The first time you meet me, please don’t act like you are a buyer for Walmart. Don’t ask me to discount my product or my services just to get you as a customer. It will not endear you to me and it teaches me way more about you than you may want to be revealing.
Walmart is well known for its strong arm practices in getting its suppliers to reduce prices so that they can offer “lower daily pricing” to Walmart customers. Once you are caught in the vortex of doing business with Walmart, it is very hard to escape the ever increasing assault on decreasing your profit margin. In essence, your profit margin becomes Walmart’s profit margin. Yes, you might be selling more widgets because Walmart has the distribution channel to move product … but at what price?
When you are networking with people, requesting a discount should be the farthest thing from your mind and from your discussion. You should be focused on building relationships that are mutually beneficial and uplifting to both parties.
There is no mutual benefit in requesting a discount. Please keep that in mind.
While networking, you want to learn the valuable ways in which people serve their clients. You want to learn the “Who, What, How, Where, and Why” about a person’s product or service so that you can help to spread the word about this person … or become a connector for them.
The last thing that I want if I value my time, my service, my products, and my current customer base, is someone who does not value these things operating in orbit near me or for me.
I want to surround myself with people who will listen, learn, and value me … just as they also value themselves and offer good and viable products, vision, and service to their clients.
People who are focused on “what things cost” and are always looking for “discounts” or getting what they want in the cheapest way possible … well, in my experience, these folks are often operating from low self esteem and do not value themselves or what they have to offer.
Additionally, if you are a discount seeker, you will get a reputation as a “10 foot pole” person. That means someone who most people will work hard to avoid.
And why do we avoid “10 foot pole” people? Most usually, it is because they are the least desirable clients to have in your client base. They will, often, suck the very life right out of you and out of your business. AND if we rely on referrals to build our business (and who doesn’t?) “10 foot pole” people tend to have friends who are just like them. If you have one … trust me, you don’t want more.
Is this how you want to be seen? Didn’t think so. So, please take that big yellow smiley face pin off your jacket, hang up your Walmart smock, quit asking people for discounts … and you may find more people will be interested in learning about you and your business.