheap apples.

An "apples to apples" comparison doesn't work this way. You cant compare items side by side to make the perfect decision; youll just get stuck with a bad apple. Rather than letting the customer decide what is best for them overall, the "apples to apples" situation narrows their decision down to only one differentiating factor. This single factor is often price. With this comparison, the customer becomes so focused on that one detail of the purchase (the price) that they forget about the other aspects that will help them make the best decision.

The customers failure to remain focused on what it is they are truly buying leads to questions that, when taken literally, can get the salesperson off track and further away from making the sale. Your task is to guide the customer back to their true purpose of the sale, rather than letting them get lost in one detail. You want them to realize on their own that your product or service is more than just a budget item; the decision to make this purchase has real consequences.

Lead customers away from the apples to apples comparison by asking great questions that help them verbalize exactly what they are looking for. Ask questions about why they decided to purchase the product in the first place and what they are hoping to get out of out. How do they typically select the vendors that they work with? What factors, other than price, do they consider when they are deciding which product and company makes the most sense for their company? How do they determine whether or not they made the correct purchasing decision? What are the main objectives or goals they are hoping to attain by making this purchase?

Through engaging questions, they will realize that the apples to apples approach is not the best way to address their particular purchase. They will see and consider everything you have to offer, rather than just focusing on price. Because of this, it will be much harder for your competitors to win. Rather than just beating your price, they will actually have to compete with all the wonderful aspects of your product and company.

Tom Richard

Tom Richard conducts seminars on sales and customer service topics nationwide. Tom is also the author of Smart Salespeople Don't Advertise: 10 Ways to Outsmart Your Competition With Guerilla Marketing, and publishes a free weekly ezine on selling skills titled Sales Muscle.