I was reading this post from Conrey is for closers :
I was asked a great question by a salesperson I was consulting with recently:
Chris, how do you deliver an estimate when you know that it is going to be significantly higher than what they expect or can afford?
I used to (and, in some ways, still do) face this issue. You're being asked something by a potential client and you know that the answer you're going to give them will be above the budget they are claiming. Another way to look at this is through expectations. When you feel that your quote price's is too high, it's usually because there's a misalignment between your potential client's expectation and their budget:
- Either the budget is fixed and their expectations are too high
- Or the budget is not the key factor and they will find a way to increase it in order to make their expectations come true
Once you realize this, you can narrow your course of action:
- You can discuss with the client in order to reach a compromise with a reduced scope
- You can build the value of your offering in the proposal (in his post, Chris goes on to explain that the key is to build value in your proposal)
Worst case scenario, the deal doesn't go through and you stay out of an unfulfilling contract for both sides. It's reverse win-win!