Client: We like your designs very much, but can’t afford them. We found another company with much a much lower pricing structure.
Certain company owner: I’m sorry to hear that. Pricing does vary from designer to designer - I do wish you luck with your project, though. Can’t wait to see it in play!
Client: That’s just it. See, we like your designs so much better so we were wondering if you could send one of your .PSD files to our new designer so they can use it?
Certain company owner: ~~silence~~ …. umm, no.
7:01 pm on June 27th, 2005
Please say you’re kidding….
However I know all to well you aren’t.
*shakes head* Isn’t business just a hoot?
7:32 pm on June 27th, 2005
Clients: If you couldn’t bill ‘em, you’d have to kill ‘em.
7:46 pm on June 27th, 2005
I have a .psd file I would love to send them… Then again, I would fall out of my chair if they actually used it on any public site…
7:58 pm on June 27th, 2005
That’s just.. HILARIOUS!
8:28 pm on June 27th, 2005
Hah! You can’t get gold for silver.
9:15 pm on June 27th, 2005
Haha! Did you tell them it’ll cost them $105 for the .psd file?
9:38 pm on June 27th, 2005
That’s just funny. Browsing through here for Cotillion tomorrow; enjoying your corner of the ’sphere.:lol:
6:42 am on June 28th, 2005
I know it takes all kinds to make up this crazy world, but that person takes the cake:lol:
7:14 am on June 28th, 2005
I think some clients ask ridiculous questions because it doesn’t cost them anything, just on the chance that you’ll feel obligated to say yes. The one that I hear: Can I get this today? No, I will send it over Thursday. Oh, that’s fine. I just needed to tell my customer.
7:27 am on June 28th, 2005
Bizarre. “I like your Ferrari’s, but I found a Chevy at a lower price. Could you send a Ferrari over to the Chevy dealer?”
9:40 am on June 28th, 2005
Hahahahahaha! I understand completely! We had a job just a couple weeks ago where they decided to basically double our work. Then they couldn’t understand why we’d double our price…
4:00 pm on June 28th, 2005
*thinking* I guess it wasn’t me who asked that. Because you would TOTALLY do that for meeeee! Cuz you love meeeee!
11:42 am on February 14th, 2006
There’s a great technique for dealing with this that I’ve learned the hard way. Never give anything away for nothing and always have an up front contract, before (and I mean before you do a design or proposal). I also never leve my design or proposal with a client for them to steal.
Here’s some good questions to ask, based on the technique of acknowledgement, repeating and using a following question (sometimes known as reversing. Note at no point will I disagree with them. I will always validate their experience or view of the world.
Prospect: We like your designs very much, but can’t afford them. We found another company with much a much lower pricing structure.
Certain company owner: Ok That’s not uncommon, you like our designs and can’t afford them, so what were you hoping for?
Prospect: we were wondering if you could send one of your .PSD files to our new designer so they can use it?
Certain company owner: Ok, sure, you want us to send us your designs. Why do you think they were better?
Prospect
We just thought you’d caught what we were aiming for.
Certain company owner: Great, we’ve caught the brief, only one problem you can’t afford them. What were you hoping to pay for them?
Prospect
We wondered if you could send them over in pdf form for nothing.
Certain company owner
Uh huh, you want them for nothing, a lot of people want stuff that we’ve done as proposals from us for nothing, problem is we can’t run a business like that. And it sounds like its not that important for you to get the right design.
Prospect
Well no, it is important.
Certain company owner
Ok, so it is important, but not that important, because pretty much any design will do. I mean you just want to get something out there for the cheapest price.
Prospect
Well no, not the cheapest price, but within our budget.
Certain company owner
And your budget can’t be moved so when this project is complete, it’s the budget you/your boss will be looking at not the result.
Prospect
Well that’s part of it.
Certain company owner
ok, so that’s part of it, but I thought you said that was all of it.
Prospect
Well that’s part of it. And I can’t spend more
Certain company owner
Before I go as you clearly can’t afford us and I can’t give you a design for free can I ask you one question?
Prospect
Sure
Certain company owner
Why do you think we are more expensive and have clients coming back to us year after year
Prospect
Because you overcharge
Certain company owner
Um, We do charge a lot, but that’s not it
Prospect
Because your clients have too much money or too little sense
Certain company owner
Uh Huh, we have a lot of well off clients and some have very little sense, it’s not that either
Prospect
Because what you do works
good technique here is to go deaf and ask them to repeat it by saying
Sorry what did you say
Prospect
Because what you do works
Certain company owner
that’s it, Now shall we talk about your budget or is this conversation over.
Prospect
Ok on you go with reversing or no and ask for a referral.
Point is if you get someone to see you’re advantage over the competitiion money is never the issue. They’ll always find it.
Hope this helps
Stephen D’Aulby
Integrity, Sensitivity, Precision
Business Coaching and Team Development
stephen@befor.co.uk
4:04 am on February 27th, 2006
Nice one Stephen!
12:52 am on December 13th, 2006
this is really hilarious!!! hahaha
wat was the prospect thinking? sigh…