Sticker shock/ reality check
- The idea is to deliberately shock your client with a number that you suspect may be too high for them, based on previous information revealed in the discussion. Then, back them down to a number that is realistic for your product or service.
- Truth : some underestimate, some overestimate
- In the past, I have underestimated my charging price for snow removal when I was plowing commercially until I began to build up a client base. Once I could turn away jobs because my time was maximized I was able to overestimate jobs which resulted in some people saying I was over priced and others being totally fine with my price.
- One way you could start this conversation is: what if I were to tell you that sometimes this can cost as much as _____. Would that shock you?
- Would believe that companies are usually paying somewhere in the range for this product?
- Are you more comfortable with seeing what you could get for ______?
- These are all ways to approach this conversation that could be awkward but if managed the right way can help you to figure out how much a client is willing to pay for your product or service.
This relates to my last comment. I can’t imagine having someone flat out tell me that I was overpriced. That’s a level of awkward that would certainly take getting used to. But I guess you’re right about having a large enough client demand for your service that allows flex room charging a premium price. Especially when it comes to snow removal — I’m sure the level of desperation of most people outweighs a serious consideration of not paying the premium price.