Imagine this scenario.
During the demo, your prospect interrupts you and says, “I’ve seen enough. Show me pricing.”
How do you respond?
Most salespeople try to defer pricing until they’ve shown “value” by saying something like this:
“We can certainly get to pricing, but before we show pricing, I’m confused. You told me at the beginning of the call you had x,y, and z priorities. We’ve only gone over x, so let’s go over y and z before pricing.”
Responses like these destroy trust because it feels like you’re hiding something.
You’re subconsciously saying, “That’s a dumb question.” The prospect feels like their parents are scolding them.
My take?
Questions aren’t something you dodge; they’re something you answer.
Salespeople don’t determine value; buyers do. And buyers can’t determine value without price.
So if a prospect asks for the price, tell them the price, even if it’s a range.
Like this:
Prospect: “I’ve seen enough show me pricing.”
Salesperson: “It’s between 12-17k.”
Then stop talking.
Here’s how this typically plays out.
Prospect: “Wow, that seems high.”
Salesperson: “Seems like price is your only concern.” (Labeling: Voss)
From there, you might discover that price isn’t the real objection.
Prospects: “Well, actually, we want blue, and you only have green.” Or “This isn’t something we’re looking to do this quarter.”
You get the idea. You’re seeing if the price is a smokescreen for other concerns.
Or you might discover price is their only concern:
Prospect: “It is. The price is more than I expected.”
Salesperson: “What did you expect?”
Prospect: “$3,000.”
Salesperson: “Sounds like you’ve seen comparable solutions in that price range.”
Prospect: “I haven’t, but this just seems high to me.”
Detach
Salesperson: “It feels like we should put the demo on pause so you can have an opportunity to review what your options are.” (Labeling: Voss)
Prospect: “Yes. Let me look around.”
The takeaway?
Let go of holding price hostage.
Don’t defer it.
Get to know it.