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My daughter started school this week. Instead of providing her lunch money to buy food from the cafeteria, my wife and I agreed it would be healthy for us to pack her lunch. Yesterday I packed a turkey sandwich for her, some stringed cheese, and a flavored water (first time daddy made lunch for her). Probably not the most delectable meal, but healthier than fried chicken Wednesday. During dinner and the normal round of conversation, I asked my daughter how her day was, and what she learned in school, and if she liked the lunch I slaved over to make her.

My daughter then told me she didn't eat the lunch I had packed her, but had McDonalds instead. She told me that another students parents had forgotten to pack a lunch for their child, or to give them lunch money. So their mother brought a happy meal for them to eat. My daughter continued to explain how her classmate bartered with her, to trade her the contents of the happy meal (chicken nuggets, fries, and the toy) for just her turkey sandwich.

Any parent, or former child will redoubtably remember lunch time negotiations, and trade agreements. As I thought more about my daughters story I wondered, what about that turkey sandwich made it worth a Happy Meal?

As sales people and retailers we deal daily with the process of purchasing products we think will sell, setting a price that we think is fair, and selling that product to a consumer or another business. Our job is to market products to our targeted buyers in a way that they fall in love with the product, that it becomes invaluable and a must have item.

The question I would ask is how as sales persons do we change the perceived value of a product to our buyers? How do we take something ordinary (low perceived value/unnecessary) and make it extraordinary (high perceived value/indispensable?)

Please comment with your thoughts on perceived value, and how you have accomplished changing perceived value.

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