When you walk into a clothing store, everything that’s for sale has a price tag attached to it. Different designs cost differently and we know this so we can be able to tell at times, if the product has been over priced. There’s once I saw a catalogue for Porsche cars. It only had the photos of the cars and no cost to any of them. I asked then asked my friend, ‘How is it that this catalogue does not have amounts?’ His response, ‘If you’re asking how much they cost, then you’re not the target market.’ Ouch, right?
I mulled over that statement for a while and something dawned on me. Nowadays if I see something that I think in my head is too expensive or over priced, (my thinking). I don’t hate. I simply say ‘ I’m not the target audience’ and I walk on. No, it doesn’t make me feel bad about not affording it. We all have our lanes. Lol.
The world is one big shopping mall. And we are all different ‘products’ who offer different services. Now, our ‘Designer’ already put a ‘price tag’ on us. The only difference between us humans and other products, is that we can reduce or increase our price tags, depending. Before God’s eyes, we are all equal. We are all important but life at times happens and we allow its happenings to determine our price tag. Do you know the 20 dollar bill story? Clean and crisp, people wanted it. It was crumpled up, thrown on the ground, stepped on and all. But when the speaker asked who wanted it after all that, people still raised their hands. The 20 dollar hadn’t lost its value just because it looked dirty. I likeclean and crisp notes. At times when I buy something with a clean, crisp note, and there’s change, I ask the service provider to give me clean notes in return. At times they have and at times they don’t and end up giving you a note that looks like old itself. I still take it. I don’t tell them that if they don’t have new notes they can keep the change. Because why? Because, New or old, the value is still the same. The note’s value is not affected by its appearance or ‘age’. Lol. So, why do we as humans, let our circumstances change or define our value? Why do we let “shoppers” to walk into our lives and change our “price tags”. The only person who can do that is the Designer. And even in stores where you can bargain, the retailer knows what the bargaining margin is. There is a price they cannot pass. They got boundaries for their products. What about us?
Do we have boundaries set for ourselves? And boundaries for us are in terms of principles. How far is too far? What can we not go beyond? Or do we operate like we have no value at all and any price goes? And, people will treat us according to how we value ourselves. Of you portray yourself like worth a million euros, then people will treat you that way. They may not like it. They may grumble about it, but they will still do it. At least if they want to get your attention or reach you. If you don’t value yourself, the principle still applies. People Around you will treat you like you’re nothing. Like you are something to be used and trashed. The sad thing is that we always know when we have over valued, correctly priced or under priced ourselves. Over pricing yourself also has its challenges. Don’t over promise and under deliver, you end messing with your brand and you will not be considered authentic. Just have the correct value of you and don’t budge for no one.
We let our circumstances and people define us, when we don’t have clear boundaries as individuals. We end up either under priced or over priced depending on what outside forces do or say. We are not stable. And that is no way to live but that’s how most of us live. And it’s as simple as reacting to something someone says or does as opposed to responding. When you react, you are allowing the other person/ circumstance to determine your price tag for you.
It is true that we cannot control the things that happen to us. That 20 dollar bill could not control the speaker throwing it in the ground and trampling on it and crumping it up and all but, it did not let that reduce its value. It still remained a 20 dollar bill. What about you?
Before you can even not budge on your price tag, you need to first know what your value is and set your bargaining margin of at all. Then no matter what happens to you, you do not move up and down but remain constant in your price tag and if someone walks up to you and they try to over or under price you, you confidently direct them to move along and tell them ‘ I’m clearly not your target market’. Do not try to change your specifications because someone or something doesn’t like you as you are. Why? Because, you will end up losing out on the people and things that would actually “buy” you at your price tag because even they understand your value. Another example. A supermarket has many products from different brands stocked. Now, we all know the brands we like and why we like them. So I am a dove girl. I like their products. So say I’m looking for a dove body lotion. If I walk into a supermarket and find they do not have five but they have Nivea, guess what, I will not stand there and start talking about how much I like dove’s body lotion and hope that the nivea will hear and transform itself into one. I will either choose to substitute my like for dove for the nivea because it is what is available or I will choose to walk out and go to another supermarket to get that which I want. I can choose to settle or I can stick my ground until I get exactly what I want but I’ll definitely not ask something that is not what I want, to become what I want. Then, it loses its identity.
I once broke up with a guy because I felt like I was losing myself, my identity in the relationship, trying to fit into his specifications of what a good wife material girl should look like. I mean, I loved him. I thought this could be it. And at first I tried to make some changes. I had my “bargaining margin” but when his expectations went beyond what I could offer, I simply removed myself from the situation. I clearly was not his target market and no matter how hard I tried, I would have ended up as a fake and he would have still probably walked out because who wants a fake when you can have an original. It hurt, but I knew I wouldn’t be happy and neither would he, if I changed myself for him. So I asked him to move along. And he did get married shortly after and I did get someone else to date. So you see, win win. He found someone who met his needs, and I was found by someone whose needs I met by simply being me.
I am a believer of the Creation story and so I believe that Christ placed a price tag on us when he died on the cross and rose again. So now, He can change my price tag, but He doesn’t because He does not change. So why would I let someone who would not even get rained on for me, to determine what my price tag should be? I mean it’s okay. They can be fly, or rich or caring or whatever attributes they have that I think makes me like them but if they can’t accept me at my price value then, I’m not their target market and I should show them the door out of my store and ask them to try the next one.
Easier said than done I know. But it’s because we usually don’t have our foundations rock solid and we don’t define our boundaries therefore anything goes. For someone who understands their value, or the value of something they have made, they would rather be alone or not make a sale, than to under value themselves or their products. So you need; you must understand and appreciate your value first, before you can say no to those who try to under value you.
Just remember every product has its own target market and that’s why in marketing, it is very important for you to define your target market while coming up with the product because then it will influence a lot of the other things. Like its price, and it’s specifications and the place for selling it and how you and where you will promote it. Someone literally died for you and came back to life for you, I mean, that needs to count for a lot.
Set your foundation right. Set your boundaries and make up your mind not to go below your bargaining power for anyone. You’re either their target market or not. And,if you are not, nothing you do will make you it.
Imperfectous
Miss Adoyo 
Indeed every product has it’s own target market.. Nice read..