Module 2 of 2 · 40 minutes
Objections, and holding your price without being difficult
By the end of this module you will be able to
- Tell the four kinds of objection apart and respond to each correctly
- Handle a price objection without discounting reflexively
- Explain the legal limits on pricing and sales claims in the UK
- Ask for the decision plainly, without a technique
Work through it
1 interactive for this module, built on the WAJD Teach engine. Nothing moves until you ask it to, and every one has a written version if you would rather read it.
Amara I get one objection over and over. That is more than I expected.
Nadia And what do you do?
Amara Drop the price, usually. Immediately.
Nadia Which does three bad things at once. It tells them the first number was not honest. It removes the margin that funds doing the job properly. And it trains them to ask again next time, and to tell their friends to ask.
Amara So what should I say?
Nadia Ask what they were comparing it to. That one question turns an adversarial moment into a useful one, and very often you discover they were comparing it to a genuinely different scope of work.
Amara And if I do want to move on price?
Nadia Move the scope with it. A lower price for the same work is a discount and it costs you twice. A lower price for less work is a negotiation and it costs you nothing.
Amara You said objections come in kinds.
Nadia Four, and the mistake is treating them all the same. A misunderstanding means they have the facts wrong: correct it gently and move on.
Amara Second?
Nadia A genuine limitation. You actually cannot do the thing they are asking for. Say so, plainly. Trying to talk around a real gap destroys everything you built in discovery.
Amara Third?
Nadia Risk. They believe you and they are frightened of being wrong. That wants evidence: references, a smaller first phase, a guarantee. It does not want more enthusiasm, and enthusiasm is exactly what most people supply.
Amara And fourth?
Nadia A stall. No real objection and no real intent. Ask the honest question. Is this something you still want to do, or has it slipped down the list? Most people will tell you the truth if you make it easy.
Amara Can we talk about the law? Because I see competitors doing things that cannot be legal.
Nadia They probably are not. The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 prohibit misleading actions, and that includes false price comparisons.
Amara Meaning the permanent sale.
Nadia Meaning exactly that. A hundred and forty nine pounds, always on sale at ten. That is a misleading price indication, and everybody in that sector doing it is not a defence, it is just a bigger enforcement problem.
Amara What else catches people out?
Nadia False urgency. Claiming limited availability that is not real is an aggressive practice and it is prohibited. And for consumers, contracts made at a distance or off premises carry a fourteen day cancellation right, and you have to tell them about it.
Amara And if I do not tell them?
Nadia The cancellation period extends, by up to a year. People find that one out the hard way when a customer cancels eleven months later and is entirely within their rights.
Amara One more. Anything I say in the meeting?
Nadia Becomes a term of the contract under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. So overselling in a room is not enthusiasm, it is a promise you just made in law. Which is a very good reason to be accurate, quite apart from being honest.
Amara Then how do I actually close?
Nadia You ask. Almost all the theatre around closing exists to help people who are uncomfortable asking, and if discovery was done properly the close is administrative.
Amara Give me the words.
Nadia Summarise their problem in their words. State what you propose and what it costs. Then: does that work for you, or is there something in it you would want to change?
Amara Why the second half?
Nadia Because it gives permission to raise the real objection instead of saying they will think about it. And an objection you can hear is worth ten deals that go quiet on you.
The written material
Four objections, not one
An objection is information, and the mistake is treating all four kinds the same way.
A misunderstanding means they have the facts wrong. Correct it gently and move on. This is the easiest and most common one.
A genuine limitation means you actually cannot do the thing. Say so plainly. Trying to talk around a real gap destroys the trust that everything else rested on.
A concern about risk means they believe you but are frightened of being wrong. This wants evidence, references, a smaller first step or a guarantee, not more enthusiasm.
A stall means there is no real objection and no real intent. That wants the honest question: is this something you want to do, or has it slipped down the list? Most people will tell you the truth if you make it easy to.
The price objection
'That is more than I expected' is not usually a request for a discount. It is a request for a reason.
The reflex to discount immediately does three bad things at once: it tells the customer the first number was not honest, it removes the margin that funds doing the job properly, and it trains them to ask again next time.
Ask what they were comparing it to. Very often it is a genuinely different scope, and the conversation becomes useful rather than adversarial. If you do move on price, change the scope with it. A lower price for the same work is a discount; a lower price for less work is a negotiation.
The law, which is not optional
UK selling is regulated, and small businesses breach these rules constantly without realising it.
The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 prohibit misleading actions and omissions, including false or misleading price comparisons. A permanent sale price against a fictional list price is a misleading price indication, and the fact that a whole sector does it is not a defence.
Pressure selling, false urgency, and claiming a limited availability that is not real are aggressive practices and are prohibited.
For consumers, contracts made at a distance or off premises carry a 14 day cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, and you must tell the customer about it. Failing to inform them extends the cancellation period by up to a year.
Anything you say about the service becomes a term of the contract under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Overselling in a meeting is not marketing, it is a promise you have just made in law.
Asking, plainly
Almost all the theatre around closing exists to help people who are uncomfortable asking. If you have done discovery properly, the close is administrative.
Summarise what they told you their problem was, in their words. State what you propose and what it costs. Then ask a plain question: does that work for you, or is there something in it you would want to change?
That last clause matters. It gives permission to raise the real objection rather than to say they will think about it, and the objection you hear is worth ten deals that go quiet.
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