When it comes to talking about money, everyone feels uncomfortable. Whether it has to do with a budget, personal finances, not paying dues for a sorority, etc., people hate talking money. Why is this the case I’ve asked myself? Well, I think part of the reason is that people in today’s culture allow money to define them in some ways. It speaks to where one’s status in society is, and that can be either an intimidating factor or an insecurity for people, hence why it is uncomfortable to discuss.
Although it is uncomfortable to talk about, talking money in sales is a must. There is always a point in the sales conversation where budget and price needs to be addressed. Personally, I have never felt capable of doing this in a tactful way until this semester and this sales class. We talked about techniques of bracketing, just getting a tangible number out in the open, or going for the sticker shock/reality check. I had never thought about or heard of these techniques, and now I feel extremely ready and comfortable to bring this up when selling PeeWee Packs either to a parent or an investor.
I never particularly understood why people don’t like talking money. On a personal level I understand, its none of your business how much someone makes and it is rather rude to bring up. But in a sales situation, or a business situation in general, its 100% necessary and no longer a personal matter. Its part of a business transaction.
Great post, Hannah! I think it’s important to keep the ways that we learned to talk about money on hand so that we can aptly handle those situations!