Stop “Sticker Shock”

Anyone who’s ever been in sales has most likely encountered the prospect who was shocked at the investment number during the presentation close. To reduce this “fear factor,” I recommend covering the potential “ask” number during the diagnosis call.

This way, during the presentation, the potential advertiser can relax, absorb the information, and not wonder throughout, “What’s this going to cost me?”

In addition, when the dollar amount is floated in advance, it allows you to focus on the compelling delivery of the solution during the presentation prep (including past success stories). And prospects will be less inclined to go through the presentation only to respond with, “bring me something for half of that.”

The whole point is to take the surprise out of the presentation. In fact, as insurance, I like to profusely thank the prospect for their time and participation in the process before the presentation, and tell them how excited we are about the great strategy we’re about to discuss. Then, I’ll often add, “…and it’s all in the budget range we previously discussed.”

When said, you can often see the relief come over the prospect’s face. They can now relax and listen to what you are presenting, instead of waiting for the ‘gotcha’ at the end!

Don’t allow clients to toss away a great idea because the money scares them. That’s “throwing the baby out with the bathwater!”