Give your price and LOSE THE SALE

Here are a few points which I find important to share with you when it comes to price and when to bring the subject into the sales conversation.

No matter what you are selling whether it's web design or SEO or even just setting appointments, the subject of price is going to come up very early in the sales conversation, usually after you qualify that this is a prospect and not a suspect, in other words someone you should invest your call time with.

Usually the first thing a prospect is going to ask you is: 'How much is it?'

If you show your hand here 90% of the time you will shut down the sale, even if your price is the lowest or the best price on the market.

Here's the thing: price is important, but it's very rarely the deciding factor in buying anything. People buy value, they buy benefits. If price was a primary motivator in selling then no one would buy Rolex watches or a $700 pair of shoes.

Remember, when you first talk to your prospect they know FOR SURE how much $1,000 or $10,000 is worth to them and their business, but you and your product? Not so much..

Especially in dealing with smaller businesses they will be careful in handing over a check to you in return for are essentially promises of more leads and sales. For a lot of these companies it is their daily cash flow that they will be siphoning from, so as soon as you mention your price without giving all the benefits and value your product has for them, your sale is going to be viewed by definition, as a transactional commodity that can do without rather than a solution.

The sale is made and lost in the presentation, not at the close. When you start demonstrating all the wonderful things your product can do for your prospect that's when his desire is going to reach parity to how much he values his money. And the more you talk about benefits the stronger his desire to own your product is going to become.. and the corollary to this is the more you talk and fight and argue over price the more you are educating the prospect that price should be a primary concern.

What I've found to be the most effective strategy in dealing with price at the start of the call is to sidestep the issue entirely. I don't do ballparks, I don't give round or odd numbers or try to smooth my way past it.

When I get a question such as 'How much is it' or 'How much does it cost?'

'I appreciate that price is important to you, Mr. Prospect. May I come to that in a second?..'

And then keep going..

I can't remember the last time someone asked for price a second time after saying this.

I don't think price makes even the top 5 reasons for why people buy anything, to be quite honest with you. There's quality, suitability, warranty, delivery, service, all of these things adds to the psychic value which lays the foundation of making the sale. Price does not.

So if price isn't really that important then why does every prospect that we speak to seem to be obsessed with getting the lowest price and everything either seems to expensive or they can't afford it?

This is only my personal belief, but I think it comes from that fact that the language of money is universal. Languages and customs are different throughout the world, but money is ubiquitous in whatever country you may be in.

When customers ask for your price I believe they are attempting to create a relationship with you, between what your product costs and does and every other purchase they have made in the past. They want to know how it compares and to keep consistent with their personal buying strategy.

Whatever the theory may be, price is not a critical factor in any meaningful purchase.

If the customer says it's too expensive.

'Expensive compared to what, Mr. Prospect?'

Most people have no idea how much things should cost.

If the customer says they can't afford it.

'How do you mean, Mr. Prospect?


Get behind the reason, find the meaning in what they are telling you if there is any.

If there isn't you can advance fearlessly knowing this was nothing more than a smokescreen.


Price is always going to be a contentious issue. But concessions do not increase attractiveness, and discounts do not work to make more sales, they only hurt profitability in the long term.