hrinking margins and a sluggish economy mean merchants are tightening belts and pinching pennies. ISOs are finding budgetary barriers going up at alarming rates. The secret weapon in overcoming a prospect's bottom line is appropriate pricing. The trick is finding what's appropriate for your prospect. The following questions might assist you.

• What does the prospect perceive your solutions to be worth? No matter what you think, it's all in the mind of the customer. Finding out what their perception is requires asking strategic questions and effectively processing those answers.

• What do you base your prices on? A prospect's perception is based upon their reality. If you want customers to buy, your reality must reflect theirs. They are looking for answers to their problems, not yours.

• What does the prospect see? For merchants, it's a revolving door of vendors and sales agents. You must stand out from the crowd. Do it with solutions and personal services rather than basic products.

• Does your presentation focus on value? Playing the price card won't guarantee the sale. Pricing is way too competitive to be an advantage. What your products and services bring to the table will mean more to the merchant than a lower sticker price.

• Are you putting your money where your mouth is? The smart sales agents rely on solid data to support the value of their prices. Invest the time and energy to provide your prospect with relevant spreadsheets, revenue projections and, most important, customer testimonials.

• Are you getting up close and personal? Every potential customer presents different pricing challenges. Your presentation must be tailored to meet those challenges. The successful pitch that worked at that small convenience store last week won't be effective for the chain of automotive parts stores you're heading out to next week.

• Are you flexing your pricing power? Flexibility in your pricing pitch creates a common ground where you and your prospect can meet to negotiate. No matter how depressed consumer spending may be, your merchants still need services. They have to buy, and if you can offer value at a reasonable cost, they will buy from you.