Getting Your Price-Price Conditioning

I've read some posts asking about getting your price. Here is my contribution. I hope it helps. Let's assume you are selling online marketing solutions to offline local businesses. Let's assume your package is a few thousand dollars.
Is that a lot? It is if you think it is and if your prospect thinks it is.
It is a bargain if they are expecting to pay more, and still see the value.

When should you bring up price? I always bring it up first. Why not? If you don't bring it up, they are still thinking about the price. And if they have to bring it up, it's easier to sound defensive about your price.

Jason Kanigan has a phenomenal way to bring up price as you are cold calling. The only way I could add to it is to copy it, so I won't.

But in the presentation itself...well, here we go.
The price is only high or low in comparison to other things. For example;

Local online marketing VS a display Yellow Page Ad. (This works far better if they have advertised in the Yellow Pages). If they are used to paying $800 a month for a small YP ad, you compare to that ad. This is why you ask what kind of advertising they are doing now.

Your advertising idea VS Pay Per Click advertising. Again, only if they are doing PPC now, or mentioned it.

Your advertising package compared to similar services. I usually mention Yelp Featured listings, or something they are familiar with. Again, I mention these things after they tell me what they are doing now, or are thinking of doing. I do show them three offers online (not doctored) that do some of what I offer them. Their prices are higher than mine, and I explain how I can do it for less (Smaller company, concentrate more on each client, not requiring huge overhead).

I may tell a story about someone paying $12,000 a month to get one website ranked in the top 3 Google places nationally. And why it costs that much.
(only tell stories that are true and you can prove right away if asked.)

Compare the cost to them learning and doing on their own.
What would it cost to hire someone for $8 an hour to learn to do what I do for them? $1,600 a month? That's over $19,000 a year...if the employee never gets a raise..and never quits.

Compared to the cost of doing nothing. You need to know your figures. Jason Kanigan and John Durham have excellent scripts for handling that. In fact, I deleted what I added here, because it's so similar to what they say.

All these examples should be used before the prospect asks "How Much"?
Why? Because you sound like you are stalling if you make them wait until you then price condition.

Me? They ask "How Much?". Me- "$699 a month for 9 months or you can save $500 by prepaying. That's less than your old Yellow Page ad. Would you rather take 9 months or save the $500 for prepaying?" (Always give the choice you really want second. It works. I don't know why, but it does.)

And then calmly sit there until you get an answer, No matter how long it takes.

I can't tell you how many times the business owner stares at me and says "HA! I thought you were going for the $12,000 a month. Sounds like a winner"

Building a price expectation is just a small part of crafting a sale.
What are their expectations of results? You manage that.
Is there someone else doing similar (in their mind) work for the prospect?
What are the main motivations to be online? (beat competitor, build credibility, drive phone calls to the business)?
Have you built a huge mountain of value that they completely see?
Do they believe this entire project is a perfect match for them? (If you have something that doesn't apply to them, or they said wasn't important to them...I leave it out)
Are they the ones that can buy? Can they decide now?
Do they feel you are on their side? As opposed to pitching a product no matter how it fits.

Anyway, I hope this adds something.