Have you noticed buyers becoming more resistant to drawn-out sales processes? You’re not alone. Today’s buyers are more skeptical, have tighter budgets, and show less patience for traditional multi-step evaluations. Here’s how to adapt your approach to this new reality.
The Shift in Buyer Behavior
I recently got this question from an AE:
“It feels like buyers used to be totally fine going through a drawn-out process – discovery, demo, second demo, alignment call, business case, closing call, etc. Now it feels like they’d rather live with the pain of the problem than go through that again.”
They’re right. The market has fundamentally shifted. Companies have moved away from “grow at any cost” to careful consolidation. This means your sales process needs to evolve.
What Modern Buyers Really Want
Today’s buyers have two primary concerns they want addressed immediately:
- Budget Validation: “Could I even afford this if I wanted it?”
- Risk Assessment: “If I buy it, will I regret it?”
Traditional sales processes are built to answer these questions far too late in the cycle. This misalignment is causing buyers to ghost after 1-2 meetings.
The Right Way to Handle Early Pricing Questions
Why Traditional Approaches Fail
A senior procurement leader recently shared this insight: When sales reps evade pricing discussions, buyers immediately think, “I’m probably not going to like where this is headed.”
With increased CFO scrutiny, no buyer wants to waste time evaluating a solution that’s 5-10x over budget – even with a strong business case.
A Better Approach to Pricing Discussions
Here’s the framework I use for handling early pricing questions:
“Happy to share pricing with you. Our pricing model is based on [factor 1] and [factor 2]. Organizations of your size, looking to solve the problems you’ve shared with us, often spend between $xxx and $xxx. How does that compare to your expectations?”
If you encounter sticker shock, respond with:
“Our goal is to win your business by offering the best product. If you evaluate us, and we are the best product for you, we won’t lose on price.”
Handling Common Price Objections
Two frequent objections you’ll hear:
- “We don’t have budget for that amount until Q4”
- “Your competitor is 40% cheaper”
Pro Tip: Access my complete Pricing Objection Handling framework for detailed responses to these and other pricing objections.
The Bottom Line
The sooner buyers know you’re “in range,” the sooner they’ll actually evaluate your solution. And the more time you spend with buyers where your pricing is “in range,” the more deals you’ll win.
Remember: Modern buyers would rather know upfront if they’re wasting their time. Give them that clarity, and you’ll build trust while qualifying faster.
Take Action Now
- Review your current pricing discussion approach
- Implement the early pricing framework shared above
- Download the objection handling guide for specific talk tracks
