- If they ask for pricing, say you cannot price it until you know more about scope and use.
- That buys credibility and time to build the relationship.
- A price given too early is easy to ghost. Skin in the game across a few meetings is not.
The number two thing we hear is: I gave pricing and they ghosted me.
Do not hand over a price to be ghosted
Douglas Mancini: it is not about stalling for the sake of it. When a buyer asks for pricing early, the answer is that you cannot price it until you have more information from them about scope and how they will use the product. That response actually builds credibility, and it buys you the time to build a relationship. A price handed over too soon is dangerous, because it is very easy to ghost someone you have only spoken to once. After three or four meetings, both sides are building rapport and have skin in the game, and the ghosting stops.
Holding a price until you understand the application also differentiates you. It signals you are serious, not a drive-by quote.
More in running discovery calls and first meetings.
