(The Truth About Sales Versus Value)
If you build your business around discounts, you’re training people to wait for your next sale.
I’ve seen this for thirty years: the store that runs a sale every weekend, the furniture showroom with faded “SALE” tags that have been on the sofas so long they look like part of the upholstery.
Build your model on price cuts and you’ll only get feast-and-famine revenue, bargain-hunter customers, and constant pressure to keep slicing your margins even thinner.
I’m not saying promotions are bad.
I’m saying discounts are the lazy, destructive option.
There’s a huge difference between lowering price and changing the offer.
When you focus on changing the offer – adding value, bundling, creating limited extras tied to an event – you give people a reason to buy now without the hassles of discounts that will turn around and bite you on the butt.
Let me give a few concrete examples from my own experience.
I’m a fan of GORUCK – tough, high-end rucksacks, gear, and events. They do smart things: if you sign up for one of their events, they’ll give you a limited-time discount on gear. That feels embedded in the experience. You paid for an event; the windowed discount is fair and tied to behavior.
But then they do something I consider not so smart.
They sell “Christmas in July” style deals too, and that’s where the psychology turns sour.
If I can (and I do) wait for July to save 30% on a $500 kit, why buy now? I’ve watched customers time their purchases and sales slump during the “off” months.
If you do that…
You’ve trained the market to wait!
I’ve run one genuine discount sale in the last two (2) decades – a scratch-and-dent deal for returned copies of Mini Site Creator.
When I ran the sale, I was transparent about what the product was and why it was discounted (returned copies, not new ones). We sold through the stack fast.
Damaging admission: we oversold the returned stock because we went to lunch and sold more than we had on hand before we got back from the strip mall Chinese restaurant. (YUM!)
Solution? I chucked a few brand-new copies down the stairs to keep the sale honest.
That stunt proves the point: an honest, inventory-driven one-off discount can work. But it’s rare, and it should feel unusual. That’s why I won’t make discounts the backbone of my business.
What consistently works is “special-event value”
Years ago, we launched the Copywriting Enchilada as a bundle of stuff we’d never sold together before at a package price that felt new.
There was no “regular” price to compare it to, so there was no buyer’s remorse that comes from discovering a lower price later.
We raised the price over time and conversions didn’t drop. Why? Because the offer solved problems in a way that felt worth the money.
People bought based on value, not because the price was cheapest that day.
Here’s the psychology at work… ready?
Discounts teach customers to buy on price. Buy-on-price customers will always look for a lower price. They aren’t loyal to your product; they’re loyal to the deal.
Value-based offers teach customers to buy on solution. When you make the benefit obvious and compelling – limited bonuses, bundles that solve a bigger problem, event-tied extras – you attract customers who appreciate what you’ve done for them.
Those customers are less likely to haggle, less likely to churn, and more likely to refer others.
Think about the difference like this:
For a hangnail, most people comparison-shop for Band-Aids at the drugstore.
For a chainsaw accident, nobody asks the ambulance driver about price.
Solve a painful, urgent problem with visible, tangible value and price stops being the first question (or any question for that matter).
That’s the mental shift you want your offers to trigger.
So how do we put this into action?
Don’t discount the price – change the offer:
- Bundle: Combine related products or services into a package that’s more useful than the parts alone.
- Add limited-time bonuses: Create one-off extras that are genuinely valuable and only available with the offer.
- Tie offers to events: Reward attendees or participants with a special package that’s only available in that context.
- Limited editions: Introduce elements that can’t be compared to a regular price because they’re unique.
- Honest one-offs for inventory: If you must discount, be transparent and make it a rare, inventory-driven move.
There are legitimate reasons people run sales, chief among them short-term cash needs or competitive pressure.
I get it.
But understand the long-term cost.
If your sales strategy relies on discounting, you’ll attract buyers who expect discounts.
If your strategy focuses on adding value, you’ll earn customers who appreciate and defend your pricing.
If you want higher margins, steadier revenue, and customers who value what you do, stop making price the centerpiece. Stack the value instead.
Make your offers solve problems in a way that’s obvious, urgent, and meaningful. Do that and you won’t just sell more – you’ll build a business your customers are proud to buy from.
Ready to stop discounting and start stacking value? Use CopyandContent.AI to build offers your
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