Slow down and find out what 'too high' means, because it is usually one of three things: no budget, no perceived value, or a comparison to a cheaper option. Ask which it is before you respond. If it is value, go back to the cost of the problem you quantified in discovery. If it is budget, work on timing or scope. Discount last, and never without something in return.
Why interviewers ask this
Price objections separate reps who sell on value from reps who sell on discount. The interviewer wants to hear that you diagnose before you respond, that you do not flinch, and that you have a trade ready when you do concede. Managers are also listening for margin discipline, because a rep who leads with 10% off is expensive to employ and trains the whole market to wait for the discount.
How to structure your answer
- Pause and ask what specifically feels high before you defend anything.
- Separate budget, value, and competitive comparison; each needs a different answer.
- Return to the cost of the problem you quantified earlier.
- If you concede, trade for term, scope, timing, or a reference.
Example answer
I do not argue with it and I do not fold. I ask a question: when you say it is high, is it high against what you budgeted, high against another quote, or high against what you think you will get out of it. Those are three completely different conversations. If it is budget, then we talk about timing, scope, or a smaller starting footprint. If it is a competing quote, I want to know what is in theirs, because a lot of the time the cheaper number excludes implementation or seats they will need in month three. If it is value, that is on me, and I go back to the number we built together in discovery. I had a deal last year where the operations lead said we were 40% over. It turned out they had priced us for the whole company when the first phase was one team of thirty. Same product, different scope, and the deal closed at list. When I do give something up, I trade for it, usually a longer term or a case study, never just because they asked twice.
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See how it worksFollow-up questions to expect
- What do you do when they will not tell you the competing number?
- How much discount authority did you have, and how often did you use it?
- Talk me through a time you walked away from a deal on price.
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