Эксперт RAIN Group: продавцы должны менять логику сравнения, а не просто защищать цену

Andy Springer is Chief Client Officer at RAIN Group, helping global sales teams drive results with training, coaching and reinforcement. When buyers can’t easily explain the differences between options, the lower-priced option becomes the safest decision. Price isn’t the only thing buyers care about. But when internal scrutiny rises and competitors sharpen their offers, price is easier to explain than nuance. Here’s the issue for sellers: Price pressure often shows up late in the deal, but the problem usually starts earlier, when the buyer can’t see why the differences between options matter. Sales leaders are seeing this. In our 2026 sales research, 80% say difficult competitors are very or somewhat challenging. This is why sellers must make the business impact clear, especially when a competitor’s offer is easier to explain or less expensive. Sellers need to do more than defend price; they need to change the comparison the buyer is making. Buyers aren’t always comparing what you think they are. When sellers tell me a buyer said the solution was too expensive, they almost always assume they’re up against a lower-priced competitor. Sometimes they are. But often, that’s not the full picture. For example, one of our clients assumed their team was competing against another provider charging 20% less. After speaking with the executive sponsor, the team discovered the real comparison wasn’t another vendor at all; it was whether to delay the initiative until the following fiscal year. Once the conversation shifted to the cost of waiting, price became far less important. Sometimes, the biggest competitor isn’t another provider—it’s the easier decision to do nothing. When sellers rush to defend price, they often miss what the buyer is really deciding. Find out what the buyer is weighing, with questions like: • What options are you comparing right now? • Where do you see the biggest differences? • What makes the lower-cost option attractive? • Is the decision mostly about cost, speed, risk, scope or expected impact? A difference only matters if it has a business consequence. Most sellers can explain what makes their company different. Fewer can explain why those differences should matter to the buyer. This is where price pressure often gets worse. In our research, 30% of respondents named communicating value a top-three priority. A seller might say they have a stronger diagnostic process, but the buyer needs to know whether that reduces the risk of solving the wrong problem. Or a seller may claim to provide more implementation support. The buyer needs to know whether that will accelerate time to impact, reduce adoption risk or prevent rework. The difference matters only when the buyer can connect it to a business outcome, such as revenue growth, margin improvement, speed to impact, risk reduction or customer retention. This matters most when a competitor is less expensive. If price is the only clear difference, the lower-cost option has the advantage. The seller’s job is to make the differences matter. The strongest sellers say the tradeoffs out loud. A lower-cost option may reduce upfront spending but increase execution risk. A narrower solution is easier to approve but leaves part of the problem unresolved. Faster implementation may reduce disruption but limit long-term flexibility. Delaying the decision may protect today’s budget while extending tomorrow’s problem. None of this requires criticizing competitors. The strongest sellers I see are balanced and direct. They help the buyer think through the decision more carefully. It sounds like this: “The lower-cost option may be enough if the priority is a narrow fix and a smaller upfront investment. If the priority is reducing risk across the full rollout, then the comparison looks different.” This builds credibility because it shows the seller understands the buyer’s decision, not just their own proposal. The goal isn’t simply to convince the buyer in front of you but to equip that buyer to build alignment with everyone else involved. The comparison has to hold up when you’re not there. In complex sales, the person who sees the value is rarely the only person who needs to approve the decision. Finance, procurement, legal, operations and senior leaders all influence the outcome. If the choice is presented to those stakeholders as a price comparison, the lower-cost option has the advantage. If it reaches them as a comparison of business impact, the odds shift. Sellers can help by equipping buyers to explain: • What options were considered? • What differences mattered most? • What tradeoffs came with each option? • What risks does the preferred option reduce? • Why is the investment justified? Most of the time, this takes clarity more than a formal business case. The buyer should be able to explain why the more expensive option is still the better business decision. Coach the comparison before the buyer asks for a discount. Sales leaders shouldn’t wait until a seller asks for discount approval to inspect the opportunity. By then, the buyer is often already anchored on price. Managers can ask: • What does the buyer believe is similar across the options? • What differences matter to the buyer’s business? • What tradeoffs is the buyer considering? • Can the buyer explain why our approach is worth the investment? • Are we discounting because the price is wrong or because the comparison is weak? In a price-sensitive market, protecting margin starts with the comparison the buyer is making. The best sellers don’t just defend their price. They improve the buyer’s comparison. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?