If Your Customers are Complaining About Price, They Have No Idea Why They Should Choose You

I just read a wonderful post from my friend the Lonely Marketer. He recently experienced some terrible storm damage, and when he went in search of a saw, he was sorely disappointed at the big box stores.  Check out his experience at the local store.

We’ve all had similar experiences.  But mine has been slightly different.  In my small town of Medina, OH.  We have lots of independent small businesses around the square.  And a few miles north of the square are all the big box stores.  As the big box stores grew, so did the anxiety of the smaller retailers as they worried about the defection of their customer base to the lower cost alternatives.

This is where one of my "physics of marketing" laws comes in.  "If your customers are complaining about price, they have NO IDEA why they should choose you."

Really think about that.

Patrick, the Lonely Marketer didn’t just go shopping for a chain saw – he was part of a community experience.  he wanted to be with others who shared that experience and he found exactly what he was looking for.  He paid a little more for it, but what’s the price of empathy?

The lesson here is that it’s NEVER about the price.  If you know what’s important to your ideal customer when they are buying what you’re selling, and you give it to them, the price becomes irrelevant.