How to use the Door In the Face Sales Technique

We've all heard of the foot in the door technique of sales where you first sell the customer on something small and then escalate the price with added features or benefits. The door in the face technique is essentially the opposite and often nets much higher profits.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Introduce yourself to your customer and get an idea of what they are interested in. Show them the highest-priced version of whatever they are in the market for and explain its features.

2. If he decides to go for it you just made a huge sale, but do not linger on that version. Show a comparable, less expensive but still pricey model next. Try to find one that seems to lose more price than features. If you are selling televisions show one that has one or two less features or just a different molding or a one inch smaller diameter screen but costs a few hundred dollars less. Do not try to sell them on this model yet.

3. Now show them a much cheaper, but still highly priced, version. You want them to be disappointed in the lack of features or quality but happy about the price. Judge how interested they are in the price difference and use that judgment to decide which version to try to sell them on. Be careful which version you use as the low-ball. You want them to want something better.

4. If they are very disappointed in the features explain that for just a little more, but still considerably less than the most expensive model, they can have the slightly better model. By directing the buyer to a higher priced version you have set the lowest priced version they are likely to consider.

5. It is now up to you and the customer to find the happy balance between quality and price. If she is obsessed with features and hung up on the price see if you can find a sale version that meets your minimum price and her minimum quality.

6. Once your customer has decided on a model you can begin to upsell. This is not risky but it's also not guaranteed. Think of fast food or coffee chains and how you can get slight improvements on your purchase for 'just a little more.' You want fries with that? A little bigger? The same principle works here.

7. Once the customer has made up his mind, let it be set and do not push. It is not worth watching a sale fly out the door because you got greedy, and you want your customer to feel they got a good value for their money.

Tips & Warnings

• This technique is employed by large stores–notably discount electronics stores–in their stereo, computer and television display areas in conjunction with the foot in the door technique.
• You have most likely been subjected to this without knowing it.

[arifmeo]

on 11/19/2008 dear sir, i have an old coin related to very old era that can not be found in the world. can you please tell me how to sale it
special thanx

[jimdris]

on 8/21/2008 Excellent article. I had no idea that people are actually trained to use this method.