Age Old Question: Prices Over The Phone or Not?

Each and every salesperson is faced with this decision each and every day of their selling career. If we polled caterers, we would find that many of the salespeople believe that giving prices over the phone is perfectly o.k, while others would tell us that it’s crazy to give your prices to somebody who’s not sitting in front of you. So, should we give pricing information over the phone? What do you do when you have a caller ask you the questions below:

“Yes, I’m calling to find out how much you charge for a wedding of 200 people?”

or

“”What are your prices?”

From the “never give prices over the phone” point of view, the decision would be made to try to set an appointment or to tease the individual calling.

“It’s really difficult for me to give you prices without knowing exactly what you’re looking for. All of our menus are customized to fit most budgets. As a caterer we do a wide variety of menus and themes, so it is best not of project price till we hear exactly what you wish.”

From the “sell over the phone” point of view, the decision would be made to give the caller an understanding of what price range they might fall into.

“With respect to price, I can only give you an example because I don’t know the particulars of your event. We have wonderful wedding packages that sell for $78 per guest and some that sell for $129 per guest. The main difference between the two is the type of entrée our customers select and the day of the week they wish to have their catering.”

Are you starting to see the dilemma? It’s really a personal decision by each and every salesperson as to whether they give price information over the phone. Of course, it could also be a management decision. I wish to suggest that in either case, it’s probably better not to treat each and every caller in the same manner. In other words, it’s best not to have a hard and fast rule about giving , or not giving, prices over the phone.

Let’s take a moment and think about this from the caller’s point of view. How will they respond to either of your approaches? Can we raise their curiosity, or will it just make them angry? Think about this... you walk into a jewelry store and begin to look at some watches in the showcases. Do you look for the price tags? When you look at a restaurant menu in a new restaurant do you look at the prices?

Most of us would certainly look. We want to know about prices. We wish to know the type of store, or restaurant, we’re in. We don’t want to be embarrassed by being in the wrong buying situation. We’re not suggesting that having a policy of giving prices out over the phone will get you more sales. I’m suggesting that in certain cases, with certain buyers, it is best to give them an idea of what type of “store” they’re in.

On the other hand, I can also share with you, what most caterers have found that when they give pricing information over the phone, they tend to give ranges of price or price examples. In this way, they get the best of both worlds!

NOTE: This is a great topic to discuss with your team!