“Can you email me your pricing?”

How many times have you been emailing with a potential client, and before you’ve gotten on a call, they ask, “Can you email over your pricing?”

Now you’re in a pickle.

You know you should get on a call first to assess their needs and best position your offerings and pricing, but you don’t want to risk upsetting them by skirting the question and asking for a meeting. Or worse, you don’t want to lose the business to a competitor because they were willing to email pricing and you weren’t. 

But here’s the problem: Sharing your prices ahead of connecting with the potential client doesn’t often lead to business. Rather, you end up wasting time crafting a thoughtful email in an attempt to position your services and prices compellingly — then never hear back. 

While I understand the risks of not doing so, my answer will always be an emphatic NO to emailing your prices.

Most of my clients will tell you that I don’t take a hard line on too many sales topics — after all, we’re all unique humans who should be able to approach selling in ways that feel aligned to us. 

But on this topic, I don’t waiver.

When you share pricing without first having a substantive conversation, you’re not giving the client all the details they need to make an empowered, educated decision about your services. 

At best, they’d be making a decision based on the little they know about you and your pricing — not based on their unique needs, desired outcomes and a deep understanding of how you can help.

Without you present to walk them through the benefits of your work and the ROI for them, how could they possibly make a fully-informed decision about whether or not to invest? 

And finally, if you still find yourself emailing prices after knowing all this, I fear you’re coming from a place of scarcity — a place that keeps you and your business small, and I just can’t support that. 

So, the next time someone asks you to email pricing, try this:

“Thanks for your interest in my services! Would you have time later today for a brief call? To share the most relevant offerings and pricing with you, I want to better understand your needs so that I can be of the highest service to you and the organization. How is 3pm?”

If they balk, consider that they might not be the best fit for you. After all, do you want clients who turn away from sharing information and working together toward a common goal?