Prepare the pricing conversation

Prepare the pricing conversation.

1. **What they are actually asking.** ***"How much is it?" early usually means "is this in my world at all?" — not "give me a quote"***
2. **What I need to know before I answer** — ***scope, who else, what they are comparing against, when.* **Say which of these I can ask now and which have to wait**
3. **How to give a number when I have to** — ***a range with what moves it, not a single figure with no context.* **A number given before value is understood becomes the whole conversation**
4. **What not to do:**
   - ***Discount before they push.* **It says the first number was not real**
   - **Justify the price by our costs.** *They do not care what it costs us*
   - ***Answer a budget question with a question, twice.* **Once is fine; twice reads as evasion**
5. **If it is genuinely out of their range** — ***say so and say what would fit, including nothing.* **Selling something that does not fit costs more later**

**Then:**
- **What to say if they ask for a discount**, and ***what I would want in return*** — *a discount with nothing back trains the next negotiation*
- **What to put in writing** and when

⚠️ ***Do not set my price. Do not calculate any figure.*** **Use only the numbers I gave you.** ***Do not tell me what is "standard" for my industry*** — **a recalled benchmark here costs real money.**

**Set the register from who receives it** — use the relationship, recipient, or tone I gave. ***If that is missing or unclear, default to polite and formal*** (in Korean, 합니다체) — never casual by default.