Money

     It is always interesting to me to observe how salespeople handle the subject of money. Do they wait to the end of a presentation to address cost and act squeamish if the client brings it up? Do they not bring up money at all and make the client ask how much? Do they ask people if they are ready to make a decision before they have ever let the client know how much the investment is? Do they put a number out there and wait to see how the people react and make the clients ask to buy rather than ask for the order?

     We all know anything you buy costs money. The only question is how much it is and whether it’s worth that to you. By waiting until the end to put a number on the table, everything you show that adds value to your offer also adds cost in the buyers mind—in many cases that just builds anxiety on their part. I believe in putting money out there as early as possible—even if it’s just a range (ex:  between $5,000 to $10,000 depending on what best suits your needs), it can be a big range. By putting money out there now I can begin to show how my solution uniquely solves a problem; it just makes the investment look better. Otherwise your big presentation may make people fear the unknown cost and their anxiety will block their ability to engage in a conversation with you.

     You can always put the money out early in terms of a daily or yearly value. Ex: “This solution will only be $15 to $25 a day depending on what configuration gets you the best return on your investment.” Now the money is out there and in a bite-sized portion. If you’re not comfortable and confident in the telling and the timing of how you handle the money with prospects (or potential employees) you could be creating a lot of your own objections and lose good people and prospects to those who are at ease with it.