The author, as a marketing lecturer, frequently teaches terminal sales techniques to distributors and salespeople, and is very familiar with various sales tactics. However, when shopping himself, despite being sensitive and alert, he often falls into "tactical traps." The anchoring effect is one such terminal sales technique that never fails.
One day, the author went to a computer mall to buy a laptop. Being a fashionista of new IT products, he had his eye on the latest laptop. At the brand's专卖店, a salesperson first received him, but seeing his strong purchase intention, a male store manager took over and gave a detailed introduction to the product's performance. The author was quite satisfied. Then came the bargaining phase. When negotiations stalled, the manager used his first trick: asking the boss. He went to the back, made a phone call to the boss (who knows if he actually called; it was likely just for show), then came back and said this was the lowest discount, no further reductions. Seeing the author still hesitating, the manager used his second trick: free gifts. He said, "The price can't go lower. If you decide today, I'll throw in a keyboard protector worth 300 yuan." The author was still clear-headed and asked the manager to open a website to check the price on JD.com. His quote matched the online price, so he stopped bargaining and prepared to pay and take the machine. During installation, another young man, who seemed to be an engineer, appeared. While installing, the "trap" came. This young engineer seemed professional and chatted enthusiastically. He touched the laptop screen and said, "See, this laptop screen is soft; pressing it leaves a dent. Do you need a screen protector? It's 400 yuan." Then he added, "You also need to protect the areas beside the touchpad, because when you type, if you wear a watch, the strap can scratch those areas, and over time it looks bad." The author thought it made sense and had him apply them. In the end, these miscellaneous accessories cost nearly 1,000 yuan extra. This is a classic case of falling into the "anchoring effect": before buying the main product, customers are sensitive to accessory prices and will bargain, but after purchasing, it's easier to sell them accessories because compared to the expensive main product, these small items seem cheap, and they are indeed needed, so consumers don't haggle much and pay up.
Another similar experiment: If a customer goes to a store to buy a shirt priced at 500 yuan, and also wants a tie clip priced at 100 yuan, the clerk tells them that at another store, the same tie clip is 70 yuan, but they'd have to drive 20 minutes. Would you go to the other store to save 30 yuan? In the second scenario, the shirt is on sale at 100 yuan, and the tie clip is 500 yuan. The clerk says another store sells the tie clip for 470 yuan. Would you go to save 30 yuan?
In the first case, most customers say yes, but in the second, many say "no need." Interestingly, both scenarios involve spending 600 yuan and saving 30 yuan. Why do customers say yes in the first but no in the second? The reason is the anchoring effect: for a 100-yuan item, saving 30 yuan feels like a good deal; compared to a 500-yuan price, saving 30 yuan is nothing.
In simple terms, the anchoring effect means your initial reference point has an immeasurable, subtle influence on you.
So, in store sales, skilled salespeople, knowing customers may not buy high-priced products, always introduce the higher-priced product first, then the lower-priced one. This way, the customer's anchoring effect kicks in, greatly increasing the chance of closing the deal. When selling complementary products, experienced salespeople always let the customer finalize the main product first, then push accessories and add-ons, making it easier and increasing the success rate.
The anchoring effect has many practical applications at the terminal. The author won't list them all, but as long as you think, even when customers know it's a "trap," they jump in "without hesitation." Even for a professional marketer like the author, who is familiar with all sorts of sales techniques, he is not immune. Perhaps that's the charm of the anchoring effect.
Editor's PS: The editor has selected 1,067 articles from nearly 1,900 published on this official account, categorized into 14 major categories and 57 knowledge points, systematically compiling frontline marketing management content into a library for learning. From market to customers, practical and management-focused, all are valuable. After following the account, reply with the number "1" to browse the following: Sales improvement techniques (73 articles), Sales supervisor skills (74), Terminal visit management (82), Distributor market operations (118), Distributor development (91), Distributor internal operations management (89), Team management (53), First lesson for new salespeople (96), Efficient distribution skills (117), Sales manager's eighteen skills (90), Managing distributors (47), KA operations (35), Internet and brand (47).