- Thread starter
- #4
Note: it's a copy of my recent post in Fox's FB group. I thought someone here might find it valuable.
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Just closed a $3k sale yesterday.
Is that a fortune? Not really. Is it remarkable? Maybe...
It is the biggest sale I've made so far, though. (And a new Minimum Level of Engagement for me, ha!)
Why do I even want to tell you about that?
Because it's twice as much as the client was willing to pay.
---
The story:
So, how did I manage to get a sign-off within 30 minutes for $3000 if their budget was $1500?
---
It's nothing that hasn't been stated here before: provide value and stay in charge.
This would not be possible if they didn't see the value. After all the talks we had, I was 100% sure they saw it and wanted to work with me. They just wanted to get it cheaper. You know that feeling – you want something badly but it turns out more expensive than you expected... You can't stop thinking about it.
I wanted to ensure them I'm there to help them, but it's me who makes the rules.
Usually, the one with the bigger need is not the one in charge. That's why you can sniff desperation miles away. I was willing to lose the project and I was willing to walk away. Actually, I was heading to the doorway already.
I was not gonna justify anything. This is my price, you want it or not?
You're right, it's expensive, you want it or not?
I was not going to convince or prove anything. I've actually eradicated 'argument' from my vocabulary. Arguments tend to derail your conversations into a mental ping-pong game of "yeah, but...". There's no right or wrong price. The price is this, you want it or not?
At the same time, I'm not trying to be a jerk or show how angry they made me. I'm really there to help them. I want to show some goodwill and keep their eyes on the value.
I wanted to show I still care but not with a lengthy email. Long email = commitment. Short email = this is nothing for me, I'm just about to walk away.
I ended up writing something like this:
---
30 minutes later I got a response they're in for the $3000 option.
###############
Just closed a $3k sale yesterday.
Is that a fortune? Not really. Is it remarkable? Maybe...
It is the biggest sale I've made so far, though. (And a new Minimum Level of Engagement for me, ha!)
Why do I even want to tell you about that?
Because it's twice as much as the client was willing to pay.
---
The story:
- A co-founder of a local business reached out to me via email. We jumped on a call, where I asked several questions, 100% sales oriented: why do you need a new website and why now, how are sales going, what are your goals for 2019... I learned that 90% of sales come through their website which is 7 years old, they want it to "look more professional" (whatever it means).
- I quoted a range $3k-$5k which they stated was "a little bit too much for them". Whatever, you know where to find me.
- Later, they got back to me saying they need a breakdown of what they're getting for the price. They attached an email from another agency that quoted them $600. It was all about the technical details.
- We arranged a meeting (which I called 'the Diagnosis Stage', fancy names FTW). It lasted almost 3 hours, and we went into more details on their current pain points, ideas, and goals.
- It turned out I WAS WRONG. This was enlightenment for both parties. They DON'T want to sell more. They're clogged with low quality of inquiries, they spend a lot of time answering questions, a sale comes months later. The competition is catching up, they're gonna be in big trouble in 1-2 years if they don't act now.
- I quoted $3700. 3 days later I got an email that they can't afford that. Their total budget is $2500, they need to spend $1000+ on the photographer and other expenses. Which would leave less than $1500 for me.
- They also played a couple of dirty "trap cards". "This is gonna be a great portfolio piece, we know many businesses, we will have more work for you later on."
So, how did I manage to get a sign-off within 30 minutes for $3000 if their budget was $1500?
---
It's nothing that hasn't been stated here before: provide value and stay in charge.
This would not be possible if they didn't see the value. After all the talks we had, I was 100% sure they saw it and wanted to work with me. They just wanted to get it cheaper. You know that feeling – you want something badly but it turns out more expensive than you expected... You can't stop thinking about it.
I wanted to ensure them I'm there to help them, but it's me who makes the rules.
Usually, the one with the bigger need is not the one in charge. That's why you can sniff desperation miles away. I was willing to lose the project and I was willing to walk away. Actually, I was heading to the doorway already.
I was not gonna justify anything. This is my price, you want it or not?
You're right, it's expensive, you want it or not?
I was not going to convince or prove anything. I've actually eradicated 'argument' from my vocabulary. Arguments tend to derail your conversations into a mental ping-pong game of "yeah, but...". There's no right or wrong price. The price is this, you want it or not?
At the same time, I'm not trying to be a jerk or show how angry they made me. I'm really there to help them. I want to show some goodwill and keep their eyes on the value.
I wanted to show I still care but not with a lengthy email. Long email = commitment. Short email = this is nothing for me, I'm just about to walk away.
I ended up writing something like this:
I understand your limited budget, that's perfectly fine. My price is still $3700. I can cut out this and that part of the project which would lower the price to $3000.
We can split the payment to 40/30/30 instead of 50/50. This won't make the price lower, but will probably make it easier to process over time.
These are the pricing options I can provide if we are to work on your goals of X, Y, and Z.
[remember the value!]
The remaining parts are essential and narrowing the scope or lowering the budget will significantly reduce its effectiveness. My policy is to never agree to half-measures, I would need to resign then.
I understand it's still way over your budget and it's fine if you choose someone else.
We can split the payment to 40/30/30 instead of 50/50. This won't make the price lower, but will probably make it easier to process over time.
These are the pricing options I can provide if we are to work on your goals of X, Y, and Z.
[remember the value!]
The remaining parts are essential and narrowing the scope or lowering the budget will significantly reduce its effectiveness. My policy is to never agree to half-measures, I would need to resign then.
I understand it's still way over your budget and it's fine if you choose someone else.
---
30 minutes later I got a response they're in for the $3000 option.
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