Getting “Amazoned”? Here's What To Tell Your Sales Team
In today's shops, boutiques and showrooms, one of the most common objections is painfully predictable: "I can find this cheaper online." This happens so often, the phenomenon has been termed as getting “Amazoned”.
I've watched this challenge evolve from an occasional hurdle to an almost daily occurrence. But this objection hasn’t meant the end of the sale – handled right – it’s the beginning of the conversation you’d want to have had all along.
Here's how it usually goes: You’ve spent 45 minutes with a customer, everything's going great, and then they pull out their phone and hit you with, "I can find this cheaper on Amazon."
When a customer drops the A-bomb, I lean into it. "You're absolutely right! You probably can find it cheaper online.”
If that can put a pin in the discussion on price for the moment, this is your chance to redefine your value proposition.
Instead of defending your price - rattling off features and benefits, help your customer understand that you’re offering includes expertise, guidance, and an exclusive, personalized experience.
This can sound like “Many of my customers have purchased from Amazon … with regret! They were disappointed by the quality, dissatisfied with the way it worked and had difficulty getting help to make it easier to use. Only after wasting time and energy did they come back to us for that personalized service and assurance of their satisfaction.”
It can be helpful to remember that your customers could've stayed home in their pajamas and clicked "buy now," but they didn’t. For some reason, they consider this a major purchase and didn’t want just to access an inventory. They felt like they needed expertise, guidance, and ultimately, security in the knowledge that someone will be there to keep them from making the wrong decision.
PRO TIP: Never apologize for your prices. The moment you start acting defensive about pricing, you've lost the value battle. The confidence to maintain this position comes from truly believing in what you offer. Your pricing isn't just about the product – it's about the entire service ecosystem you've built around it. The premium they're paying isn't for the product alone – it's also for the confidence of making the right choice. No matter how good the AI gets, an App can’t do these things.
It goes without saying that the retail landscape is changing, and the emergence of AI will continue to make it more challenging. But one thing will not change : people still crave human connection and peace of mind, when they make important purchases. Master this approach, and you'll never fear getting "Amazoned" again.
What has your experience been with handling online price comparisons? I'd love to hear about your approach in the comments.