1. rule: Whoever says the first price wins.
2. rule: Give a range, start with the high number first
3. rule: if you see resistance, ask why
4. rule: if it doesn’t fit: help your customer to find someone else who is cheaper

A conversation (Customer C and Service provider SP)

SP: I understand that you want to have XYZ. Based on similar projects this will be around 150k to 30k. Does this budget range work for you?

C: No! Usually, we pay 20k.

SP rejects: Ok, then I’m going to help you find possibilities to do this without me being involved.

SP wants it anyway: It might be that I have some perceptions that include more than you might need. If I give another offer in the range of 50k to 30k would that work for you?*
* notice that the secondly offered range is still above the customer’s number.