Dolphin Training and Discounting: A Lesson in Buyer Behaviour

Years ago, I came across a story about how dolphins are trained, and I’ve never forgotten it — mainly because it’s exactly what so many salespeople do to their customers.
Here’s how it works.
You start with a dolphin in a pool.
At the bottom of the pool, you stretch a rope.
Every time the dolphin swims over the rope, it gets a fish. Simple.
After a few successful laps (and several fish), the trainer raises the rope a little higher.
Now, when the dolphin swims
under
the rope, no fish.
When it swims
over
the rope, fish.
Before long, the rope is on the surface and the dolphin’s leaping over it, showing off for an audience — because it knows exactly what gets rewarded.
Now, think about your buyers.
Every time they ask for a discount and we give them one, what do they learn?
Exactly the same thing.
Ask for a discount = get a reward.
And just like the dolphin, they’ll keep coming back for more.
We’ve trained them perfectly.
The problem is, we trained them to do the
wrong thing
.
If you always give a fish when they ask for one, why would they ever stop asking?
We’re not victims of buyer pressure — we’re participants in buyer conditioning.
Here’s the funny part: it’s not even their fault. They’re just doing what experience has taught them works.
The good news? We can retrain them.
Next time a buyer asks for a discount, try keeping the fish in your pocket and offering a conversation instead.
Keep Selling the Value!
Get in touch and let’s talk dolphins!