TL;DR 1: Selling

Do not sell on price.

If price is the only difference the buyer can understand, they will push for a discount, and you lose margin, the lifeblood of your business.

Sell value. Convince the client that you offer unique, measurable value that they need, and they will be willing to buy from you at the price you offer.

And so, before you pitch, ask questions to discover what they value.

Uniqueness means showing something that only you or your firm can offer. Perhaps you are the only supplier who will keep stock on site for them. Measurable is quantitative rather than qualitative; do not just say ‘we have excellent service'; say that 98% of calls are answered at once and 95% of emails within the hour.

For over a decade, I ran a simple workshop: Brilliant at the Basics of Selling. The first morning was head-spinning for 90% of the audience as they realised their everyday practices (the template pitch, the aggressive discounting, the formulaic conversations) were hindering long-term profitable relationships.

Price is what they pay; value is why they pay it.