What if they ask price before the demonstration?

I am often asked "how much does it cost?" or "what ballpark figure are we looking at?". Is there a way I can set that question aside and let the prospect come in and look at what he/she is getting before talking about price?

Also...has there been a thread about this already? -royale11

What are you selling? Are there different prices, options or packages available? -SpeedRacer

Hi speedracer.

My company has developed a massage product that massages the entire body. We have a standard model and its priced similiar to massage chairs -royale11

That's a tough one... Personally I'd just go ahead and tell them and hope for the best. I think the minute I'd him-haw and try to avoid that direct question, I'd lose credibility in their eyes and they'd think I was just trying to cover up a very high price. -destiny

Destiny - I agree with that.

Royalle 11 - Your company should offer suggestions to deal with this.

My products have a high price tag but when compared to the retail
prices of the same collection of vacations, the savings is incredible. Also, as a business opportunity, it is a one time investment for a lifetime of wholesale
travel and financial freedom.

So it's a matter of understanding the benefit of the investment you are
proposing that they make.

For example: Having an in-home massage chair will cost how much less than going to the Backrub Store at the mall 2-3 times a week?

;bg Karen -Karen Sargent

karen thank you for your post! -royale11

Have you tried to start out your presentation by simply stating that at the end of your presentation you will be reviewing the price with them? Or, at your initial customer interaction tell them that after your presentation you will tell them about the price? That way you have already difused that issue before it comes up.

If they insist on finding out the price, use some of the techniques already mentioned by after telling them the price, and make some comparisons to going to a massage therapist once a month etc. As long as your customer doesn't turn around and leave on the spot after hearing the price, hopefully you can engage them in a conversation to find out why they were interested in your product initially, find out what price range they're looking at. When you have that info, hopefully you'll be able to tell them some of the benefits of your product and how it compares to products in the price range they are looking at.

If they have at least a little bit of interest, maybe they'll at least be interested in the free demonstration at this point. -MarkS

we all get it whats the price. whats the rate, ballpark? etc. in recent times i've started asking;
What are you wanting it to be mr customer?
if he makes an offer.. start with your presentation not answering yes or no to his offer just yet. lead to a demonstration and value build your product but not a huge over sell.
my sales managers have always beat it into me...people don't buy prices they buy products..
but it can be tough.
best of luck -Muzza

Price is a feature, royale11. In fact, price can even be a benefit. I usually model my presentation to fit each prospect. If price is important to the client, I would be making a mistake talking about the mechanics of the massage equipment.

For me it is more important HOW the price is talked about than WHEN. I would ask if the price were an important factor and why. If the prospect has seen many similar products, he may want to compare the value of this particular one, which would include a price comparison, but not only price. If he or she is trying to determine of it fits into the budget, it may be more a question of whether financing is available than what the total price is. I would taylor my presentation to the client and sell to his need rather than following a formula. -rlabston

i will not try to tell the exact figure at first , if the client insists i try to tell him about the features of the product and just let him know the estimate of the price -mtajim

How much does it cost?

I can tell you’re a pretty to the point kind of person. And price is something that is really important to you. You are probably also the kind of person who doesn’t put up with sub par service no matter what the price. And after I show you how my massage service is going to help you, if you’re like most of my other clients you would expect I would charge more. But I believe in delivering a quality service at a fair price. Would you agree that is how a business should be run?

Yes

Great let me show you why you are about to recieve the best massage for your money ;sm -Jorel

I think it's better to have an estimated price before the demonstration. Most of clients are really conscious about prices so better to be ready before they attack. -shinningstar

I don't know how successful this approach has been for you, but I can tell you that you would have lost the sale at this point if I were your prospect. -rlabston

The consumer could be asking about the price to see if it's in his budget. If he only has $100 and your product is $500 then it could be a waste of your time and his to set that question aside.

If there are different prices, options or packages available you could give the high and the low range of possible prices and then show them the difference in what they would be getting for the money. -SpeedRacer

That is fine. I do not try to get 100% of my sales. That would take too much work. Not that I am afraid of work, but it makes more sense to me to work with people who actually have an open mind and are not negative. I prefer to work with people who are intelligent enough to know that they do not have all the answers and prefer to listen or help instead of being negative. If I did try to sell these types of people or even care that they don't want to buy from me then it would mess up my whole mindset and stop me from performing the best that I can. The easiest thing in the world is to say something won't work or to criticize another. It is much harder to be helpful and supportive; I find this to be more rewarding. But thank you for your feedback. -Jorel

People "always" ask me about price before I show them homes. Always. I say the prices are all different but most of the homes we have fall in the range of $x - $x and ask if that was in their price range. -Thomas

My clients never ask me the price first because they know me well enough that I will never waste their time to show them homes they can not afford. Instead I make it more like a game (buying a home should be fun), I ask them to tell me what they think the house is worth and then show them the asking price after they have viewed the home. I found they actually enjoy this more than if I were to say, "house A is 500k, house B is 600k and house C is 700k". I believe the more you get them involved in the process the more they enjoy it. This way they can tell for themselves when a house is overpriced and it helps to build rapport when I agree or show them reasons why one house is priced more than another.

But I believe this post was created to help someone to overcome the question of "How much does it cost before a presentation" for a massage product, not a high ticket item like a house. -Jorel

I wouldn't sidestep the question if the customer asked you directly. You could weave a mini-presentation into your answer. ;sm -Slick

Royale 11

MarkS suggests starting out your presentation by saying that you'll reveiew the price at the end of the presentation. I think that's a good move. You can infact signpost the entire process with the customer - I'll start off easking you some questions to find out exactly what it is you're looking for, then I'll show you what we've got, if you like what you see we'll go on to look at the investment you'll be making and then when you've got all the information to hand you can decide whether you want to buy.

hope that helps -marky

If your product is 25% higher in price then just say so upfront. Say to your prospect, “I’m going to show you why it’s 25% more, people can see the extra money when they understand my _________________”! -Tony Dunne

Tell them the price and let the chips fall where they may. :yi Price can help you disqualify the unqualified prospects. -Marcus

I'd respond that the regular price ranges from x to y dollars (implying that a deal may be worked out and there may be extras). Often this may mean that a prospect may be ready to buy; if not, then you save time. -Wonderboy

Great day Royal11:

Reply with the following:

Mr client, does the fact you're asking about price mean that you are ready to buy???thmbp2; -job ready strategist

My response? $XXX.xx, and worth EVERY penny…

Either they are just curious, in which case you have pre-qualified them (more to the point, pre-Disqualified them), or they are truly interested. If they are truly interested, what are they asking when they ask about price? I say they are asking about value. More to the point, they are asking if the product is truly worth the asking price! By saying that you think it is worth “every penny,” you will most likely get asked the question “why?”. Hmmm…. The only way you could have a better lead-in to your presentation would be if the potential customer actually got down on their knees and begged you to give a presentation to them!

Wear the Right Hat!
Bill -Bill_Kistner

Try a Porcupine close by asking is he a cash or finance purchaser, this will throw him off and give you the opportunity to start to close him. Whatever he say's he is buying, isn't that right? -ged1mcguirk

He might answer your question and not be a buyer if the price isn't right or if he was curious not serious. -realtor

This is right; but isn't better to know if he is serious or just a stroker! The thing in sales you will never know if it's a sale or not until you ask for the money. Remember ABC. -ged1mcguirk

Another way if that doesn't work is to simply say with a big smile on your face "I will get to that in a minute; I'm on page 3 and that's on page 7." The client will normally laugh and so "OK." -ged1mcguirk

You answer honestly and then ask a question to take control of the conversation. It looks shady when you avoid a question, it will raise red flags in most people's mind -benjamin-benjamin

Agreed! However, it is better to give them a realistic price range. -JacquesWerth

i agree......... -benjamin-benjamin

For a fixed price item, I don't think there's any way around it. You might pose it in different terms (x.xx per month, etc.), but people are used to seeing prices for retail products.

Aside from that, if a customer has sticker shock, not much point in spending all the time on the demonstration. I'm sure they will be more inclined to buy after they experience the product, but I don't see a legitimate way around telling them up-front if they ask.

Justyn -Justyn

In the High Probability Selling process, we only give appointments to prospects that want the benefits of our products and/or services, and are willing to spend the necessary time and money to acquire them. Therefore, we tell prospects the price (range) during the prospecting call.

If the prospect balks at the price on the phone, we don’t waste our time visiting with them and doing a demonstration. That’s just betting on the low probability that you can change their minds.

High Probability Prospecting puts you in front of prospects that are ready, willing, and able to buy, and want to buy now. -JacquesWerth

I would much rather a client ask the price up front. I'm not sure
about the rest of you, but my clients are used to qualifying to become my client.

First, if price is asked for, tell them and then move on through your presentation. But, focus on the main thing, you are not there to make a sale! You are there to fulfill the needs of your client with a product or service. Don't be too quick to deal on a price, clients that deal with me know that the price is what it is, we're not in a third world country where people are used to haggling with the tourists over price.

The client has come to me with a need to acquire my product or service for a reason. Therefore, don't give up your control of the situation. Instill into them that you are the one that they need.

The only time that I ever budge on my price, if they insist the price is an issue, is like this:
"Alright, it seems that $1750 may be a bit past what your current budget is; if you could find a way to get this system for free, could you use that information?"

Already, I can almost feel the energy in this forum...how am I going to give it away for free, just like this: "I tell you what, let's put a little meeting together. Round up a few colleagues you know, over the next 48 hours, let's say 5 people that you believe could use this, and will sit down to lunch. If at least 3 of them make a purchase, I'll give you yours for free, how's that sound?"

Guys, I have been using that same line for 12 years, most of my clients don't pay for their products...their unlimited supply of referrals do. And that is how I handle price questions!

Hope that helps
Bob Yeager -BobYeager

Great idea. Thank you for passing that gem along Bob. thmbp2; -Houston

I work in a retail outlet for one of Australia's biggest door companies as a salesperson and one of the first things I was told in my training is that if a client asks about price first and not about the product, they are probably still shopping around fishing for prices and not ready to make any big commitments.

When I get asked price straight away, I always answer thier question with a question of my own. Only after I have understood exactly what they want will they get a price. If they want a price right away no matter what, I usually give them thier "ball park" figure and make it so vauge, that they have no option but to stay and listen to what I have to offer with product. -MCS_80

You can easily just mentioned in this way:

"Well, this is the most interesting part right" Let me show you the pricing package, but before that may i know are you prefer ....(depends to your package)

Then dont stop at the pricing part too long as your customer is not really know your products.After showing them your package then you can go back to your explaination and highlight the important featurs or special remark which your products are strong in.
Maybe you cab say in this way:
"Well, sir/madam, by just spend this amount of money, you can enjoy the countless benefit such as......(then you go back to your explanation)".

Because it is not good if the customer ask you the price and you just ignore their request and continue your explanation, it serves nothing! They might not be interesting on your explanation at the momnet, and if they ae not interested, means your explantion is useless for themn at the moment. Since your customer already tell you what they "WANT", so as a sales person , we should "GIVE" thm the answer first then only come back to the part we need to tell them.

Hope it helps you.

Regards,
deUnique -deUnique

When a customer asked the price upfront you can do a number of things but here's one that might work. After they ask for the price simply say "it doesn't cost a thing unless you really like it". They'll chuckle and get it immediately. Or.....you can try the next one

Once, I asked an upfront pricer if he would give me $10000 for what was in my front pant pocket. He said "absolutely not". Then I asked him what he would need to know before he could consider the price of $10000 for the pocket contents. He said he would need to see it before he could determine the value. I said "fair enough". Allow me the same courtesy and I will show you what I have to offer, you determine the value, then you can chose if its right for you or not. He agreed, and I didnt miss a beat with my presentation.

Good Luck -redrover

Depending on valuation of what you are selling, if it is a high price tag and are being pushed then give them a from and too price and ask them what is their budget.

"Our property prices are from £20,000 to £9,000,000 but the price is only relevant on what your specific requirements." If I said it was £9,000,000 you may say it's too expensive and if I say it's £20,000 you will say it's too cheap and a con? The bottom line is that if I could show you a property that suits all your requirements and it easily fits your budget, would you be happy to go ahead with it?"

Trial closing will set you up for the sale or bring out an objection, isn't that right? -ged1mcguirk

Why don't we make sure that our product can be installed in your home and solve your problem...if it can't or won't than price doesn't matter does it? -hudsonvalley