Something rare happened to me today. An agent questioned me about Piedmont's service fee. “I came across a company that's like Piedmont (emphasis mine),” he said, “and they're 16 cents a week cheaper than you.”

When he said that, I knew:

1. He's never seen that famous scene from “Honeymoon in Vegas” where Nicholas Cage claims his straight flush was “Like… unbeatable!” And Sarah Jessica Parker admonishes him, “Like unbeatable is not unbeatable!”

2. He hadn't heard the Piedmont story because he was hung up on 16 cents. Sixteen cents that he doesn't even pay; the policyholder pays it. But he's quibbling over price when our value is so great that we're often told we don't charge enough.

Prospects do it to you and me all the time. They're arguing cost while completely missing our value and focusing on something as banal as price. I've noticed there's a way around this. It's not 100 percent foolproof — nothing is — but more often than not, it will keep you off the hamster wheel of competing on price.

You might want to sit down for this. OK. Ready? Here goes: Tell a good story.