How much is this going to cost?

You want to communicate this in a very authoritative way. This will get your customers to move on and do the job. You don’t want the customer questioning the price too much. To do this I have a template for you to use. I’m going to give you the template, and then I’m going to break down why it works.

“The total cost of the repair–parts, labor, and tax included–is $752.36. Do you have any coupons or are you a member of our VIP program?”

So, let me break that down for why that works so well.

“The total cost of the repair–parts, labor, and tax included–is $752.36…”

First off, I’m giving them a total fixed cost, specific to the cent. I’m not saying it’s somewhere between four or five hundred dollars. That leaves some uncertainty in the air. You want to let them know you’ve done your research, specific to the penny. It’s got everything wrapped in that number.

“…Do you have any coupons or are you a member of our VIP program?”

And then I ask if they have any coupons, discounts, or are they a member of our VIP program. I’m not a big fan of giving coupons or discounts, but sometimes we have them. This is giving that opportunity to see if they have any. If they don’t at least you gave the opportunity for them to save.

If you have a coupon out there and it fits in what they’re doing, you should offer that to show you’re looking out for them. Or if you have a VIP program, it’s time for an upsell. It might be worth it for them to join the VIP program so they can get a kickback or a deal.

If you don’t have a coupon or an offer, you can always throw something in if the price seems to be a sore spot with them.

The main thing is that when you say this script, you need to stop. Don’t say anything else. Don’t offer anything else. When it comes to price negotiation, the person who is quiet longest wins.

Some customers who are upset about the cost might start talking and rambling about the price. They’re not yet asking you for a deal, they’re verbally complaining. You just sit there quietly and let them express their frustrations. Sooner or later most will say “well it’s got to be done.”

Don’t offer a deal or discount unless the customer asks for it. If they ask for it, then you can help them out. If you don’t have a deal and go down on price, it immediately tells them you’re charging too much. If you can add value to the price they’re paying, that’s a more effective way to make them happy. Customers don’t always want the best price, they want great value. If they’re trying to negotiate the price with you, they haven’t seen the value yet.

Depends on the work order amount, you can throw in a set of windshield wipers as added value. Depending on where you are, that’s ten or fifteen dollars. The retail value is thirty to fifty dollars. That’s giving a lot of value that costs you very little.

To avoid discounting you could say:

“I could give you a discount but that wouldn’t be fair to everyone else. But what I can do is replace those windshield wipers are a little worn out at no extra cost. Why don’t I take care of this now and throw in a pair of windshield wipers?”

Again, you’re offering more value and upping the stakes. You’re letting them know that you are throwing a fifty dollar value at no charge. I prefer saying “no charge” instead of “free.” “No charge” implies that there’s a fee for that but I’m not charging you. Free reduces the value, free doesn’t contain much value.

If you don’t want to even touch talking about discounts or coupons, you can wrap it up a different way.

“The total cost of the repair–parts, labor, and tax included–is $752.36. Do you need a ride somewhere?”

Whatever the question you’re asking at the end, you’re not asking if they want to proceed with the work. You’re trying to distract the customer from the decision of the price to the decision of the ride.

For some customers, they’ll say “yeah I need a ride.” Others will say they want to talk about the price. But assume that the customer is going to approve the work. Be assertive when you ask if they need a ride while you’re doing the work.