When a buyer says "it's too expensive", the reflex is to offer a discount. That usually teaches the buyer that your first price was not your real price. A better approach is to slow down and understand what the objection really means.
Use a four-step response
- Acknowledge — "That's a fair question to raise."
- Clarify — "Compared to what — another option, or the budget you had in mind?"
- Respond — address the real concern, usually value or risk, not price.
- Confirm — "Does that answer the concern, or is there something else?"
Find the objection behind the objection
Price is often a stand-in for something else: uncertainty that the solution will work, a stakeholder who has not been convinced, or timing. Clarifying questions surface the real issue so you can respond to it directly.
Trade, don't give
If you do need to move on terms, trade something for it — a longer commitment, a faster decision, or a reduced scope. Never reduce price without getting something in return.
Practise these responses with live drills in the Objection Handling Techniques Workshop.