Someone calls and asks how much do you charge.
“The important thing is whether we can work together.”
“Let’s get together long enough for me to get a sense
of what your issues are.”
You can usually tell how to work with them and what they
need.
You can also usually tell without asking if they can afford
your services during this brief interview.
“Are you comfortable with me enough for us to form a partnership?”
It’s all about the relationship. Keep the conversation there for
a while.
“Okay. Now let’s talk about the big bucks.” Humor works well at this
point.
“My usual fee is $100 an hour which I assume you cannot afford.
How much can you afford?”
Almost always they are uncomfortable with stating a figure.
“Okay. You can’t afford $100 an hour, you can afford $1.00 an hour.
Where between those two numbers will it be?”
“When you are feeling better you will be able to pay more because
you will be more productive.”