“How much does [that] cost?”

I love being asked this question.  This one question alone means that this potential customer has yet to be sold on a person.  If I am being asked this question, then it doesn’t matter if they have received a dozen other prices from other contractors.  What this question tells me is that this customer has not been sold on a PERSON to perform the tasks they are hoping to have performed.

You see, most people do not care as much about price as they do about a person that will care for them and walk them through the process…whatever that process is.

Oh sure, they will say that they are interested in getting the lowest price, but if you offer them  VALUE, then price becomes less important.

Most business owners have a split personality… the professional and the person.

The professional wants to jump at the chance to show the customer why he or she is the most qualified expert in his or her field, explain all the technical aspects of his or her experience, and sell them the highest quality products or services based on the scope of the project.

The person wants to ask about the customer’s family, where the customer works, how the customer heard about your business, and specifically what the customer wants to accomplish by the end of his or her project.

When the professional meets the customers, it’s all about YOU.  When the person meets the customers, it’s all about THEM.

As a business owner, you should strive for engagement with your customers…developing a relationship with them…finding out their needs…getting to know them.  Once you have sold them on you as a person and they know they can trust you, then you will be able to offer a range of prices for their project or services required depending on their specific scope.

I have failed miserably at this in the past.  Example: I was talking with a couple about a remodeling project, and they were looking for a contractor and project manager.  I spent no less than two hours going over my qualifications, past projects, and all the technical aspects of performing a project such as this.  After two hours of pontificating, one of the owner’s (the wife) asked me the following question that stopped my in my tracks:

“Are you excited about doing this project?”

You see, the professional met this owner at the door and the person never had a chance.  These folks were more interested a person that they could trust to walk them through the difficult process of tearing their house apart, than the professional that spoke in terms they weren’t quite familiar with.

Fortunately, the person finally “came out” and met them that evening, but the professional almost lost me that project.

If you can gain their trust as a person then you will have the ability to explain why your product or service costs what is costs.  You show them that your pricing is fair.  You tell them if someone else has a lower price for the same scope of work, it is because that the other “professional” has missed something.

Remember: when that customer walks in your door, they have not been sold on a PERSON yet, even though they say they are shopping for a price.  Once you have sold them on you as a person that cares for them, then the professional can take over and help them define the specifics of what they really want…a rewarding experience with a company that is looking out for them.