Objections
What to say when a prospect says “we don’t have a budget”
“We don’t have a budget.”
We hear this one all the time. And it makes sense. Nobody has a budget for something they don’t see as different from what they already have.
It could be true. They really don’t have the money. Or it could be a nice way to get off the phone. Our job is to find out which, without any pressure.
What to do: 3 steps
1. Diffuse
“That’s okay. Most of the time when I reach out, people don’t have a budget.”
They were expecting us to argue for why they should find one. We don’t.
You can even own it:
“Sounds like I’m being pushy. I’m working on shaking my commission breath. I definitely didn’t mean to ask you for budget right now.”
2. Discover
Now find out what’s really going on. Is it budget? Priority? Something else?
“I’m getting the sense this might not even be a priority right now. Which is perfectly okay, given everything on your plate.”
“Would it be crazy to see if there’s even a business case for this?”
3. Shine a light
If we hear “no budget” a lot, it may be that what we’re sharing sounds like everything else.
What do we know that they don’t? What could it cost them to do nothing? Once someone sees a problem they didn’t know they had, budgets tend to follow.
A real example
I’m a course creator. I didn’t have a budget for anything when a seller named Kendra called me.
Then she asked:
“Josh, what are you doing about the people you’re losing to failed credit card payments that you can’t see in Stripe?”
I had no idea that was happening. Suddenly budget wasn’t the question anymore.
More on this: Diffusing “we don’t have a budget”.
Hear it out loud
Reading it is one thing. Saying it on a live call is another.
- Tongue Tied has my word-for-word answer to “we don’t have a budget” and 33 other objections, with audio of how I say each one. $47 a set.
- Poke the Bear is my cold calling course, with real calls. $197.
- The Badass B2B Growth Guide is my cold outreach course. $197.
- Training a team? That’s the Selling Without Pitching workshop.
Quick answers
What should you say when a prospect says they don’t have a budget? Start with “That’s okay. Most of the time when I reach out, people don’t have a budget.” Then find out if it’s budget, priority or something else, and share something they might not know that could cost them.
Why do prospects say “we don’t have a budget”? Often because they don’t see how what we offer is different from what they already have. Sometimes it’s true. Sometimes it’s a polite way to end the call.