Customers say “They offered us a better deal” for a reason. Here is what usually sits behind it, how to respond and what to avoid.
Someone has put a number or package on the table, and the customer is testing whether you will move. It may be real, or a negotiating tactic. Your first job is to understand what the offer contains. Matching blindly gives away value; ignoring it loses the sale. Compare what is included before you discuss price.
Typical in: Software and SaaS, Insurance and finance, Real estate, Telecom and energy, Professional services, Retail and e-commerce, Manufacturing and logistics, Contact centre and customer service
Pick the framework that fits the customer. The wording is an example direction, not a script: say it in your own words.
Ask what sits behind the objection, so you answer the real concern.
“Thank you for telling me. What exactly did they offer: the price, what is included, how long it runs? I would like to understand it properly so I can tell you honestly how ours compares.”
Put the options side by side, including the cost of doing nothing.
“Let’s set the two offers side by side, like for like: scope, support, the length of the commitment, and what happens at renewal. Where they differ, we can see whether the difference is worth it to you.”
Check whether this is the only obstacle, so you do not answer one worry after another.
“If we were comparable on those points, is there anything else that would stop you choosing us? I want to know whether this is only about the figure or whether other things are holding you back.”
After your response, ask:
Apart from the price, what else did you like or dislike about their offer?
Avoid: We can beat that, just tell me their price.
It commits you to a concession before you know what the other offer contains, and it teaches the customer that your first price was negotiable.
Reading is not the same as saying it. Talk to an AI customer who raises this kind of objection and see in the report which sentence helped.
Practise this objectionSomeone has put a number or package on the table, and the customer is testing whether you will move. It may be real, or a negotiating tactic. Your first job is to understand what the offer contains. Matching blindly gives away value; ignoring it loses the sale. Compare what is included before you discuss price.
Clarify before you answer: “Thank you for telling me. What exactly did they offer: the price, what is included, how long it runs? I would like to understand it properly so I can tell you honestly how ours compares.” Compare like with like: “Let’s set the two offers side by side, like for like: scope, support, the length of the commitment, and what happens at renewal. Where they differ, we can see whether the difference is worth it to you.” Isolate the objection: “If we were comparable on those points, is there anything else that would stop you choosing us? I want to know whether this is only about the figure or whether other things are holding you back.”
Apart from the price, what else did you like or dislike about their offer?
Avoid “We can beat that, just tell me their price.” It commits you to a concession before you know what the other offer contains, and it teaches the customer that your first price was negotiable.
Educational conversation training. It is not legal or financial advice and it promises no results. Always follow your company’s rules, the terms of the product and a customer’s clear no.