Retailer Miles McQuillen says a reliance sales and discounting undersells your skills and experince...

I was very interested to read your thoughts on product discounting.

Our business tends to be in competition with the multiples all the time, so we have to be careful with our pricing. I certainly don't think I am in any position to advise anyone else how to sell their product, but for the record, I tell the customer before we start that the price I quote will be the bottom line, with no extra discount no matter how much haggling happens.

I don't think of myself as a particularly good salesman, but it seems to work for me just fine.

However, as most of my competition tends to be the big firms who insist on telling the customers that the kitchen is half price, I think they find it a bit refreshing to see a total without a big fat discount, but at a similar price.

This month, I advertised my opinion of these sales and the response has been brilliant, and if any other readers think this is their market, I would recommend they try a similar tack.

Do manufacturers really get upset with retailers discounting? The old internet chestnut seems to suggest the only way of moving any product is to sell it cheaper and we see some of the biggest names in the appliance business sold in this way.

Miles McQuillen, Kitchen Design Studio, Bodmin, Cornwall