Most salespeople fold the moment a prospect says “I can’t afford it.” They drop the price, offer a discount, or quietly give up. Strong closers do something different: they anchor value instead of defending cost.
That shift is what separates the chaser from the closer.
Step 1: Preempt the Objection Before It Happens
If you know your product carries a premium price tag, don’t wait for the pushback. Set the prospect’s identity before you ever reveal the investment.
Before you present, say something like:
“I’ve always seen you as someone who really appreciates high-quality products.”
That one sentence does something powerful. It frames the prospect as a person who values quality, not just someone hunting for the cheapest option. When the price comes up, they’re now defending their own identity if they object.
This only works if you believe the price is worth it. If you secretly think your product is overpriced, no script in the world will save you. Zig Ziglar required every salesperson to buy his pots and pans before selling them. Why? Because you cannot convey value you haven’t personally experienced.
Buy what you sell. Believe what you charge.
What If They Already Said “It’s Too Expensive”?
If you missed the preframe and they come at you with price resistance, use this response:
“You know what? The owners could have used cheaper ingredients, but they wanted something that actually worked.”
That’s it. Simple. It taps into the natural human bias that higher price signals higher quality. You’re not arguing, you’re redirecting to value.
If they say they can get it cheaper somewhere else, don’t panic or over-explain. Instead, match their energy and say something like: “If you don’t want the result this produces, keep the money.” You’re protecting them from wasting it on something inferior.
Step 2: Never Reveal the Price Before the Presentation
One of the most costly mistakes in sales is answering “How much is it?” with an actual number before the prospect has seen what they’re getting.
They’re not asking because they have a budget set aside. They’re asking to rule it out.
When someone asks pre-presentation, say:
“There are actually multiple options, and the presentation walks through all of them. Honestly, it may not cost you anything if you watch it and decide it’s not a fit.”
That response does three things. It defers the price conversation to the right moment. It acknowledges that the prospect gets to decide. And it removes the pressure that makes people want to bail.
Let the tool be the tool. Your job is to get them to the presentation, not to pre-screen them out of it.
Posture Check: Prospects dodge pressure. The moment they feel pushed, they disappear. When you remove the pressure by saying “it may not even be a fit,” you ironically increase the chance they actually watch.
Step 3: Work the “I Don’t Have the Money” Objection Step by Step
This is where most reps stop too soon, and it’s costing them more than they realize. When Ray has asked live audiences how many of them started their business without having the money upfront, over 50% of hands go up every time.
That means when a prospect says they don’t have the money, there’s a real chance they can find it. Your job is to help them look.
Here is the exact sequence:
Question 1: “Got it. If you did have the money, would you move forward?”
This separates the real objection from the smokescreen. Some prospects throw out “I don’t have the money” because they assume you can’t overcome it. This question reveals the truth.
If they say “probably not,” pivot cleanly: “No problem. Do you know anyone who does want [the core benefit]?” Move on without begging.
If they say “yeah, I actually would,” now you have real interest to work with.
Question 2: “Okay, so we’re talking about [X amount]. Are you saying that’s not available on any credit card, or in your bank account, in any form?”
This one question has unlocked sales that seemed completely dead. Some people hear “credit card” and realize they’d never even considered that as an option. Some people have the money and simply weren’t thinking about it that way.
Question 3 (if they’re still stuck): “How far off are we?”
Most prospects aren’t completely broke. They might have $450 when the buy-in is $500. That’s a $50 gap, not an impossible wall. Once you know the gap, you can ask: “How could we come up with $50?”
People have sold Xbox consoles. Called in a debt from an uncle. Sold jewelry. When the desire is real, they find the way.
Posture Check: The prospect who barely scraped together the money to start is often the most motivated person on your team. Don’t disqualify them before they even get in the door.
If you want word-for-word scripts for every major objection, including “Is this a pyramid?”, “I need to talk to my spouse,” and “Let me think about it,” Ray covers all of it inside the Posture, Persuasion & Closing the Sale training. You can watch the full 90-minute session for free.
Money objections are not dead ends. They’re decision points. The rep with the right sequence wins the sale. The one without it walks away wondering what went wrong.
Go get trained. Go get skilled. And go close the people who actually need what you have.
