An important part of any sales process is talking about money, which can be scary. Professor Sweet and Coach Zach Jews talked about this on Friday because it can be a sensitive subject to ask customers or clients. Coach Zach talked about asking for money from his clients that could be used towards Grove City College and explained that it can be uncomfortable. The main reason that people are scared to ask about the money question if fear. Many people fear what people will say or think when they get asked that question. Coach Zach explained that he asked that question on a daily basis and it can be very intimidating because he’s asking for hundreds, thousands, or millions of dollars to be donated. Zach explained that he has the courage to ask that question because he knows that he isn’t expecting them to donate money. He said he goes into the meetings hoping that they donate but wants to get to know his clients and be friends with them. I think that’s the most important part of a meeting because it shows that you care about the client and want to get to know them more. I think a key part that many need to remember in sales meetings is that not everyone will say yes. You will probably get more rejections from clients but that is a learning experience, but you get to know more about the client. Also, when clients/customers say “now is not a good time”, it’s not a no. You should give them time to and reach out later to see if they’re still interested. Overall, Coach Zach gave us a lot of insight about talking to clients and bringing up the money question. The main points I took away were to get to know your clients/customers more and don’t be afraid of the money question and what their answers will be.
By Rachel Goetz
duzx20 
Ethan David 
Aliyah Shelatz 4 thoughts on “Asking the Money Question”
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Zach does such a good job of knowing alumni on such a personal level that he creates the space for them to be able to say “no” or “now is not a good time” and continues to pursue that relationship in the future. I think so often salespeople give up on the “no” or “now is not a good time” kind of people, but Zach really emphasized the importance of timing in sales, and to neglect the relationships with those people because of their initial response would be foolish.
I also enjoyed Zach as a guest speaker. He is selling a unique product which makes you really think. I appreciated the insight about timing. Just because they dont buy right now doesnt mean they dont want to, it may mean they are too busy or hurting financially or just not ready.
Money is such a touchy subject in our society nowadays, whether that’s in a work context or even a colloquial one. Hearing about how to ask that question with care and grace is so helpful because it is such an important topic that most of us shy away from for fear of causing an offense.
I like your point on being sure to get to know your customer before having the money conversation. If we jump into the price conversation too quickly, then we’re leaving holes in our knowledge about how much the customer may be willing to spend and how much might scare them away from a sale.