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You're in a conversation with your client and they seem closed to anything you propose? Ask them this: "Do I have your permission to put you in an uncomfortable spot?" You're asking for a No. Because with that, it's one more red flag on. If they say Yes, then you can ask them directly whatever you're thinking. And now you can go with your craziest idea, thinking big for your client.
The time you're able to say 500 000 (dollars, euros, etc.) as naturally as when you say 600 is the time you're in control of the conversation. Until then, your counterparty will have the upper hand.
Your customer knows what they want. And the don't know what they want. Both at the same time. Knowing what they want is about the desired outcome they're after. In that, they're always, absolutely right. Knowing exactly what the thing to get there... they're mostly wrong. And that's where you come in. It's your job to move the conversation from their self-prescription to what they desire, and from there, figure out a way to help them get there. That's your expertise.
"The customer decides when and where to spend their money. They have the power." What do you think of it? Is it true? Approaching your market like this means that you have little to no power in the relationship with your prospects, customers, competitors. It means that they are above, and they need to be accommodated. That they say, and we do as said. That what they say is rule. That we don't challenge. That we don't speak our minds out. That we don't know better. That we're not experts. And...
What you believe you pass it on to your prospects, customers and market. If you believe you have too expensive products or services, your customers will believe so too. If you believe your quality is not the best, they will, too. If you believe that you don't have power with your prospects, they will, too. If you believe you can only get business based on the lowest possible price, they will, too. Here's the thing: your beliefs are valid. Are they true?
Yesterday's message on this Super Deluxe book for 4 105.00 EUR is Wings, by Paul McCartney. A limited edition, signed, with a numbered copy. Is people paying for the time and materials he put into it? No. Is people paying for how long it took him to get the book done? No. Is people paying because of the story in the pages? Maybe. What they're paying for is for what having that limited edition, signed copy means: that they're having something rare. Furthermore, is the price fair? To the ones...
Super Deluxe Hardback Book in Cloth, Slipcase with Exclusive Blue Color LP. 4 105 EUR Would you pay for this? Material production costs. 35 - 50 EUR Effort put into it. A lot. Does it make this worth it per se? Signature. 0.5 EUR in the ink used. It's just a book, after all. Unless, the price is not about what's the book made of. Or the cover. Or its story. Or the attached LP. Or because it's "deluxe". Or even the signature.
Business is not busyness. Being busy doesn't mean you're actually bringing value to your business. And even worse, you might not bringing value to your customers (the right ones). You might end up full of tasks, to-dos, overwhelm and choose to focus on every customer (because they're all important, right?). And what you're doing is choosing to ignore your most profitable ones over the ones who are not. Keeping that game for long will end in only busyness —quite likely without a business.
It's a way to have what you gain over your prospects and customers' proposed set budget. Think of it as the extra fund for fun (new projects, new products, more vacation, more bonuses, paid-time-to-think-bigger...). Blair Enns calls it your RAB Fund. And gives this example: Let’s say you have a client with a stated budget of $20,000 and you present a proposal with options priced at $20k, $35k and $90k. (Don’t read too much into those numbers or their relationships with each other.) If the...
Whatever your prospects come with as a budget, it's your mission to guide them and find out whether that budget is actually the one they need for the outcome they're after. You're the expert, help them out. Talking with the value-creators gets to be a different discussion from the budget keepers. And these value-creators focus on the outcome. And for that, they can make the right adjustments to have the "right" budget.