🚀 TL;DR
- Pricing objections are rarely about the number itself—they’re about hesitation, over-explaining, and signals of uncertainty.
- Clear, calm delivery and silence after stating your price communicate confidence more than any justification ever could.
- Discounting should never be automatic; flexibility belongs in scope, tiers, or trade-offs—not your core price.
- Prepared pricing frameworks turn objections into fit conversations instead of defensive negotiations.
- Confidence in pricing is built through preparation and practice, not personality or persuasion tricks.
I've watched it happen hundreds of times.
A potential client asks about cost, and suddenly the consultant who sounded confident 30 seconds ago starts rambling. They over-explain their entire process, list credentials nobody asked about, and preemptively offer discounts before the client even flinches.
Smart people with real expertise sabotage themselves the moment money enters the conversation.
After mentoring 550+ consultants, I can tell you the problem is almost never the selling price. It's the delivery—the hesitation and verbal gymnastics that signal uncertainty.
In this article, I'll share the pricing frameworks I've refined through thousands of client conversations, which you can adapt to your voice and sales process.
While I label these “scripts” it’s only because the industry calls them that. My philosophy is instead to teach you “frameworks” and explain the psychology behind why they work.
Script 1: Presenting your price with confidence
The moment a potential client asks, "So what do you charge?" that's when most consultants flinch. They speed up, their voice pitches higher, and they start justifying before they've even said a number.
Don't flinch when it's time to talk about pricing. Say it flat. Say it confidently. Then shut up.
The script:
After you say the number, stay silent and let them respond.
Why it works:
The word "investment" reframes cost as value, and stating the number without hedging signals you believe in your price. The silence afterward is where the client sells themselves or reveals their real concerns about cost.
Script 2: Handling "That's too expensive."
When a client says your price is too high, they're not always saying no. Sometimes they're testing. Sometimes they genuinely don't understand what they're getting. Your job isn't to defend—it's to clarify.
The script:
Pause and listen, because their answer tells you everything.
If it's budget: "What range were you working with? I can show you what's possible at different levels."
If it's a comparison: "Happy to walk through what's included here. Often what looks similar on the surface has very different outcomes."
Why it works:
You're not caving, but instead you're diagnosing. Active listening turns a pricing objection into a conversation about fit, and that's a conversation you can win.
Script 3: When someone asks for a discount
"Can you do any better on price?"
This question makes most consultants panic. They start mentally calculating what they can cut, how low they can go, and what they're willing to sacrifice to close the deal.
You need to stop yourself from going down that path, because discounting without reason trains clients to push constantly. That’s also why it’s important to present an Offer Portfolio of options because the prospect will have different price comparisons.
The script:
Why it works:
You've held the line without being cold, and you've offered flexibility on scope—not value. By redirecting to their priorities, you stay in control of the client journey instead of reacting to pressure.
Script 4: When someone compares you to cheaper options
"I found someone who charges half what you do."
If that's their priority, let them go.
Undercharging attracts bad-fit clients. Overdelivering keeps you stuck. You're not trying to win on price—you're trying to win the right clients.
The script:
Why it works:
There's no defensiveness here and no trash-talking competitors. You're positioning yourself as a premium option for a detail-oriented client who values outcomes over cost. The ones who get it will stay, and the ones who don't were never your client anyway.
Script 5: Offering tiered pricing or a trade-off
Sometimes the fit is right, but the budget genuinely isn't there. That doesn't mean you walk away. It means you adjust scope, not price.
The script:
Why it works:
You've created an on-ramp without discounting your core offer. This works especially well with an analytical client who wants to test before committing or a long-term client relationship you're building over time.
You stay in the conversation without compromising your list price.
Script 6: Explaining why you don't charge hourly
"Can you just give me your hourly rate?"
This is where many consultants trap themselves. The moment you quote hourly, you've commoditized your expertise. Now they're comparing you to everyone else who bills by the hour.
The script:
Why it works:
You've explained your reasoning without sounding preachy, and you've redirected to outcomes. By giving them a real number to react to, you prevent them from mentally multiplying hours by rate and lowballing the entire process.
Script 7: Following up after no response to your quote
You sent the proposal. You stated your price. And then... nothing.
Most consultants either follow up too aggressively or not at all. Both cost you deals.
The script:
Why it works:
This approach is direct without being desperate or annoying. You're giving them an easy out to re-engage without pressure and not doing a “check in.” Sometimes silence means life got busy, and a well-timed nudge—not a hard sell—can revive a stalled deal and move the sales process forward.
Script 8: Holding the line with warmth
"Can't you just make an exception this once?"
This one tests your boundaries. It might come from an emotional client, a referral from a friend, or a project that sounds interesting but doesn't pay what it should.
The script:
Why it works:
You're not being cold or dismissive—you're being clear, and real clients respect that. The ones who keep pushing after this script will push on everything, from scope to timelines to revisions.
It's better to know that now than three months into a nightmare engagement.
Confidence is preparation in disguise
Remember those consultants who start rambling the moment cost comes up? The ones who over-explain, hedge, and offer discounts nobody asked for?
You don't have to be one of them.
These scripts won't make pricing conversations disappear, nor will they eliminate nerves entirely. But they'll give you something to hold onto when your voice wants to waver. It's a structure that keeps you grounded while the client decides whether they're in or out.
The consultants I've seen close the most deals are the ones who practiced what to say until saying it felt natural. They adapted the language to fit their voice, tested it in real conversations, and refined it over time.
So practice these scripts out loud. Adjust them until they sound like you.
And the next time a potential client asks what you charge, say it flat, say it confidently, and let the silence do the rest.
