You’re in the middle of your proposal, your prospect interrupts you and says, “I’ve seen enough. Show me the price.” How do you respond? Most salespeople try to defer pricing until they’ve shown “value” by saying something like this: “We can certainly get to the price, but before we do, I’d like you to see the value in what I’m offering. And I can’t do that until we go over all the details first. Responses like these destroy trust because it feels like you’re hiding something. You’re subconsciously saying, “That’s a dumb question.” The prospect feels like their parents are scolding them. My take? Questions aren’t something you dodge; they’re something you answer. Salespeople don’t determine value; buyers do. And buyers can’t determine value without price. So if a prospect asks for the price, tell them the price, even if it’s a range. Like this: Prospect: “I’ve seen enough show me pricing.” Salesperson: “It’s between 2-4K per month.” Then stop talking. Here’s how this typically plays out. Prospect: “Wow, that seems high.” Salesperson: “Seems like affordability might be an issue for you.” (Labeling: Chris Voss) From there, you might discover that price isn’t the real objection. Prospects: “Well, actually, we only can handle about 20 more customers a month, and your plan shows 40.” Or “This isn’t something we’re looking to do this quarter.” You get the idea. You’re seeing if the price is a smokescreen for other concerns. Or you might discover price is their only concern: Prospect: “It is. The price is more than I expected.” Salesperson: “I’m sorry. What did you expect?” Prospect: “$500 per month.” Salesperson: “Sounds like you’ve seen comparable solutions in that price range.” Prospect: “I haven’t, but this just seems high to me.” Detach from the outcome. Salesperson: “It feels like we should scale back the proposal and review some other options in your price range.” Prospect: “Yes. That would be great.” The takeaway? Let go of holding price hostage.

One of my clients just got the thumbs up from VR&E for his business plan after our meeting with his counselor and her supervisor. He and I have been working together for 6+ months so he can launch his home-based dog training business. It has been a passion of his, and now the VA will pay for most of his start-up costs for dog crates, leashes, a bite suite, software and more. He spent 5 minutes thanking me yesterday for making his dream become a reality and for taking the extra time to help him put together the financials for what is needed for the purchasing manager at the VA. This is the reason I do what I do and why I love helping other veterans. This can change this guy's life. Don't give up on your dream. Surround yourself with people like the ones in this community that will lift you up and not put you down. Yes, you will get constructive criticism, but that is how you become successful. Remember, even pro athletes still have coaches.

Check out the new podcast episode in the livestream course. Learn how to file a copyright, or trademark application. Know the fines and penalties if you infringe on someone else's trademark or copyright.

I've started businesses with family, friends, gone in alone and everything in between. I've also started a company, then brought people in. At the end of the day, I tend to prove a concept, then bring in a partner who has skin in the game and will capitalize on the upside. I try to find people who love doing what I don't like doing and vise-versa. The most difficult part is finding the right parter, cause I've seen family members screw over each other more than once. In fact, one of my partners got sued by his brother even though the brother was paid more than what was agreed. We were not partnered in that business he was sued BTW. Final thought; partners can add fuel to accelerate your business if you can find the right one. So, keep networking and always be looking for opportunities.

Every Saturday, let's take a minute to report in. Share your weekly SITREP in the comments using this format: 🏆 Biggest win = ⚠️ Biggest challenge = 🎯 Objective for next week = 🤝 Where you need support = This week, I wanted to drive more traffic to this community. We started hosting our Master Class Monday calls with successful entrepreneurs on LinkedIn Live to get a better reach. They are recorded (StreamYard) and posted here on the Veteran Business Community in the LiveStream Replay. I also put the recordings in YouTube. Biggest Win = I found the YouTube has a Podcast Option as a way to reach more people. It made me think that I should download the audio and post it on other podcast channels too. This way we reach people that consume on LinkedIn, YouTube, Podcasts, and here on the VBC platform. You can listen to the podcasts here: https://rss.com/podcasts/veteran-business-community. @Hal Fischer, my business partner didn't even know I did this. Surprise Hal!! lol Biggest Challenge = is to get in front of new people and learn more about what you all want to see here for training. Post your comment and let us know what is important to you. Objective for next week = I want to convert the old recordings to audio and put them in the podcast channel. Need support = Our community to help share the word about this community. Invite others to join and be interactive. There is a ton of knowledge from each member but people are not sharing it. Share the knowledge and we can all help each other. I can't wait to read your posts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111