You signed up for a free in-home quote for a remodeling project and as things are wrapping up the salesperson hits you with a “special” discount if you would just sign on the dotted line right now.
You remember very clearly that they told you the prices would be guaranteed for a year, but all of the sudden the high price is good for a year and the lower price is going to expire when she walks out the door. What’s the deal with that?
If you remember noting else, remember that this type of pricing scheme is a sure sign that you’re getting a bad deal.
Think about it this way: this salesperson does this for a living and she knows much more about the pricing than you do. If she was sure that what she was offering was such a great deal then she would be confident that you could think it over and you would certainly call her back to get this great deal. Why would she come up with a strategy to get you to sign up without considering your options? Because she knows it’s not a good deal.
Of course she can’t tell you it’s not a good deal because she gets paid commission and that would be a bad strategy. So what does she do? She comes up with a way to justify this short term discount.
The appointment saver discount is nothing more than a justification for manipulative pricing. She will tell you that if you buy now while she’s already there it will save her the trip back to sign paperwork later. She’ll tell you all of her customers call her back because she’s got the best deal in town and she ends up visiting everyone twice.
She might tell you that her accountant told her that if she could only visit each customer one time it would allow her to meet with twice as many people which would double the size of her business. It would be worth offering a substantial discount to double the size of her business right? Wrong.
This is a complete bunch of junk, but believe us when we tell you there are companies out there telling this story to unsuspecting homeowners all across the country tonight.
Remember when you’re hearing all of this that they explain these stories for a living. She does this every day so she’s probably pretty good at it. She’ll have an answer for everything and she’ll sound reasonable. That’s her job.
If you tell her you’ll fax the paperwork after you think it over she’ll say she needs the originals.
If you tell her you’ll mail the originals in a week or two when you’re ready she’ll say the rebate ends today.
If you tell her you’ll drop the forms off at her office she’ll tell you they need your order today to meet their quota. Next week will be too late. Of course she may not have an office, but that’s a story for another day.
As you’re hearing all of this remember that nothing in the window business changes on a daily basis. The ONLY reason they create pricing schemes like this is to separate you from your money.
Do you really think that if you call her up next month and tell her you want to go ahead with the project she will tell you tough luck? Of course she won’t. She’ll probably be pretty surprised as nobody ever calls her back, but you won’t either after you get a few more quotes.
We know getting quotes for remodeling projects can be a hassle and you may just want to be done with the process. We have seen folks pay $5,000 – $10,000 more for a project than they needed to because the salesperson told them they needed to sign up right now to get a great deal.
Everyone says, “oh, I’d never fall for that”, but these companies do millions of dollars per year in business. Someone does fall for it each and every day.
If you hear about an appointment saver discount, or a manufactures rebate, or a quota, or a managers special, just thank them for their time and call the next company on your list.
If you’re looking for a window company right now, the best advice we have is to check out our list of the best window companies all over the country. You can find it right here.
I just went through this exact thing yesterday with Window Galaxy. He said the 30 day price was $18,500, the today price was $16,500. I wasn’t interested. He actually left, came back 10 minutes later and we immediately negotiated to $11,300. I signed but I’m thinking it over and might cancel before my 3 days are up to cancel. 11 windows, an 8 Foot Slider and a Bay Window. Still not sure how good the price is. I feel scammed. What do you think?
He would have laughed all the way to the bank with your $18,500. Is that the kind of company you want to do business with?
I’m an actual in home sales consultant. While I do agree with most of what is said I do my best to always be honest with my clients. There are times when I need sales to bring my metrics back in line. These are the times that I will legitimately offer a client a discount to not come back. It’s not always a scam. I have a family, wife and kids. I routinely leave around 8.30am and dont get home till 9pm or later. For me, once in awhile when I need it, making $200 is worth the time it would take from my family to have to come back and make $500.
All I’m saying is as someone in this industry, we have lives to. Were not all liars but we all want to make the best use of our time. And again, I’m honest. If I offer you a price to not come back and I’m only making $50 on it just cause I need the deal….I’m not coming back a few weeks later for that $50. It’s not worth the time.
Hi Brandon, thanks for writing. I think the problem in that scenario is your boss paying you only $50 for selling a project. It’s a shame the way some of these business owners treat their people and that does impact the way their people treat their customers. It doesn’t need to be that way.