Asking a Prospect About Their Budget

Caterina: I think one of the points that you were highlighting about, like, is price your most important thing. That is a question that we can ask, as well. Like, if price is the most important thing for you, then this might not be a good option.

Caterina: But when we ask that question, they’re also likely to kind of change their tone about it. So, I don’t know if any of, have a- has anybody on the sales team, like, asked that question directly early on in the sales process?

Caterina: Is price the most important thing?

Louis: I do, because there are some cases that, uh, that they’re- they’re- they- they leave it very clear that price is an issue.

Louis: So, there’s one of the companies I visit- I- I had a meeting recently, and she said since the begin- she- she said, like, three or four times at- at th- at first,

Louis: “Price is very important for us. We’re looking for a cheap option. We’re looking for that. We’re looking for this.” So, it was very clear that price was an issue and- and so we- we were …

Louis: we had huge chances of not getting this deal, because we w- obviously are not the- the cheapest one.

Louis: So, of course I told her that, to set expectations, I’m not the cheapest one. Um, I’m definitely… if you- if you’re looking for price, I’m probably not the wor- the best one for you.

Louis: But if you’re looking for quality, if you’re looking for efficiency, if you’re looking for da da da da da, definitely it might make sense because we’re definitely not the most expensive, too.

Vocabulary:

highlighting – drawing attention to or emphasizing an important point, “The teacher was highlighting the most important words on the whiteboard.”

option – a choice or a possibility that you can pick, “Buying a used car is a great option if you want to save money.”

likely – probable or expected to happen, “It is very likely to rain today, so you should bring an umbrella.”

directly – clearly, straight, or without hiding anything, “She looked directly at him and asked for the truth.”

process – a series of actions or steps taken to achieve a specific result, “Learning a new language is a slow process that takes time.”

issue – a problem, worry, or important topic that people talk about, “The broken computer is a big issue for the office team.”

deal – a business agreement, arrangement, or contract, “The company signed a new deal to sell their products in Japan.”

obviously – clearly, easily seen, or easily understood by everyone, “He was obviously tired because he kept closing his eyes during the movie.”

set expectations – (idiom) to state clearly what someone should look forward to or predict so there are no surprises later, “Managers should set expectations early so employees know what work to do.”

efficiency – the ability to work well, quickly, and without wasting time, energy, or money, “The new factory machines increased efficiency and made more toys.”

definitely – without any doubt; completely certain or true, “I will definitely come to your birthday party this Saturday.”