How to ask for a discount

I’ve had two people ask me for a discount on my rates this week. They both did so in very different ways. For one of them, I offered a discount and for the other, I did not.

When people are surprised at my quote, it’s because often, they’ve never done coaching before, so they don’t realise that I’ll save them money in the long run by helping them get extra money or a better deal. So they ask for a discount.

Here are two ways I’ve been asked for a discount this week

“Well, £800 a month is probably the top end of what we can afford at the moment, but I think you can help us and we’re not looking anywhere else for this. I like you and I think we can do business together.”

“We don’t have much budget so this will have to be one of your cheaper packages. We’re looking at a number of people who could provide this service”

Both of these were from complete strangers who found me on Google. Guess which one made me think about how I could reduce my price a little, and which one made me smile and stick to my guns on the price.

Yes, that’s right, the one who was nice to me, valued what I could provide for them, and made me feel like I was already their trusted business advisor.

The learning point from this

Some people love to get a discount. Some people think that if they squeeze you and threaten to go elsewhere you’ll be so desperate for the work you’ll automatically give them a cheaper price.

But if you want a good job done, it’s best to be clear about your budget, and be nice about it, and not demand a discount automatically. And if you want to do a good job, it’s better to not automatically give a discount just because someone demands one.

These are some of the things I work through with business on my Remarkable Business Programme. If pricing is something that you struggle with then Remarkable Business will walk you through how to price and when to offer a discount. Get support from me and other business owners and transform your business.

Find out how Remarkable Business can put your business on the fast-track to success.