Is $100k in the Ballpark?

This is a trick I learned from Blair Enns when a client is being cagey about budget. Instead of chasing them for a number, throw out a high one—on the upper end of what you think it would cost to produce the campaign.

As you've probably experienced many times, clients will often say things like:

• “We don’t have a budget for this yet.”

• “We’d love for you to come up with the budget.”

That’s not indecision—it’s negotiation. And the best response is to throw out a number right then and there to get them talking.

For example, you might say, “If I said $100,000, would that be in the ballpark?” If that’s too high, they’ll tell you. You can adjust and say, “Okay, is $75,000 in the ballpark?” They might still hesitate and respond, “Well, we were thinking more like $50,000.”

Boom. Now you’ve got a number to work with. The conversation is moving, the deadlock is broken, and you can start structuring a plan.

It’s casual yet professional—clients feel comfortable responding. It’s straightforward—cuts through the ambiguity. And it invites dialogue—making it easy for them to engage.