6 Ways We Handle Price Objections (+ Messages You Can Use)
Even if you don't build websites, you've probably gotten the objection that what you're offering is too expensive. Pricing is something that so many of our clients struggle with. It does not matter if you're making $100 or 100 million. It’s the tale as old as time (can you tell I have children? No regrets on that Beauty and the Beast aside) so let’s tackle it together.
Too often, pricing is the elephant in the room—people get really nervous when it comes to talking about money. Women in particular have trouble charging what they're worth. And most of all, people tend to crumble in the face of opposition or perceived conflict. But try to reframe this as an opportunity to show your worth-not race to the bottom in a price war with your competitors.
Real Talk: Just because Tom told you you're too expensive doesn't actually mean that you're too expensive. It means that maybe Tom is not your ideal client or you might have a positioning problem. Both are valid, and that is okay.
My advice? Do not offer discounts and don’t price match when you here the too expensive objections. The quickest way to your business demise is being something for everyone–NOT everything for your ideal client. Your ideal clients don’t mind and they know your value. Focus on them.
We are not the cheapest company, but we are certainly not the most expensive. Not even close. So when we get the price comments, I don’t let this bother me one iota. In fact, the opposite usually happens: I double down. Our value is not something that's up for debate. I'm not going to let somebody else tell me what we are and what we aren't.
However! It does tell me the important fact that I'm not communicating the value we provide as effectively as I could, and that's on me.
But that doesn't mean that my price needs to change just because Tom thinks I'm too expensive. Don’t take the bait.
So with that in mind let's roll through 6 things we often say when we face price objections and the key takeaways you can swipe and use to fit your own business.
Price Objection Scripts
#1 This is not Upwork.
Key Takeaway to Use: We are experts at what we are not side hustlers.
We are experts. This is not a hodgepodge group of people that I cobbled together with some random help wanted ads. These are people that are all dedicated to your success, that care, and that take the time to understand you and what you're about and what you're hoping to do. We will not build you the cheapest website that you're going to need to fix in about a month that somebody's going to hold hostage for updates and the plugins that it needs.
This is a team of people you can rely on now AND in the future. And people that shockingly enough in this day and age: are kind. We're nice, we're damn good at what we do, and we have too much self respect to do into bargain basement pricing for someone who doesn't see or value that. We're different at Anchorlight, and we're happy about that.
#2 We take the tech behind the scenes just as seriously as the design.
Key Message to Use: We are professionals with a process.
Anyone can build a semi-pretty website. That’s not the point and that’s not how you get a TRUE return on your investment. It's not just about what you see. It's about knowing that your site is set up properly. It's about knowing that when you migrate it from WordPress to Squarespace, it's not going to be done by someone who is inexperienced that has no idea what they're doing and in turn tanks your site health.
If you don't handle these very sensitive things appropriately, Google will penalize you and your website health (yes, it’s a thing) will suffer. This is not something you want to worry about four months later, after you already shelled out all the money. This is also not something that you need to worry about when you're running your company. These are the things that we worry about for you and that we take off your hands as your team.
#3 We're looking for clients who are serious about growth.
Key Message: We may not be for you.
Because we are too. We don't just build websites. We build sites that are optimized for growth, with SEO, marketing strategy, and copy frameworks that help you sell your service or products. We’re not going to nickel and dime those pieces as upsells-they’re part of the package because they are essential. All these puzzle pieces work together holistically with a design that's professional and polished to help you get found online and to resonate with your ideal audience.
We don’t just build a basic template cookie-cutter website and we are not building sites that just exist as placeholder. We are building things that encourage action in your ideal client. Because action and more clients is what you need to grow. If you are looking to stay where you’re at and accept the status quo–we’re not your team.
#4 A website is not a commodity, it’s the hardest working engine in your business.
Key Message: We are confident in our value & expertise.
A website is not something you should want to haggle about to get the cheapest price. Of course we don't want to be oversold something that we don't need. As one client said–they sell you a new engine when you need an oil change. But at the same time, this is something that is representing you to your potential clients and customers online, 24/7, all day long.
When you are offline your website is still online. It is the only piece of marketing collateral that works harder than you and it better damn well be the best it can be.
It is really important stuff that you take yourself seriously and you want your business to be seen in the same light-and your website is really important. It's not something that can be done quickly or cheaply- it must be done correctly and with care. And in turn, you're going to pay for that service accordingly.
#5 This is not something that you want to half-ass.
Key Message: We are serious about our work + impact
This is not something that you want to do when you're in the middle of your busy season and you can't commit to it.
This is not a project your assistant can lead without you.
It will require you to do some work.
It will require you to think through some things you probably have been avoiding.
It will bring up some feelings of “what am I even doing here” and that is all normal and that is all okay.
We are here to help you through it. We are not here to make it more confusing. We are not here to make it harder on you. We are here to support you however we can to make sure that your goals get achieved. We are dedicated and committed. We take our jobs seriously and we don't half ass it and we ask that you don't either. You want a team that’s in it to win it with you, not a freelancer who you can’t get to reply to your emails or who isn’t keen on collaboration.
We value your time and our own. This is not something we can do on a Tuesday afternoon while we're watching Netflix. This is something that takes time and dedication and we give your website the ample time that it deserves and the attention it needs to get found and work for you to the best of it’s ability.
#6 We’re looking for long term partnerships
Key Message: We may not be for you, part #2 + your client experience
As we mentioned in the beginning-we're not in the business of racing to the bottom on price. It's a waste of energy. Back to that number three: we're looking for long term partners. We're not looking for someone flash in the pan.
In other words, we're looking for Match.com and a committment not Tinder and one night stand.
We put a lot of work into diving deep into discovery and really getting to know not only the business we’re working with but the humans in charge and behind the scenes. We know that when you win, so do we and we’re here to help you get there every step of the way.
So when Tom comes to call in your business, I hope you don’t pull out the discount code, but instead pick one or all six of these value statements and use them in your reply. Don’t ignore the opportunity to clarify what you do and why it matters. And if you need that info on your site to avoid Tom altogether, book a call! Let us help you refresh your site and get it up to speed so that all you’re attracting are those dream clients–none of the ones that don’t value you and what you offer.
