It is tempting to offer a "limited discount" to bring in a new clients. But if details of a discount become public, typically, the discount is extended beyond the original target.
That's my take on what happened last week in Minnesota with Al Franken and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. As the senate race heated up Incumbent Republican Senator Norm Coleman ran an a full-page ad in the newspaper criticizing Democratic hopeful Al Franken. The ad was controversial and in the publicity that followed the price paid for the ad was revealed. Coleman paid a little over $23,000 for the ad...far less than the $37,000 Franken's campaign paid for the same size ad two months before. Oops!
The Star Tribune responded:
"A new sales rep made a mistake and gave the Coleman campaign a rate from the local retail rate card, rather than the national rate card. We only discovered the mistake when the Franken campaign complained. We thought the best way to make it right is to give the Franken campaign the same rate we gave Coleman on this particular ad. Going forward both campaigns will be charged the national rate."
Typical. Blame it on the media rep.
On a sales call:
There will always be temptations to discount to get more business. But caution should be your guide. If word gets out, where ever it goes, so does the the discount.
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