A customer hesitates. You explain the offer again. They still hesitate.

Eventually you ask whether the price is the problem, and out comes the relieved yes.

“No worries, take ten per cent off.” Tempting, isn’t it? You get past the awkward moment and everybody can carry on. Except you still might not know what was stopping the purchase.

I come from a sales background. I know the urge to get the deal done, and I’ve heard the arguments about protecting the price. I don’t think either gives you an answer until you understand this particular customer and what the agreement would cost you.

Find out what “too expensive” means

It can mean the customer cannot afford the purchase. It can mean they can afford it but have a more important use for the money. It can mean they have misunderstood the scope, do not trust the likely result or are comparing a different offer.

Those are different conversations.

Ask what they are comparing, what matters most and what feels uncertain. Explain the work clearly, but do not treat every objection as proof that you need a more aggressive sales technique.

Sometimes the answer is simply no. People are allowed to understand the value and still decide not to buy.

Change the offer before randomly changing the number

When the budget is genuinely lower, consider whether a smaller scope would still solve a worthwhile problem.

Could the project be phased? Could the client supply an asset you otherwise need to produce? Is a simpler implementation enough for the current stage? Would a different delivery schedule work better for both sides?

For a website, launching with a smaller set of properly finished pages may be a workable option. Keeping the full page count while quietly cutting content preparation and testing is a different offer, and not one I'd recommend disguising as a discount.

The important point is to make the trade-off explicit. A lower price for exactly the same promise teaches the customer nothing about what the work involves. A revised scope lets them choose a real option.

Do not remove the parts that make the result usable just to arrive at a comfortable number. A cheap launch that cannot be maintained is not much of a favour.

Understand what a discount costs you

Say you price a project at €5,000 and it costs €3,000 to deliver. You have €2,000 left before overheads and the other costs of running the business.

A 10% discount takes €500 off the price. If delivery cost stays the same, that contribution falls to €1,500: a 25% reduction, not 10%.

You’ve taken a quarter out of the amount left from the project to give the customer a ten per cent reduction. Do that calculation with your own costs before calling it a small favour.

There are sensible reasons to adjust a price

A changed scope, a larger confirmed order or a more efficient working arrangement may change the economics. Check the actual cost: a promise of more work later is not the same as a committed order now. A deliberate introductory offer can also make sense when you know what you are investing and why.

Say what the offer is. Set its boundaries. Do not manufacture a full price that nobody pays so the discount looks impressive.

You don't have to refuse every concession to prove you run a serious business. You do need a reason that survives after the relief of getting the yes.

Sometimes they just can’t afford it

Explain the value properly, then listen to the answer. There are people who understand exactly what you’re offering and still can’t afford it. Another ten minutes of telling them how important it is won’t create the money.

A good sale leaves both sides clear about what they have agreed and comfortable delivering their part. Sometimes that is full price. Sometimes it is a smaller project. Sometimes it is a well-considered discount.

And sometimes you thank each other and leave it there. Not every open conversation needs to become your next client.