Grand sales.
Some of us are warming up for the moment when seeing double-digit % discount posters decorate windows and internet pages. Others tend to ignore it with a large “who cares?” as another reason not to draw your credit card. And perhaps a few find the perfect balance between getting that bargain and the need to replenish one’s wardrobe with the necessary.
It is hardly 100% black and white. Admit it.
What’s no longer in fashion, or has been bought in bulk, will go out for a steal. Companies use various tricks of the trade to entice customers into spending more. Grabbing your attention with whatever the marketing department deems fit for drawing in a crowd on a spending spree.
As long as the crowd can satisfy their urge to buy, they are happy.
Fashion brands, household appliances, toys, or electronics, we all have fallen for the clever marketing techniques. The trick is to go farther in drawing our credit card than what we actually may need.
I am one of those.
When exiting IKEA, I always walk out with more than I can carry. It has smart positioning written all over it, from all sides of the display. Even how the light is placed determines whether you add this to your shopping basket.
And we do need to restock and replenish. We grow out of it or wear and tear slowly creeps in when using it a tad too often. Recycle it and buy something new. Simple as that. The commercial cycle is, of course, more complex than this, but I am sure you catch my drift.
Our perception of price determines how we personally associate the product with what is dangling on the label or stickered strategically on the package. Expensive or cheap – these are extremely relative terms. Personal perceptions of either labelling it as a waste of money or money well spent.
At the first sound of hearing someone explaining that they had a fabulous 4-course dinner at US$300 a covert, it may not be uncommon to hear that this is outrageous. Others believe this has value because of personal reasons. The same goes for almost everything.
Temporary satisfaction is in the form of spending one’s well-earned money. The definition of expensive or cheap is defined through the eyes of the beholder. But as I state before, many of these purchases only hold a temporary connection to whatever can and will be bought.
Haggling in some cultures is a must. It is ingrained in the DNA of quite a few nations where the environment, culture and the situation regularly permit it. An unwritten rule to push down to a preferred price which the potential owner of a product or service seems to be the right price.
It is a sport. A game of wits and strategy to push the value down to levels that give satisfaction to the consumer.
In 99%, the product often gives temporary pleasure or is prone to seeing the new look fade away with the passing of time.
The investments one makes to secure a little extra for rainy days or when retirement knocks on the proverbial door. And this does come with some risks. Markets collapse, crypto values fluctuate, and stocks devalue when the economy goes through a recession. There is little certainly for the average man and woman on the street without in-depth knowledge.
You win some, you lose some, but the currency invested can be too much to handle for many.
It is not uncommon, my prospeced clients ask for my coaching rates once we end our free consultation call. The topic is and remains sensitive. After all, money is not to be played with and is to be invested wisely. The decision to wait in informing them about the fees is a deliberate one, as it is all connected to the outcome. The expectations versus the client’s goal must be on par as the delivery of a final result within any given time must be realistic.
But as soon as I name my price for either one or three months, waves of mixed feelings and reactions enter my ear drum. Some think it is too expensive. Others want to haggle it down to what they believe is the right price for “something similar”. Trying to play their cards right, it is not difficult to see when they try to haggle the prices down because they believe we health coaches do not know the market prices of fellow guides.
What concerns me the most is that guiding clients through sustainable health practices is associated with being expensive. Someone who is going to tell me what I need to eat, drink and when I need to sleep? Every week, a one-on-one call to assess progress?
How has he got the nerve to ask for this?
Yep, I heard it before, experienced it with my own eyes, and saw clients move along without making a decision in the months to come. They continue spending US$300 on a massive evening out every week while one month of nutrition coaching almost comes down to the same? Their Facebook profile shows their ordered gastronomical feast laid out in abundance on the neatly ironed linen.
With the comment added in the nature of “dieting is out of the window for today”.
And tomorrow, the chances that something connected to it is added to a new feed are fairly likely.
Probably for the weeks to follow, too.
And for sure, by next year, their eagerness to shred some weight remains as low as one can imagine.
If expensive is considered based on tangible products on how we perceive the product with immediate/visible gratification, then yes, I can totally relate to this. If we buy a new television, we do want Netflix to be so much better. We head out for dinner at a well-known establishment, and we’re keen to have a great evening.
It can be even better. That satisfaction when discounts are added to the final bill.
But do you really want to haggle for a better and healthier you? Believing that US$300 for an extended coaching period is ridiculous because you cannot see immediate tangible results? Or have you not done your homework by comparing fees and methodology with other coaches?
So let’s head into negotiation mode!
We wait for discounts when we see that are just right for us. But when it comes to our health, humanity tends to draw a line. It generally spends it on other matters that seem to be of greater value. And that, too, is perfectly fine.
What is persistently overlooked and ignored is that we do contribute to healthier choices that not only enrich your health markers but also your wallet. Humanity is spending its hard-earned cash not always wise when nutrition is on the shopping list. Choices to let your internal engine run more smoothly are the name of the food game because we are drawn by its colourful advertisements, its 2+1 offers, and the fact that your idol thinks it is “the best money can buy”.
But do you really want to negotiate on your health and pursue meaningful methods that are long-lasting and will never go out of fashion?
Where the discounts almost sneak in by themselves when following simple techniques, gaining knowledge on items such as weight loss and sleep?
Where we even may support your regular visits to the hospital and cut down on whatever cost you may incur?
We don’t bat an eyelid when we go for takeaway coffees for xx years straight while we fail to think about upgrading our health. I hear it too often that potential clients think that’s expensive for a personalised service that is giving them skills we can use forever.
“Expensive” is a very relative term when it is connected to coaching. Because of its potential ripple effect.
My testimonials speak for themselves.
And so are many of my fellow colleagues who do this because we all want to see you thrive.
If you think education is expensive, try ignorance | Jeff Rich
