You will be able to state a price without hedging, apologising or discounting before the buyer reacts.
Listen to someone nervous about their price and you will hear it before they get to the number. "So, in terms of the investment, it's really only about, well, it depends, but roughly four-fifty a month, which honestly is less than most, and we can look at that if it's a stretch." By the time the number arrives, it is wrapped in so much apology that the buyer assumes it must be too high. The seller has negotiated against themselves before the buyer has said a word.
Stating a price well is a small skill. It takes one sentence, then silence. Most people find the silence harder than the sentence.
Say the price as a plain statement. "Option two is S$450 a month." That is the whole sentence. Priya's price here is an example from module 2.
Leave out the softening words. "Only" and "just" tell the buyer you expect them to think it is a lot. "Investment" sounds like a sales word, and buyers hear it as one. "Around" or "roughly" suggest the number is negotiable before anyone has asked. And do not say the price twice in different ways, such as "S$450 a month, so about fifteen dollars a day," unless the buyer asks for a breakdown. Repeating it sounds like you are trying to shrink it.
If there are several numbers, such as a monthly fee and a one-off setup, state them in one go so the buyer is not ambushed by a second figure later. "It's S$450 a month, and a one-off S$600 to bring last year's records up to date."
You already prepared the run-up in lesson 3.1, Make the value clear before you say the price. The impact figure, what the option does, then the number. Delivered in that order, the price does not need defending.
After you say the number, stop. Let the buyer respond, however long it takes.
This is where most sellers break. A few seconds of silence after a price feels like a minute. The urge to fill it is strong, and what fills it is almost always a justification, an extra feature or a hint of a discount. All three weaken your position.
The buyer needs the silence. They are doing arithmetic, comparing the number with the impact, thinking about the budget, or wondering how to put it to their spouse or their director. Interrupting that thinking does not help them decide. It distracts them, and often pushes the conversation onto a concession they had not asked for.
The Discovery course practised this in lesson 6.2, Use silence instead of filling it. The same skill applies here, with more at stake. If it helps, count slowly in your head, or look down at your notes. Let the buyer speak first.
Picture two sellers. One names the price and waits calmly. The other names it and immediately adds, "and that includes the weekly reports, and the catch-up, and you can cancel any time, and honestly it pays for itself." Which one seems more confident that the price is fair?
Justifying before the buyer reacts sends a signal: I expect you to object. Buyers pick up that signal and many will oblige. A calm statement sends the opposite one: this is the price, and I think it is reasonable for what you get.
This does not mean refusing to explain. Once the buyer asks a question, answer it. The point is to answer what they ask, not to defend against objections they have not raised.
When the buyer does respond, listen to what they ask. It is often not about the amount.
When Priya names her price, Joel is quiet for a few seconds, then asks, "Is that billed monthly, or do I need to pay for the year up front?" He is not objecting to S$450. He is checking his cash flow. If Priya had jumped in with a discount, she would have given away money to answer a question nobody asked.
Other common first questions are about terms rather than price. When does billing start? What if we want to stop after six months? Is the setup fee paid once? Does the price change next year? Answer the question, briefly and plainly, then pause again.
Sometimes the first response is a reaction: "Hmm, that's more than I thought." Treat that as an objection to understand rather than a demand for a discount. Ask what they were expecting or what they are comparing it with. Module 4 gives you the method, and lesson 5.1, It is too expensive, works through the common meanings.
Reading this will not make the silence easier. Saying it out loud will. Price sentences sound different spoken than they look on paper, and the filler words only show up when you hear yourself.
Have your price for one real offer written down, exactly as you would say it, before you start the activity below with a partner.
Practise stating your price aloud to a partner five times, without filler words, and hold silence until they respond.
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