Sales Objection: “It’s Too Expensive” – Turning the Hardest Pushback into Opportunity

“It’s too expensive. We don’t have the budget.”

A classic one that every salesperson has encountered time and time again. It’s the objection that comes up most often, and yet it’s the one that derails even experienced sales professionals. Many freeze. Some step back, quietly conceding defeat. Others scramble to justify the price with discounts or last minute sweeteners.

But here’s the real question you need to ask:

Expensive how? Compared to what? To a competitor’s offer? To doing nothing? Or to the prospect’s perception of the value you’ve presented?

The truth is, when this objection surfaces at the pricing stage, it’s rarely about money. It’s a symptom of a deeper issue: somewhere in your sales process, the value wasn’t clearly demonstrated, the positioning fell flat, or the conversation failed to resonate with what truly matters to the buyer. And when that happens, “price” becomes their easiest reason to say no.

Because let’s be honest: when a prospect fully grasps the value, cost becomes secondary.

Let me give you a real life example. One of my sales reps once offered a software solution with a three month free demo and no obligation to purchase afterwards, essentially removing every financial barrier. The prospect still declined. Why? Not because of cost, but because they didn’t have the resources or bandwidth to even test it. This was a clear case of misalignment: the offer, no matter how generous, didn’t match the prospect’s current reality or priorities. It’s a powerful reminder that even giving something away for free can fail if you haven’t truly understood what matters to the buyer and where they are in their journey.

How to Avoid the “Too Expensive” Trap

Winning against this objection isn’t about slashing prices. It’s about building a sales process that makes your value undeniable:

• Qualify Beyond the Basics – Budget, authority, need, timeline - sure, but go further. Dig into how they define success, what they fear, and where they see real impact.

• Lead with Value, Not Features – Connect the dots between your solution and their outcomes. Show how you solve the pain they care about most.

• Know Your Competition Cold – Keep a live SWOT in your pocket. Know their strengths, their gaps, and how you can differentiate in ways that matter to the buyer.

• Arm Yourself with ROI & TCO – Hard numbers win hearts and minds. Demonstrate not just cost savings, but growth potential and risk reduction.

• Build Trust Early and Often – Swift responses, clear visibility, and a confident picture of your support and post-sales engagement create certainty, long before price is mentioned.

When you get these steps right, “it’s too expensive” loses its sting. Instead of a deal killer, it becomes a conversation starter, a chance to reframe, refocus, and reconnect with what matters.

The Big Takeaway

Objections are not barriers; they’re signals. “It’s too expensive” doesn’t mean you need to lower the price. It means you need to elevate the value conversation and make the prospect see the bigger picture.

Wrestling with this or any other objections right now? Let’s talk. I’ve been through this cycle countless times, and I’d be glad to help you strategise the close.