Prospect: Sarah Mitchell Role: Head of Sales Company: CloudPeak Software Company size: Approximately 75 employees Industry: B2B SaaS Current situation: The sales team is growing, but the company wants to improve its outbound sales process. Business: GrowthPoint Sales Consulting Offer: B2B Sales Process Consulting The service helps SaaS companies improve sales processes, messaging, qualification, and pipeline management through customized consulting. Pricing: $2,500 per month "Your monthly fee is higher than what we had budgeted for this project." Sarah attended an introductory discovery call and explained that the company is reviewing its sales process. She showed interest in improving qualification and pipeline management. After receiving the proposal, she responded by saying the monthly fee was higher than expected. Goal: Understand whether the concern is strictly budget-related and determine whether there is a realistic way to continue the conversation. Additional context: We do not want to discount the service immediately or pressure the prospect. Output 1. OBJECTION DIAGNOSIS Objection type: Price / Budget The prospect has clearly stated that the proposed fee is above the budget they had expected. It is not yet clear whether the issue is the total budget available, the perceived value of the service, or the timing of the investment. 2. WHAT THE PROSPECT MAY NEED CLARIFIED A useful question would be: "Thanks for being direct about that. Is the main challenge the total budget available for the project, or is there still uncertainty around the value of the work compared with the investment?" This helps distinguish a genuine budget limitation from a value concern. 3. RESPONSE STRATEGY Acknowledge the budget concern without immediately reducing the price. Clarify what is driving the objection, then determine whether the current scope is appropriate for the prospect's situation. 4. RECOMMENDED RESPONSE "I completely understand, Sarah. Thanks for being direct about the budget. Before we look at changing anything, it would be helpful to understand whether the challenge is the total investment available or whether you'd like to explore the expected value and scope in more detail. If the current scope isn't the right fit for your budget, we can determine whether there's a more appropriate way to approach it." 5. ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE "Understood. Rather than jumping straight to a discount, I'd like to make sure we're solving the right problem. If you can share the budget range you're working within, we can see whether the current scope makes sense or whether it would be better to adjust the approach." 6. RECOMMENDED NEXT STEP Ask the prospect about the available budget range and determine whether the existing scope is appropriate. If the budget cannot support the engagement, consider whether a smaller, clearly defined scope is genuinely viable. 7. WHAT TO AVOID Immediately offering a large discount Saying "price shouldn't be an issue" Claiming the service will definitely generate a specific return Creating artificial urgency Pressuring Sarah to justify her budget Suggesting that competitors are inferior without evidence