July 16, 2026

Beer Buddy

Fellow list-member “A” sent in a great reply to my “Beer Quote” message:

Love the subject line. It’s probably the fastest I’ve ever opened one of your emails. It was a great email, no less.

I was actually expecting something a little different though. Something along the lines of what to say if you’re having a beer with a prospect and they ask, “So, how much does it cost?”

My instinct would be to say something like, “Anywhere between USD 5 and USD 50,000,000. I’ll send you a quote with a few options,” with a grin, just like you advise in Learn Your Lines.

But what if the prospect is persistent and says, “Sure, but can you at least give me a ballpark?” How do you beer quote in that situation without boxing yourself in?

That’s what I was expecting the email to cover.

Regards,
A

For anyone else who felt burned by the bait-and-switch subject line, here’s my answer:

A was correct; I’d give them a comically large range.

But if they persisted in asking for a ballpark, I’d ask:

“Even if I could give you a guesstimate, what would you do with that information?”

I’m quite certain my beer buddy wouldn’t have a compelling answer to this question, but even if they did, I’d stick to my guns.

If they kept badgering me, I’d start to get annoyed and say something direct like:

“Why are you pressuring me to give you a number without enough time to think about it first?”

Delivered without a smile, I’m confident that this would close down the line of questioning.

Yours,

—J

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