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Small stories. Big ideas.

Give the discount with a smile

Once you've given the discount, you can't take it back. But you can still leave the customer with a good impression.

Archive photo of a ski and bicycle shop

In my ski and bicycle shop in the 1990s, some customers were excellent negotiators. Every so often, we agreed to a discount we would rather not have given.

I came to realise that the salesperson's reaction after the deal mattered. The margin was already gone. Looking annoyed as the customer left did nothing to recover it. It only spoiled the experience.

So our rule became simple: If we had decided to give the discount, we would let the customer feel good about having made a deal. Even if we wished we had negotiated a little harder.

The point

The final impression is part of the product.

An idea for your next meeting: If you've already decided to say yes to a customer, how do you make sure it actually feels like a yes?

Based on a personal experience from a ski and bicycle shop. The story illustrates a principle, not a measured impact on sales.