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Must read for anyone in client services.“What’s your hourly rate? I don’t have one.” Preach Brother Jonathan! This book is so useful, the author should charge 10x. It gives you actual scripts to handle client demands around money, in a non-adversarial but extremely effective way.
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An amazing resource for consultants and freelancersI’m very confident in my subject matter, but sometimes when I’m negotiating with clients, I turn into a people pleaser. When that happens, it hurts my margins and my self esteem. In ’Learn Your Lines’, Jonathan gave me permission to politely decline when potential clients ask for a discount. Now I just use his exact wording -- my margins and my self-esteem have never been higher!
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A lot of value for such a quick read!Very straightforward, no frills, no wading through filler. Just the benefit of the author’s experience. Definitely worth the time!
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Great Advice from a Value Pricing GuruJonathan Stark is fantastic on all things value pricing, and I’ll watch, listen to and read anything from him as it helps us so much in our business. Having Learn Your Lines on Kindle and available anytime is just so useful.
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The most important voice in my professional journeyJonathan has knocked it out of the park with this one. You can abstractly understand the concepts of value pricing, asking the why question and the principles he talks about in his books and podcasts, but getting presented with actual scripts and lines to put it into practice is invaluable.
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Essential reading for anyone working with clientsThis book is 66 pages of gold - wish I’d discovered it 3 years ago when I first started my business.
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A short, sharp primer on running a successful sales callEverything you need to know—when to talk, when to just listen—and everything you didn’t know you needed to know.
This short book has dramatically increased my confidence running sales calls, countering objections, holding the “why” conversation, and staying true to my worth.
Highly recommended if you’ve ever felt you wished you were better at closing deals.
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Incredibly helpful summary of best practices for common client conversationsI enjoy Jonathan’s work and this book is no different. Setting up my niche consulting business would be 1000x harder if I was not pursuing the best practices in value pricing and client management that Jonathan has been the gateway to for me. The lines in this book will be of great assistance to anyone like myself who understands “why” these strategies are valuable, but is unsure of a credible and professional way to speak them into being.
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Indispensable adviceSimple but fantastic principles for making client calls way more profitable and also less scary. His ‘Three Whys’ are so simple but completely transformed how I handle the selling process.
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Excellent guide for independent consultant to price projectsJonathan has done a great job listing common client objections to pricing and scope, and how to successfully overcome them. Complete change of mindset that most of us independent consultants need to increase our earnings!
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Great collection of actionable scripts.I’ve used these dozens of times in client engagements and they have always helped move the conversation in the right direction.
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Great preparation guide!This book contains some great nuggets for having conversations with clients. It is a great tool for preparing for those conversations. It can’t cover all the possible scenarios I might run into but it gives me the confidence that I could probably handle any scenario.
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The scripts you didn’t know you neededClients have all sorts of requests. Knowing how to respond sets the tone for the engagement. Having the scripts you need in your back pocket will save you time and strife, and set you up for better client engagements.
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Excellent advice to manage client expectationsLoved all the answers and breakdowns of the most common questions clients ask during the sales process.
I’m still figuring out the expression about sharpening pencils...
Recommended for everyone trying to get out of the hourly billing.
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This Helped 10X My Sales for Brand ServicesThe chapter on the “Why Conversation” helped me 10X my sales. Seriously. I was charging clients a ridiculously low figure based on hourly rates, never realizing the money I was leaving on the table, but also didn’t have the business savvy to understand why I couldn’t get ahead.
With a little practice, and by adapting the thought process outlined by Jonathan’s logical framework, I found myself on equal footing---suddenly in sales conversations at levels I never thought possible.
This should be required reading for every student, professional, and service-based business owner.
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Learn Your LinesThis is a condensed series of “lines” you can use when talking to clients that Jonathan Stark has found to be effective. The Why Conversation is something I’ve used and appreciated for some time and this book gives you the basics of how to do it.This book contains some great nuggets for having conversations with clients. It is a great tool for preparing for those conversations. It can’t cover all the possible scenarios I might run into but it gives me the confidence that I could probably handle any scenario.
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Valuable Content!A quick and powerful read, as a luxury cabinetmaker I often enter similar conversations with my potential clients. I appreciate this as a reference I will review in the future. Hourly Billing Is NUTS!
Tired of Fumbling When Clients Ask Tough Questions? Learn Exactly What To Say!
We’ve all been there - a promising sales call takes an awkward turn when the prospect asks, “So, what’s your hourly rate?” or “Can we get a discount?” Before you know it, you’re hemming and hawing on the phone, wondering what to say next.
In his book “Learn Your Lines,” consultant and expert sales pro Jonathan Stark saves you from embarrassing sales call blunders by arming you with specific, proven dialogues to handle even the toughest client questions with confidence and tact.
Learn how to:
- Politely dismiss requests for hourly billing rates
- Uncover a client’s true motivations before talking details
- Deflect arbitrary project deadlines that set you up for failure
- Stand firm on pricing while being flexible on terms
- Push back on discount demands without ruining the sale
- Shift the conversation when you lack experience in their niche
Whether brand new to sales or a seasoned veteran, this practical handbook equips you with battle-tested responses so you always sound polished, professional, and worthy of your fees on client sales calls. Pick up this invaluable guide today and stop stressing about being put on the spot - learn your lines and close more deals!
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About Jonathan
Hi! I’m Jonathan Stark and I was a software consultant for the better part of fifteen years. I’ve given sold out talks on three continents, I am the author of five books, and I have helped brands like Staples, Time, T-Mobile, and others with their software strategy, tactics, and training. (You can check out my press page for more info.)
In my first year as a solo consultant, I doubled my income by ditching hourly billing for value pricing. I have over a decade of real-world experience successfully applying value-based theories to my own consulting work and that of 100+ business owners I have counseled. These days I routinely command an effective hourly rate of $2000+ per hour.
The unconscious acceptance of hourly billing as the best and only option for selling services is a collective hallucination that literally keeps me up at night. In fact, I consider it my mission in life to rid the earth of hourly billing. Care to join me? You’ll be glad you did. 🙂