📄 If they say "I just don't have the money", ask them this question

One of the challenges that coaches and consultants face, is when money becomes the obstacle.

“I just don’t have that kind of money” or "It's over our budget", is what you'll hear.

What you definitely shouldn't do at such a moment, is lower your prices - but that's a story for another day.

What you also shouldn't do, is just accept it and move on.

Instead, here's how to handle it when your buyer won't proceed to checkout:

In some cases, they’re stating a fact. Sometimes, people just don't have the funds to pay for your offer.

Then again, people often say they don't have the money, but that doesn't necessarily mean they don't have the money. (Don't be surprised when a solo trader tells you they can't afford it, and the next day they're on social media bragging about some cool thing they just bought).

In many cases - if not most of the cases - what they’re really saying is “I don’t have the money for that”.

Where ‘that’ means: the value that you could bring them - but that you didn’t manage to adequately show.

Makes sense, right? Everyone has priorities, and the value they have so far seen, isn't enough to make your offer a priority.

So if they clearly need and want your help, but they tell you they don’t have the money or it’s too expensive, remember this:

It’s your job to have a buyer see the value of what you're offering - you need to make it easy for them to create their own vision of the net result and beneficial outcome your coaching or consulting will get them.

And if they don’t reach that vision, it means you didn't get that value properly expressed, and perceived.

And the good news is, it’s not necessarily game over at that point.

You can still continue the conversation, and still get the deal - but only if you ask questions that have the buyer see for themselves what the value of your work really is.

And one very powerful question to ask is:

“If money weren’t an issue, would it be a yes?”*

You’ll be amazed at where a sales conversation can go if that’s your reply to “ain’t got the money” or “it’s too much”.

And that's because the question changes the focus of the conversation away from the cost, and instead moves to why it would, possibly, be a good idea to buy.

Sometimes, that causes you to have a new phase to the conversation, where you help a buyer to re-assess value, needs, and problem-cost, and sometimes, they end up buying after all.

*Another, really good reaction is "I don't think I'm doing a very good job here"