TOP LINE TAKEWAY- Passion and quality add value to your product/service.

 

A few years ago our family spent a few days at Mackinac Island, Michigan. It is a quaint place that has banned automobiles. All transportation is via foot, bike or horse.

Kite flying is a serious hobby on the Island and the winds are usually favorable.

My teenage daughter thought it might be fun to fly a kite so we wandered into town to pick up a basic kite for a few days of flying. I know little about kites and didn’t wish to make this a major investment. After we visited several of the kite stores it seemed that all were quite expensive particularly in light of our intention to use the kite for only a few days. We finally found an inexpensive kite at a local novelty store.

We purchased the kite and proceeded to set it aloft in front of our hotel. In a very short span of time the wooden cross brace snapped so we returned to town for a replacement brace. We stopped in at a real kite store to purchase the replacement part.

The owner was a very lively fellow and pleasantly asked where we had purchase our kite. He knew our kite was not of good quality but he didn’t make a big deal out of our error. When we mentioned that we had purchased it at the novelty store a sad look appeared on his face. He then told us that the novelty store owner sold a lot a junk kites and he had many people come to him disappointed with their cheap and broken kites.

He then took us on a brief tour of his store stopping to explain some of his various kites- Box kites, French Military kites, Sled kites, etc. and the various benefits and limitations of each. His knowledge was extensive and his passion for kites, real kites, was infectious.

After our tour he told us that he would give us a full credit on our broken kite toward a good kite at his store. It was a deal we could not refuse even though it meant doubling our original kite investment.

We took the real kite back to the hotel and the difference between it and our junk kite was remarkable. Our new kite was made to fly, and quickly took to the sky. In a very short period of time it devoured all the line becoming a small speck in the sky. It was a real flyer.

After we brought the kite back in my daughter and I both remarked on how passionate the kite store owner was regarding his product. And how right he was regarding the difference between our cheap kite and a real kite. Even though we had to double our kite budget we knew that we had made a very good deal and had a great kite.

When I reflect back on the kite guy from Mackinac Island I am reminded of how important knowledge and passion are in sales. We were ignorant regarding kites and therefore assumed there was little difference between one kite and another. Once we were able to recognize quality, the true value of a more expensive kite became both obvious and justified.

A sale often begins by educating customers on how to recognize value. Unless we are successful there we should not be surprised if our customers insist on the lowest cost rather than the best value. Quality often cost more but is usually the better investment.

Never apologize for selling quality or the price it commands. And if you sell quality at junk prices you do both yourself and your customer a disservice as neither of you will appreciate the true value of your product.