Two words that sabotage your fee

THE PROSPEROUS CONSULTANT

Turn your decades of expertise into a premium consulting practice built around the life you want.

Issue #31

We were twenty minutes into a role-play call last week and he was doing everything right.

He'd asked good discovery questions. He listened more than he talked. He walked through his process for creating the transformation his prospect desperately wants and is willing to pay for.

Then he got to the money.

That's where his knees buckled.

He said, "and my fee for all of this is..." and then he stuttered the number out and just kept talking, trying desperately—and unnecessarily—to justify his price.

We were role-playing. There wasn't even a real prospect on the line. And he still flinched.

Picture the last ten minutes of the last call you ran. We'll come back to it.

In this issue:

• Why months of good work can come apart in the last ten minutes
• The only thing anybody ever trades their money for
• The two frames of mind available to you when you share your number

One quick note before we go. I'll say "he" through most of this, because the guy in my story was a he. If the person across your table is a she, every word of this works exactly the same.

I'm going to assume for a moment, for the purpose of this week's issue, that you know exactly who you serve and what expensive problem you solve for them. And you've built positioning that makes you the obvious choice instead of one more option on a list.

And of course, your powerful "dog whistle" messaging got the appointment booked for you. You ran a pretty good conversation, overall. The kind where they finally ask, "So, how much does this cost?"

Then you shared the number and got the sinking feeling of dread.

You blew it, and you knew it.

Maybe you, like my client, just said more, faster. Maybe you offered a discount they didn't ask for. Maybe you said "cost" or "fee," and buried the number in the middle of a sentence and hoped they would just say yes and throw you their credit card.

C'mon now. You know you've been there. We all have.

After the call, you blamed the number, doing math and kicking yourself about what you should have charged instead.

Your nerves and lack of preparation cost you five or six figures of income in about four seconds.

Before you think I'm preaching here, I made this mistake many times. I've left enough money on the table to pay Donald Trump's legal fees.

For years, I'd share a number and then keep bumping my gums, re-selling and piling on features, as if talking them to death was going to get them to buy.

Let's break down why this keeps happening. And it all starts with why people buy.

Value is a word we throw around until we become numb to it, so let me give you the best definition I've got. Value is anything a person will trade his or her time or money for.

And what people trade their time or money for is a higher emotional state. Anything that pushes them to the higher levels of the emotional whirlwind toward joy and happiness.

We've spent two weeks on the emotional whirlwind. You live in yours. I live in mine. Your prospect is living in one too, because that's the human condition and nobody gets an exemption. He's somewhere in the bottom half of his, somewhere in the negative emotions, on the day he takes your call, or he wouldn't be taking it.

So every step of the client value journey either lifts him up out of that, or it doesn't. And if it doesn't, then stop doing it. Either take that step out or fix it so that it does.

Every touch point in your client value journey should be analyzed and scrutinized.

And that includes the sales call.

The sales call isn't the moment you finally ask for something after weeks or months of giving. It's the most valuable thing you give him.

Done right, that hour helps him navigate around limiting beliefs and see blind spots he couldn't see before.

He is encouraged whether he buys or not.

He puts words to things he hasn't said to anybody, including his wife.

He sees his own situation clearly, maybe for the first time in two years. He leaves knowing what staying put is costing him. Heck, that's worth the hour by itself.

Which is why the mental frame you take on will determine how the call goes.

A mental frame is just a frame of mind. It's the way you see what's in front of you before you ever open your mouth. And you've got two available to you on that call.

The first one is the "salesperson" mental frame. You need this. Your mortgage company has reminded you that you need this. You're hoping he says yes, and he can smell it on you the way a dog smells the Doritos that fell between the cushions of the sofa.

The second one is what I call the Benevolent Servant Leader™. You're the leader in the conversation. You've done this a hundred times. You can lead him to a better place. You know it, but your prospect isn't so sure. Your job is helping him make the best decision for himself, even when that decision is no. You put his interest ahead of your own, and he feels it.

That's what builds trust. And trust is the whole ballgame.

There's a reason we call them clients and not customers. I looked both up this week because I wanted to be sure I had it right.

Merriam-Webster on customer: "one that purchases a commodity or service."

Merriam-Webster on client: "one that is under the protection of another."

A customer buys gasoline. He reads the sign on your corner, reads the sign across the street, and picks the lowest number. A client puts himself in your care. Nobody does that for a vendor. A man does that for somebody he trusts to look out for him.

So I gave him three things on that practice call. They're the same three I'd give you.

First, you can't fix the money moment at the money moment. It gets built in every step before it. If your positioning is mush and your messaging was about you instead of him, no amount of confidence in the last ten minutes will save it. You're confident in your number because you're confident in the financial and emotional value of the transformation you can help him experience.

Second, walk in as the leader. You're there to help him decide, and you have to be at peace with a no. The minute you need the yes, you've handed him control of the conversation.

Third, watch your words when you get there. Say "investment." "Price" will do if you have to. Cost and fee are "sabotage" words, and the instant one comes out of your mouth, you're standing back out beside the gasoline pump.

Then share the number the way a good doctor shares a treatment plan. With clarity, confidence, and gravitas. Without apology. At the same speed you say everything else... then shut up and count to five-Mississippi before you say a word.

Here's what all this gets you. You don't have to peel him off the ceiling after you share your number. It's just information your prospect needs. If you do this right, you build the value along the way. What most people call "the close" is a naturally occurring event that requires no manipulation, coercion, or fancy sales tactics.

“Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.” ... Simon Sinek

P.S. We ran that money moment eleven more times before we hung up. The words barely changed. What changed was what came after it... by the eleventh rep he shared the number and then said nothing at all. That was the fix. Hit reply and tell me the word you actually used for money on your last call. Just the word.

Want to dive deeper? Check out these related articles:

👉 The Prosperous Consultant | Issue #30
👉 The Prosperous Consultant | Issue #29

You might also find these interesting:

🔎 The "Promoter Activation System" Prompt
🔎 The "Touchpoint Transformation" Prompt

P.S.: When you're ready, here are more ways I can help you...