This is it.
The pivotal point of the sales conversation.
You played your cards right, the client is ready and no amount of additional explanation will change your situation for the better.**
There is now a burning question hanging in the air – how much?**
Introduce the options starting with the highest one. Immediately after saying the lowest amount, heed the advice from the last email and stop talking. Now, start silently counting seconds, and pay attention to what happens next.
They said “yes” in less than 2-3 seconds? Congratulations, their quick response betrays their relief – your price is too low. Nothing you can do about it in this case. Next time, go higher.**
They said “yes” between 3-15 seconds, especially along the lines of “um, ok, we might be able to do that”? Great work, you got the price right for this client, it’s very close to the limit of what they were willing and able to pay for the value they can perceive.
If more time passes**, maybe they are in shock, testing you, or possibly have fallen asleep. Now is the time to say “how does that seem?”. What you did here simply restarted the waiting period, without betraying any crack in your confidence. Now, it’s clearly their turn to answer.
Tactical silence is hard but pays off handsomely. And don’t worry – “hell no, that’s too much” is always said without much delay. The longer they think, the closer to the optimum you got.