Many service providers are uncomfortable with this question and they mumble their fees, hoping the prospective client will hire them. Guess what? You shouldn’t answer that question! First of all, you don’t know if this person is a good fit for you. So why would you launch into talking about your fees if they aren’t even in the right place?

But here is a better reason to not answer their question right away. By answering the question, “What do you charge”, it robs you of the chance to educate them about the value you provide. And it’s hard to talk about your value if you don’t even know what they need or want from you!

Instead, when someone asks about your fees, respond with,

“Can you tell me a little about what you would like done?”
or
“Can you tell me a little bit about the issues you would like to work on?”

The first question could work well for a copywriter or web developer. Let the person tell you about their project so you can target your response to their needs. And are you the right person for them? The second question could work well for a therapist. They may bring up an issue that you don’t really work on, so before you waste too much time, you could make a great referral.

Either way, with a little bit of information, you will have a much more productive conversation. I always start this way, listen to them for a while, and then tell them about how I could help them (if I think I can). I explain the benefits of working with me and how I work, focusing on their issue and the results we would work toward.

Here is another thought. Fabienne Fredrickson, the” Client Attraction Mentor”, wrote about this very issue on her blog recently. She writes, and I agree, that if people are overly focused on price in that moment, there isn’t any room for a discussion on value. So she advocates setting up a different time to discuss with them what might work for them. For example, when she gives a talk and people come up to her and say, “Hey I’d like to work with you. What do you charge?” here is what she advises:

The solution? Don’t give them your rates on the spot. Instead, invite them for a conversation to be held at a later date where you can fully describe the value they’ll be getting from working with you. I call mine the “get-acquainted session,” you may call yours a free-consultation, whatever. The important thing is that’s where the magic happens. That’s where you can find out more about them, get to the root of their problems, describe solutions, and they sell themselves into your services, based on value.

Fabienne has many different programs that potential clients could choose from. Some programs are more expensive than others. So by setting up a date to talk with them at a later time, she can help them pick the right program for them. Go to her blog for more thoughts from her. She also gives you her exact words she uses when people ask her “the” question.

I’ve used the same techniques and this works very well. I want to help a prospective client find the right fit for them, whether it is private money coaching with me or as a member of a prosperity group. And sometimes I steer them to a different service provider. When you have a prospect’s best interests at heart, and you are in integrity, it’s always a win-win.

TIME TO EARN MORE?

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