"Can you give me a ballpark?"

The sales call has been going great. You answered every technical question. They seem impressed with your expertise. You're wrapping up, feeling good about it.

And then they ask you something you weren't ready for.

"So... can you give me a ballpark?"

You freeze. You hear yourself say something you regret before you even finish the sentence. You quote too low. You agree to terms you hate. You commit to a deadline you can't hit.

The call ends. You got the project. But you already resent it.

Here's the thing...

It's not that you don't know your stuff. You're great at what you do. The problem is that nobody taught you what to say when clients put you on the spot about money.

So you wing it. Every time.

And every time, it costs you.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"This Helped 10X My Sales for Brand Services"

The 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.

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.

— Amazon Review

What if you had the exact words?

Not vague advice like "know your worth" or "just be confident." Actual sentences. Word for word. For the specific situations that trip you up.

That's what Learn Your Lines is. A 66-page handbook of battle-tested responses to the questions clients actually ask:

Each question gets a specific response you can use verbatim - plus the reasoning behind it, so you understand why it works.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Stop Taking Bad Projects"

Before learning Jonathan's process I would defer to saying yes to most clients. These dead simple lines give me the confidence and the scaffolding for always taking the time to try and talk a potential client OUT OF HIRING ME. At first it sounds crazy, but if you aren't doing this vital step, then you are certainly leaving money on the table at best, and at worst you are likely dealing with annoying clients who don't really value your time and expertise.

— N. Grahek

The Why Conversation

The centerpiece of the book is something called The Why Conversation - a simple framework for uncovering what the client actually needs before you ever talk about price.

Most consultants jump straight to "here's what I can do and here's what it costs." The Why Conversation flips that. You ask three specific questions that get the client to articulate the business value of solving their problem.

Once they do, the price conversation changes completely. You're no longer defending your rate. You're discussing an investment relative to a return they just defined themselves.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Learn the art of being curious"

This is one of the books that completely changed my business and therefore my life. I go back to it again and again and share the advice with friends. Nearly every time I have an initial call with a potential client, they'll comment something like, "wow nobody is asking these kind of questions, thank you!" There's your reason to read this gem of a book.

— Sean Nemetz

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"The most important voice in my professional journey"

You can abstractly understand the concepts of value pricing, but getting presented with actual scripts and lines to put it into practice is invaluable.

— Keanan Koppenhaver

You'll stop doing this:

Quoting too fast. You'll learn why blurting out a number before understanding the project is the most expensive mistake you can make - and exactly what to say instead.

Caving on discounts. You'll get a polite, professional response that declines the discount without killing the deal.

Agreeing to bad terms. 50/50 payment splits, open-ended timelines, scope creep disguised as "one more thing" - you'll have a line for each.

Saying yes to projects you should walk away from. Sometimes the best thing you can say is a version of "no." You'll learn how.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"An amazing resource for consultants and freelancers"

I'm very confident in my subject matter, but sometimes when I'm negotiating with clients, I turn into a people pleaser. 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!

— Amazon Review

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"Brilliant!"

It behaviorally tricks you into starting to value-price your work instead of relying on hourly rates and estimates. Sure Blair Enns can explain it all but Jonathan is like a dog whisperer who will "do it to you". Highly recommended! Rating: 7.5 stars!

— Maciej Sarna

Read it in an hour. Use it for the rest of your career.

The book is 66 pages. No filler. No theory for theory's sake. Just the situations you'll actually face and the words that actually work.

Most readers finish it in a single sitting. Many say they made their money back on the very next client call.

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"A short, sharp primer on running a successful sales call"

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.

— James E. Turner

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"Indispensable advice"

Simple 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.

— Amazon Review

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"The scripts you didn't know you needed"

Clients 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.

— Geraldine Carter

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"Essential reading for anyone working with clients"

This book is 66 pages of gold - wish I'd discovered it 3 years ago when I first started my business.

— Rachael

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"Perfect comebacks!"

Very smart idea to rehearse these tactics. Love the way the author gets to the point quickly - demonstrating how this works in real time!

— Robert Scanlon

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"A Brand New Way Of Thinking About Charging for Your Work"

Jonathan provides some succinct phrases to help get your mind focused in this new direction, and that can also be useful in sales conversations. My personal favorite is the answer to the question "What's your hourly rate?", which is "I don't have one."

— Tarrence E. Davis

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"Great Advice from a Value Pricing Guru"

Jonathan 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.

— Gene Turner

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Excellent guide for independent consultants"

Jonathan 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!

— Imran N.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"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.

— Jonathan Bennett

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"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.

— Amazon Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Excellent advice to manage client expectations"

Loved all the answers and breakdowns of the most common questions clients ask during the sales process. Recommended for everyone trying to get out of the hourly billing.

— Marcelo Andrade

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Incredibly helpful"

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.

— Amazon Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Chock full of gold"

One of the best hours you can spend on your business.

— J. Macpherson

Buy Now $29

or get it FREE with Hourly Billing Is Nuts »

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.)

Jonathan Stark

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. 🙂

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