What is the customer calling expensive?
“Expensive” can mean four different things: a comparison with a competitor, a budget limit, an offer beyond what the application needs, or a benefit that has not yet been demonstrated. Each calls for a different response, and a discount answers only the first one.
The first task is to review a real negotiation and record what the buyer actually said. “We lost on price” needs context: compared with which alternative, under which conditions and against which requirements. The script for this review is in what the “it is expensive” objection means.
Are the proposals being compared on equal terms?
A short matrix is enough to expose most gaps. For each proposal, fill in the same fields and mark what is documented, what the buyer reported and what is still unknown:
- Application and operating conditions.
- Required capacity or performance.
- Items included and excluded.
- Installation, training and commissioning, when applicable.
- Maintenance, service and spare parts.
- Warranty and its conditions.
- Lead time and supply conditions.
This page presents the reasoning; the complete template is in how to compare industrial proposals.
Which difference changes anything for this application?
Roberto Wydra, founder of RudekWydra, puts the editorial discipline of this hub in one rule: every differentiator must reach a consequence that can be evaluated. The table below is a reasoning structure, subject to proof in each case.
| Feature stated by the manufacturer | Question the material must answer |
|---|---|
| Higher-strength material | Resistance to what, under which conditions and with what effect in use? |
| Lower energy consumption | How much does it change under this buyer’s operating regime? |
| Simpler maintenance | Which tasks, resources or times can be reduced? |
| Service availability | What service is foreseen and how does it work? |
| Longer service life | What evidence supports this expectation and under which conditions? |
The reverse also happens: a product can be technically superior and oversized for a given application. The diagnosis below must allow the manager to recognize that too.
Does the justification reach the person who approves the purchase?
The contact who understood the benefit is often not the one who signs. The material has to be something that contact can forward to engineering, purchasing, operations or finance: the comparison, the evidence, the calculation and answers to the objections already known.
The structure of that summary is in engineering approves, purchasing asks for the lowest price.
How much is the discount consuming from the order’s contribution?
Illustrative values, didactic example (not a customer case). Variable costs and expenses are held constant only to isolate the effect of the discount:
| Item | Original price | With 10% discount |
|---|---|---|
| Order revenue | R$ 100.000 | R$ 90.000 |
| Variable costs and expenses | R$ 75.000 | R$ 75.000 |
| Contribution margin in reais | R$ 25.000 | R$ 15.000 |
In this example, with illustrative values, a 10% discount reduces the order’s contribution by 40%. In a real application, the costs, taxes and commissions of the operation come in. The point is to make the consequence visible before the concession, not to predict any result.
Where is your value case incomplete?
Take one product line or application and ask the six questions below. For each “no” or “not sure”, the card describes the gap and links to the matching page. There is no score.
How can RudekWydra structure this value presentation?
The work starts with one priority product line or application: a survey of the differences with the technical team, organization of the proof, and production of the materials the buyer needs to evaluate the solution. It builds on Prebound Marketing, which organizes information, goals and audience into a reusable execution base.
Eight paths into the problem
Frequently asked questions
My product costs more. How do I make the customer understand the difference? +
Should I lower the price when the customer says it is expensive? +
How do I know whether two industrial proposals are really comparable? +
What if my product is more than the application needs? +
Who inside the customer needs to receive the justification? +
Is the discount example a real customer case? +
When in the sales process should this information arrive? +
What does RudekWydra analyze first? +
Can your buyer justify choosing your solution?
Bring a product line, a priority application and examples of negotiations where price became the main obstacle. In a free 30-minute call, RudekWydra analyzes how the offer is presented and which differences, proof and materials need to reach the buyer.