Why “Your Price Is Too High” Is a Symptom, Not the Problem

As a lifelong sales guy, I’m allowed to say this; salespeople are inherently lazy and want to find the most return on their efforts.

This can show up in the way they talk about lost opportunities, and in staffing, no socially acceptable excuse is more common than losing based on bill rate.

As a leader, you may hear things like, “we lost the deal on price”, “they went with a cheaper option”, “they aren’t willing to pay market rates”, etc. When in reality, they got outsold and didn’t provide value for the customer.

Reframing the Problem: Price is an Outcome

As leaders, we must be able to shift our teams thinking from price as a cause, to price as a result.

In sales, objections are part of the game and when price is the objection that’s not random.

Typically, it is a result of the seller not being able to clearly identify a problem/need, not being able to qualify the business impact, or an inability to create urgency to make a decision.

Value = Benefits – Cost

This is the equation that your prospects use for decision-making

Cost is not just the bill rate the client should consider. The salesperson must be able to confidently articulate the hidden costs: background checks, time to productivity, turnover and burnout, etc. impact of poor talent in that role, or worse, no talent in that role. If salespeople can’t articulate the benefits of their solution, the focus solely becomes bill-rate, not total cost. When value is unclear, buyers compare price BUT when value is clear; buyers will justify the cost.

Things the seller may be doing to create the price objection

1. No identification of need: the salesperson never uncovers the real problem, or the problem wasn’t big enough in the customers’ eyes to act on it.

   
   

2. No qualified impact: Maybe the salesperson was able to discuss the problems, but they were unable to articulate the ROI or opportunity cost. No understanding of the financial, operational, or even emotional cost identified. “What is it costing you not to do this?”

   
   

3. No urgency: if there is not enough pain from the customers’ perspective, they have no reason to act now. Deals typically stall if no urgency is created or they rely on price as their only reason to move forward.

The Game Changer

Many sellers “know” what to do but often don’t execute. They have been trained to ask better questions, create a gap, and communicate value. But as I mentioned, we’re a lazy bunch and in live situations, tend to avoid the tough questions and skip the steps that matter.

That’s where Sales Coach AI (SCAI) is a game changer in reinforcing the right behaviors in real time. Sales Coach AI is not just another AI tool in your tech stack, it is a:

• Practice partner

• Coaching tool

• Performance mirror

No reason to hide from bad role practice with SCAI, it’s available 24/7 to provided real-time role practice. It's designed to make you better before you get in front of your prospects and customers, so the feedback will be swift and real. It’s not designed to beat you up but make you better, so more wins come in real world scenarios.

We have built SCAI to accelerate skill development, accelerate processes, and give time back to salespeople for what’s important. It's continuous reinforcement of the right Habits (another Cornerstone we live by).

A Punch in Accountability

No more blaming pricing, competition, or market conditions. In fact, some of your competitors are facing the same thing you are and are winning at a higher rate. They looked in the mirror, understood their clients’ operating reality and sold value; price wasn't an issue because they led with value.

As a leader, are you holding your people accountable for what they said they would do? It’s not always easy, but those hard internal conversations will make them more confident to lead with value and win more deals.

Leaders and salespeople alike, if you want more strategic conversations, move from vendor to trusted partner, and ultimately win more deals; we can help. Reach out to Butler Street today and let us show you how it’s done!