"It's more than we expected"
The price objection that isn't about price. Answer it with an ROI case and you will lose politely.
The brief
You are
An account executive at a compliance-automation vendor. You sent pricing on Friday for a 60-seat deployment at 84,000 a year.
The situation
Michael Brandt, Director of Risk at Ashcombe Financial, asked for a call this morning. His email said only: 'Got the pricing — it's a lot more than we expected. Can we talk?'
What you want out of it
Find out what is actually behind the objection before you answer it, then respond to the real thing.
What you know going in
- Quoted 84,000/year for 60 seats.
- He has been engaged for six weeks and brought two colleagues to the last call.
- You have not discussed budget explicitly at any point.
Who is on the other end
Michael
Director of Risk, Ashcombe Financial
She opens guarded, and she is holding 4 things back — 0 near the surface, 2 that take real questioning, and 2 you will only get to if the conversation genuinely goes well. What they are, and what makes her say them, is the part you have to find. She is not scripted to volunteer any of it.
What the debrief marks
The objectives for this scenario, and the four axes every objection handling call is graded on.
Understanding first
Did they find out what the objection actually meant before answering it? 'Too expensive' can be no budget, wrong value, or a comparison to something else entirely, and the three have different answers.
Substance of the response
Was the answer specific and honest — a real trade-off, a real number, a real limitation acknowledged — or a feature list and a reassurance?
Composure
Did they stay level under pushback without either caving or getting defensive? Discounting unprompted, over-explaining, and arguing all count against.
Result
Did the objection get resolved or genuinely parked with agreement on what happens next, or did the call end with it still sitting there?
How the call can end
Objection resolved, deal advanced
winThe buyer's concern was understood, answered, and the conversation moved past it.
Parked with agreement
partialNot resolved, but honestly acknowledged with an agreed way to settle it.
Still standing
partialAnswered but not believed. The buyer is being polite.
Conceded
lossDiscounted, over-promised, or agreed the objection was fatal. The most expensive way to end this call.
Other objection handling calls
Take this call
Diagnosing a price objection instead of answering it, and reshaping scope rather than cutting rate. 15 minutes, live voice, and a scored debrief you can replay. The first call is free.