The Situation
John’s company designs and builds websites for small and mid-sized companies. He focuses on organizations that need to take their websites to a more professional level.
His firm charges a healthy fee to do a comprehensive job. Thus, John tries to show prospects how they will get a good return on their investment before revealing the cost.
In his sales call with prospect Janet, however, the conversation quickly led to this exchange:
Janet: I’ve looked at some of your work online. Very impressive! But that makes me think you don’t come cheap.
John: Well, to be frank, we think a high-quality site will pay off for you. In fact–
Janet: Well, I have to get some kind of figure from you. Otherwise, I don’t see the point of continuing–
John: What if you earned that investment back within a year by having a more effective site?
Janet: Except we just don’t currently have a lot of resources for the level of product you provide. I hope I haven’t wasted your time in coming here.
John was able to avoid naming a price right away. But even though he tried to keep his prospect engaged, John’s avoidance of a pricing discussion made Janet doubtful. How could John use Q4 needs-based selling to provide Janet with additional incentives to continue the discussion?
