We've all had that moment, you know,
where you share the price of your program
and right away you can feel the
resistance, the
pushback, the all think about it.
Now you're defending the number now and
you're explaining it and you're
justifying it and all of that is tiring
because all you want is for people to
just understand the value of what you
have to see it for what it is.
It's a really good deal.
So there I was in Italy with my family
and we walked into a little leather shop
and in this shop price never came up and
we've been in shop after shop all day.
Every single one price was the only thing
that my wife and daughter looked at the
tag, the number that was
the whole conversation.
But in this shop, it would things were
different and we walked out having bought
three handbags and a wallet.
So what was the difference?
That's what we're
going to get into today.
And if you've ever
not cheap stuff.
This is the kind of place where you look
at a tag and your brain goes, nope, I'm
in Italy and I am there with my wife.
My two kids and my parents.
And it is one of those trips that we have
been planning for months and months and
months and I'm excited about it.
Now my daughter was excited because she
had the chance to go shopping.
She loves to shop.
And so, of course, we're all out and
about in Florence and we're looking
around at all these different leather
shops and bags and so forth.
And this one particular leather shop we
go in and right away, it's just, it just
feels different, right?
You've got that leather bag smell.
You know what I'm talking about?
It's like, I swear they have like a
leather spray that they just spray around
the store because it just smells so
stinking good in there.
We go in there and we are greeted right
away by this gentleman and
he is super friendly, smiling.
He just starts asking questions where
we're from, starts chatting
about the store and so forth.
But he didn't just help us and just
didn't rush right into things.
He didn't push.
He just started talking.
He started talking about the shop.
He started talking about how they pick
the leather for the
items that they're making.
He talks about who picks each piece.
He talks about how long
one bag takes to make.
And something happened while he talked
because we all just stopped looking at
the price and we just started
appreciating the things that we were
holding in our hands.
And by the time we got back to the
number, it didn't feel expensive.
In fact, it felt fair and it
felt like it had been earned.
And so the same people, my wife and
daughter who had been price hunting all
day here, they weren't.
And we ended up buying three handbags and
a wallet and the whole
thing felt really good.
And here's the bottom line.
He didn't just sell us a bag.
He sold us the story behind the bag and
the story is what made
the price feel small.
Now you've heard me talk about
stories on multiple episodes.
I think back in episode 270, I talked
about the power of story and I just
experienced it again while in Italy.
And there are some key lessons that I
want to share with you
because we all get price resistance.
But story can melt that
price resistance away.
So lesson number one, price pushback is
really, I don't get it yet.
See, when someone box at your price, most
of the time, they
don't think it's too much.
They just don't understand
why it costs what it costs.
It's like a menu where
it says chicken 40 bucks.
Well, that may make you
stop and think about it.
But if it says farm chicken from down the
road, slow cooked for six
hours and fresh herbs, $40.
Well, now all of a
sudden that has context.
That price feels fair.
It's the same chicken.
It's just the story
that carried the price.
So how do you tell the story?
Well, there are three simple things you
can walk people through.
And I encourage you to pick
whatever one fits what you sell.
So you could first start talking about
what went into learning the
things that you're sharing.
The years you spent, the mistakes that
you made, the mentors you paid, the stuff
you had to figure out the
hard way so they don't have to.
Number two, you could go and talk about
what went into making the
thing that you are offering.
The care that went into building the
thing, the pieces you added, the things
you tested, the things you threw out and
rebuilt, the thought behind
why it works the way it does.
Or third, you could talk
about what went into producing it.
The hours, the hands that touched it, the
steps most people never see, the parts
that take longer because
you refuse to cut the corner.
A good example of this is
my friend, Jason Gaynard.
I mentioned that we had attended his book
launch party and he walked through the
whole process of how he
created that particular book.
And it was amazing because he talked
about all the words and the chapters and
the pages that just got thrown out and
how the hours that went into trimming it
and cutting it and editing it.
And it just gave you a deeper sense of
the value that that book brings.
Does this all make sense?
And when you're telling this story, one
of the things I want you to realize is
that you're not bragging.
You're just letting them see
the work behind your offer.
Lesson number two,
the story is the value.
It's not a nice extra.
See, more often than not, we treat the
story like a decoration, like something
that you just tack on
the end if there's time.
And that, my friend, is what's completely
backwards because it's the story of how
people come to understand what they're
paying for, the hours, the care, the
choices that nobody sees.
And there's a famous marketing example
that is shared by Jay
Abraham and he loves to tell this.
And it goes back to a man named Claude
Hopkins, one of the
great early ad writers.
And there was a beer company that hired
him called Schlitz and they were stuck at
number five in the market.
And they just weren't
selling like they should be.
So Hopkins walked through their brewery
and he saw everything that went into
making the beer, the deep wells that they
drilled for clean water, the bottles
cleaned again and again, the testing to
get the taste just right.
And here's the thing, every
beer company was doing this.
It was normal in the
industry, but nobody talked about it.
So the public had no idea.
To a regular person, it was fascinating.
So Hopkins did one simple thing.
He started telling that story in the ads
and he walked people through
how the beer was actually made.
Nothing about the beer changed, only the
story that people heard.
And guess what happened?
Yeah, sales skyrocketed.
That company went from number five all
the way to number one, from the bottom of
the pack to the top,
Just by telling the story
that was there the whole time.
And here's what's wild.
The work was always there.
They just never told anyone about it.
But the moment they
did, everything changed.
Now, here's the proof
that it works long term.
That leather shop in Italy
that I was telling you about.
Well, the more I talked to this
gentleman, the more I discovered that it
had been around for decades.
Still busy, still packed with people.
That's not luck because when you sell on
story and craft, you
don't just make one sale.
You build something that lasts.
And one more reason that story matters
and most people miss this.
The story doesn't just
help you make the sale.
It gives your buyer something to repeat
and tell others about as well.
So think about what happens after someone
buys in the back of their mind.
They need a way to feel good about it.
They need a way to justify it, especially
on something that isn't cheap.
And when you've handed them the story,
that job is done for them.
Someone says, oh, nice bag.
Where'd you get it?
And instead of, oh, some
shop in Italy, they light up.
All of a sudden they
start sharing the story.
Oh, this place has been family run for
decades and everything is handmade.
The guy walked us into the back and
showed us how they
cut and sew every piece.
Now they're not just showing off a bag.
They are passing on the story.
It's like giving someone a gift that
comes with a great story attached.
And so they don't just enjoy the gift.
They can't wait to tell
everyone about where it came from.
And the story begins to travel with it.
So when you tell your story, well, you're
not just closing one person, you're
handing them the words to
bring you the next person.
See, a plain rock is a rock, but hand
someone a rock and say, this came from
the top of the mountain that your
grandfather climbed.
And they won't put that rock down because
nothing about the rock has changed.
But the story does.
The meaning does the
purpose behind it does.
don't hide your process.
Don't assume that
people would just get it.
They won't unless you tell them.
Lesson number three, tell the story
before you get to the price.
Now, I'll be honest, in the leather shop,
price did come up right away.
My wife and daughter had been looking at
price all day, so it was on their minds.
But here's how this man handled it.
First thing, he just put us at ease.
He said, listen, don't worry.
He said he would take care of us and that
we would get a good deal.
Immediately, that just
took the pressure off.
Then he did something smart.
He said, the more we
buy, the better the deal.
And then all of a sudden, guess who else
was interested in getting a handbag?
Yeah, my mom.
So because he mentioned that, my mom now
had an interest and started
shopping for a bag of her own.
And then right away, he
went into another story.
He started talking about the family
business and how it had been in their
family for decades and
how everything was handmade.
And as I said, he was
showing us the leather.
He was showing us how they decide on the
interiors and the zippers and how they
are crafted and all of these things.
He used the whole thing as a chance to
tell the story and show us the craft.
So, yes, Price was a consideration, but
he handled it fast and then he spent his
energy on the story.
And that's the order.
Now, here's where I see
where people get this wrong.
I review a lot of sales pages for our
membership and mastermind communities.
And more often than not, I see people
bury their story way at
the bottom of the page.
I'm talking about where they share who
they are, how they
came to make this offer.
It's just stuck way down at the bottom
like an afterthought.
But knowing who's behind the
thing we're buying, it matters.
And it creates relatability.
It creates connection.
That's the story that deserves a real
spot, not in the basement of your page.
So to be clear, I'm not saying drop the
outcome where we're talking about the
transformation and how they feel and how
their life gets better
because of what you offer.
All of that is important.
You got to keep all of that.
But just add the story of how it came to
be because the story is
what gives your offer context.
It brings it to life.
And at the same time, it quietly melts
the price resistance away.
Lesson number four, the
sale doesn't end at the sale.
Now, one more thing that this man did in
the leather shop, and it was so simple.
Right as we were finishing
up, he asked for referrals.
But watch how he did it.
He didn't just say,
hey, tell your friends.
He said, when you have friends or family
coming to Italy, send them to our shop
and tell them to ask for Smiley.
And I'll be sure to take care of them.
Two things happened here.
One, he gave us his name, Smiley.
And now he's like a
real person, not a store.
And he made a promise.
He said, I'll take care of them.
So now when I send someone, I'm not just
handing out an address.
I'm handing off a relationship.
It's like a friend telling you to go to
this restaurant and ask for
Tony and he'll hook you up.
You don't just go.
You go feeling like
you already belong there.
At the end of a happy sale,
ask, but make it personal.
Give them your name.
Make a promise that you'll keep.
That is how you keep a
customer who becomes five.
So here's what I want to
encourage you to do this week.
I want you to look at where you sell your
sales page, webinar, wherever.
Find the spot where you jump to price too
fast or where your story
is buried at the bottom.
And I want to encourage
you to move that story up.
The craft, the care, the why.
Because story matters and we need to be
intentional about what we're sharing,
when we're sharing it,
and how we are sharing it.
Because when you do it right, the price
resistance just melts away.
Now, next time, in the next episode, I'm
going to share a strategy from one of my
students, Tara Phillips, and
what she is using right now.
She is absolutely crushing it.
And it's setting her up
for her biggest launch yet.
You're going to want to
hear how she's doing it.
So by the way, if you're not subscribed
to the podcast, make
sure you subscribe today.
quick recap.
Price pushback is usually
quote, I don't get it yet.
The story is the value, not an add on,
and it gives your
buyer something to repeat.
So tell it early, put it in front, and do
not bury it at the
bottom of your sales page.
And remember, the sale
doesn't end at the end of the sale.
So ask for the
referral and make it personal.
The less you talk about price, the less
people fight you on it.
Tell the story behind what you make.
The price takes care of itself.
All right, my friend,
that's all for today.