“How much do you charge?”
Do you get nervous when you hear this question? I know how talking about pricing can be stressful.
Am I charging too much?
What if my prospects get cold feet after I tell them my price?
Today, I’d like to share some strategies I use to talk about pricing with confidence and a big smile. 🙂
Developing a Positive Mindset:
Many women dread the notion of talking about money and pricing with their clients. Even though you are delivering a service and deserve fair compensation for your efforts, it’s easy to fall into the trap of underplaying your value in order to retain business. This is (sadly) especially true for women.
This trap is even more difficult to avoid when we want to step up and charge more (usually the same amount a man would charge) for our services.
The phrase “fake it ‘til you make it”, is never truer than in this situation.
By “faking it”, you create momentum and action. The sales will eventually follow. Here are a few practical strategies to help you overcome your fear of price-talk.
Strategies for Overcoming the Fear of Price-Talk
Strategy 1: Focus on the Benefits
Ask yourself: what are some of the benefits of working with you? Will your clients achieve results faster? With more precision? Will your clients save time, enabling them to focus on more important things?
By writing down the benefits of working with you, you will feel more confident in your services and you’ll be better able to communicate these benefits to your potential clients.
Use my Challenge-Benefit Bridging Worksheet to discover the amazing benefits you offer to your clients.
Strategy 2: Do Your Competitive Research
Read up on what your competitors are charging. By doing this, you will know where you stand next to them.
If your competitors are charging as much as you wish to charge, you will know what you are charging is perfectly reasonable.
Strategy 3: Post Your Prices Online or via Email
If you feel nervous about price-talk in person, post your prices online or offer to provide your pricing via email. This will give you some time and space to breathe and raise your courage to send it off.
Strategy 4: Forget About Price; Focus on Budget/Cost
I love to visualize working with my clients as starting a project together. Rather than selling to them, we are creating a project together.
As with any project, there is a budget, investment, or cost associated with it.
Rather than how much I charge, I steer the conversation toward “the budget of the project.” (For some super simple—yet powerful—sales scripts for talking about pricing, keep reading!) This rephrasing or shift in focus allows a more open conversation with my prospect.
(Do you feel stressed when it comes to sales? I use journaling to overcome this very common fear. Download the Guided Meditation to Overcome Anxieties in Sales!)
To learn more about some great price negotiation strategies, check out Five Secret (yet Super Simple) Price Negotiation Strategies You Should Know About!
Sales Scripts for Price-Talk
Now that you’ve prepped your mindset for sales-talk, let’s address what to say when talking about price.
Below are a few simple techniques for talking about pricing when you’re nervous. If you prepare your mindset and your words, you won’t be nervous about price-talk anymore.
Script #1: For Fear of Talking About Price Face-to-Face:
Do you feel your heart race when you think about pricing? If you are stressed about price-talk, one strategy is to do it over email or post your information online.
Prospect: “How much do you charge for your service?”
You: “It depends on how much help you need. Can I ask you a few questions? After that, I can prepare a proposal and we can see if it fits your budget and your needs. How does that sound?”
Script #2: For Fear of Rejection:
Are you scared people might say no to you because of pricing? Instead of giving a fixed price outright, try asking about the potential client’s budget first.
Prospect: “What is your pricing like?”
You: “I offer a flexible price plan. If you tell me about your budget per month, I can craft a service plan based on that.”
Script #3: For Fear of Rejection (again):
You can also present your prices in the form of a range depending on how many hours your potential client needs and the level of service they require. Giving a price range shows your client you care about their needs and are open to customizing your service around them.
Prospect: “How much does it cost?”
You: “My service ranges from $ ____ to $____ depending on what you need. What is your budget?”
Scripts #4: For Fear of Not Delivering:
I like to visualize sales as a long term project; rather than a one-time transaction. It is always easier to get current clients to buy more than to find new clients. Offering a trial period can ensure you create a happy relationship with your happy customer!
Prospect: “How much do you charge?”
You: “I would charge $____ for this project. To make sure you are satisfied, I also offer a ____ day money-back guarantee. This way, we can also see if we are a good fit for one another.”
Script #5: For Fear of Sounding Too “Salesy”:
If you are a service provider, you can always shift your pricing:
Prospect: “How much does this cost?”
You: “When I work with a new client, I see it as starting an exciting project together. I would allocate $ ____ as the budget for this project.”
Script #6: For Calming Your Nerves:
Prospect: “How much do you cost?”
You: “My service is $____. Does that work for your budget?”
(Now, smile and focus on your breathing 🙂)
So, which scripts will you try? I would love to know.
To your big sales,
Melinda
Women Making Big Sales
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