____ is a marketing approach that permits different rates to be extended to different customers for the same goods services.

Variable price method

The correct answer is option (4) - Variable price method.

Variable pricing is a marketing approach that permits different rates to be extended to different customers for the same goods or services. The approach is often employed in cultures where dickering over the price of goods is considered the norm, or potential buyers are allowed to participate in a bidding situation, such as in an auction. Even in countries where fixed pricing is the standard, variable pricing may come into play when the customer is committing to the purchase of large volumes of goods or services. When this is the case, the customer must usually comply with specific criteria in order to enjoy pricing that varies from the standard cost.

One of the classic examples of the use of variable pricing has to do with street vendors who sell various types of small goods. Often, there is a standard price posted for each item on sale. If the vendor really wants to sell an item, and determines that a prospective buyer is not willing to pay the posted price, he or she may engage the individual in a negotiation of the sale price. Sometimes referred to as dickering, the buyer and seller make offers back and forth until they can settle on a price that both believe is fair. Throughout the process, the buyer tries to drive the price down as much as possible, while the seller attempts to obtain the highest possible return from the sale. The real estate market also functions with the use of variable pricing. Prospective home– owners will often submit bids for properties that are less than the posted asking prices, in the hopes that the owners will accept a smaller amount. This often leads to a series of offers and counteroffers that sometimes results in a sale taking plac