I kicked off my 2015 TED Talk with this line: “No one will ever pay you what you’re worth. They’ll only ever pay you what they think you’re worth. And you control their thinking.”

Too many sellers unknowingly hand over control of this critical piece of the selling puzzle. They abdicate their responsibility to shape customer thinking about value. When they do, they send naked prices into the market.

What’s a naked price? It’s a price with no context. Is $1,000 a lot of money? It’s outrageous for a pack of gum, but laughably cheap for a brand-new car. Without context, a price is just a meaningless number.

Far too many sellers present naked pricing to their customers, absent of appropriate context yet hoping for the best. Unless you dress your price up in luxurious, value-laden context, you’ll always struggle to command the prices you deserve.

Your Price Needs a Story, But Not the One You Think

When I talk about creating pricing context, some might think, “Let’s whip up a compelling story about how fantastic our product or service is.” And yes, stories matter. But the most powerful story in selling isn’t one you tell; it’s one you help your customer discover.

Here’s the secret: Ask questions.

Questions, not statements, create the richest, most meaningful context for your price. You don’t need to convince a customer that you’re valuable; you need them to convince themselves. How? By asking questions that highlight their own needs, pains, and ambitions, and then connecting their narrative of value to the advantages of your offering. For example, instead of touting your exceptional service, you could ask:

• “When you look at your top-performing vendors or partners, what exactly are they doing that you wish everyone else would?”
• “Tell me about a time when a supplier dropped the ball. How did that impact your team? Your customers? Your peace of mind?”
• What’s the one thing about your business, which, if understood, could completely change how providers work with you?”

The answers to these questions can be threaded artfully with elements of your value proposition to engage in a dialog about your value that pushes pricing to the background. (Remember: Dialog = good. Monologue = bad.)

(Looking for more sample questions? See this recent blog post for a question arsenal.)

Building Trust Faster Through Inquiry

When you engage your customer with thoughtful, inquiry-based dialogue, you’re not just collecting data. You’re building trust. Customers quickly tire of the standard dog-and-pony show, the rehearsed spiel about features and benefits. Questions show customers you’re not assuming what they need; you’re actively uncovering it. Insightful, relevant questions and careful listening communicate something powerful: “I understand you, and I understand what matters to your business.”

That’s how trust is built, and trust is one shortcut to pricing power. Customers pay more readily when they believe you truly grasp their challenges, fears, goals, and desires.

Go Beyond the Surface

Not all questions are created equal. Shallow questions get shallow answers, and shallow answers mean shallow context, which leads to greater pricing pushback.

Here’s what great context-building questions sound like:

• Challenges: What’s causing headaches, frustrations, and disruptions? What’s slowing them down, costing them money, or harming their reputation?
• Goals and Dreams: What are they trying to accomplish? What’s the bigger, more exciting picture they’re reaching toward?
• Fears and Risks: What’s keeping them awake at night? What could go wrong if they choose the cheaper alternative?

When you understand what matters most to your customers, your price stops being a naked number and becomes a powerful expression of customer-driven value. Clothe your offering in that context and watch your business transform.