PRICING
Why quick discounts hurt your sales (and what to offer instead)
A fast discount feels like it saves the deal. More often it lowers your margin, trains buyers to push, and hides the real objection. Here’s what to do instead.
By Mohamad Al Lakkis4 min read
When a buyer hesitates, a discount feels like the quickest way to get the deal over the line. Sometimes it works. But a discount offered too quickly usually costs more than it saves, and it often doesn’t even fix the problem.
What a quick discount actually tells the buyer
- “The price wasn’t real.” If you can drop 15% in ten seconds, the buyer wonders what the real price is, and whether they can get more.
- “Pushing works.” Buyers who get a discount for one objection tend to bring another. The negotiation gets longer, not shorter.
- “Maybe it isn’t worth it.” A sudden price cut can make a product feel less valuable, not more.
It usually doesn’t fix the real problem
A discount answers a price concern. But as we cover in What to say when a buyer says “It’s too expensive”, the hesitation often isn’t about price at all. It’s about value, timing, or someone else who has to agree.
If the real concern is “my boss won’t approve this”, a lower price doesn’t help. The rep has given away margin and the deal still stalls.
Ask before you give
Before offering anything, find out what’s behind the hesitation:
“Before we talk numbers, can I ask what’s making this feel like a stretch? Is it the total amount, the timing, or something else?”
Often the answer has nothing to do with the price, and the conversation moves on without any discount at all.
If you do give something, trade it
Sometimes a concession is the right call. When it is, don’t just give it away. Ask for something in return:
- A longer commitment. A lower monthly price in exchange for a longer term.
- A faster start. A better price if they sign this week, with a real reason for the deadline.
- Something other than price. Extra onboarding, a longer trial period or a bonus feature often costs you less than a discount, and keeps your price intact.
“I can’t move on the price, but if you can start this month, I can include the onboarding sessions at no extra cost. Would that help?”
What to listen for on your own calls
Look at a few recent calls where a discount was offered and check:
- How long after the first price pushback was the discount offered?
- Did the rep ask any question first?
- Did the buyer give anything in return?
- Did the call end with a booked next step anyway?
If discounts come fast, without questions and without anything in return, that’s a habit worth changing, and it’s one of the patterns I look for when I review calls.