The One-Dollar Judgment

Your best prospect is stuck. It’s between you and your main competitor. Amazingly, your prices are but a single dollar off and you are the more expensive option.

What is going to make him choose you? How is he going to justify that barista’s tip premium that he has to pay to choose you?

Most of the business people I ask this question to immediately fall back on “customer service.” That’s the business equivalent of “we’re nicer.” And I hate to say it, but your competitor thinks they’re pretty nice too.

So what would you say if you had that rare chance to talk directly to your prospect at the moment of their decision? How would you move their sentiments and overcome the single dollar difference?

That, my friends, is the Idea. That Idea can move you from a one-of-many to a unique market leadership role.

So try the exercise. Talk, in your head, to your prospect about what benefit he would derive from spending the extra buck on you. Help him choose you. Try out a number of your unique benefits, but work to discover the one that means something to your customer.

Once you can justify a single dollar, you can start to justify more. And when you find the story that moves you away from a straight commodity purchase, you can creatively tell that story everywhere.

There is power in the Idea. Harness it and there will be many dollar judgments coming your way.