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In the B2B sales cycle, pricing transparency can either speed things up or grind everything to a halt. These questions aren’t just a matter of numbers. No.
Pricing questions are about what value you’re bringing to the table, how predictable you’ll be as a vendor, and whether the client can trust you.
When your buyer starts asking about pricing, they’re feeling you out. They want to figure out how easy or painful it will be to work with you. The questions might seem routine, but they’re loaded with subtext.
They’re reading between the lines of your answers for info about transparency, predictability, and long-term fit.
Answer well, and you build momentum.
Fumble, and you could stall the deal. You could lose the deal.
That’s why we broke these seven questions down for you below, so you’ll be prepared… and never fumble.
Here are the top categories we found:
Now, let’s dive into the top 7 pricing questions:
1. Please provide budgetary pricing for your software, including both initial and ongoing (annual/subscription) costs.
Why they’re asking:
Your buyer wants to know if your software costs $5,000 or $500,000, and they don’t want to wait until the third scheduled call to find out. Think of this question as: “Just tell me now if I have to beg finance now.”
How to respond:
Be real. Be upfront. You have your pricing model for a reason, so you should be able to stand by it. Give a range and explain what moves that needle up or down. Now is not the time to be mysterious.
Example of a great response:
“Our standard subscription starts at $15,000 per year for teams with fewer than 50 users. With it, you’ll get full platform access, regular updates, and standard support. Our customers usually pay a one-time onboarding fee of $2,000. For enterprise deployments or advanced features, like API integrations, pricing can increase. But it will depend on the scope of your project. I’d love to walk through what a typical setup will look like for your specific team’s needs.”
2. What are the implementation, setup, and onboarding fees (if any)?
Why they’re asking:
Here, the buyer wants to avoid the “iceberg effect.” We’ve all seen it. Only 20% of the cost is “above the water,” and then the rest of the costs hit the client once they sign. It’s not cool, and they don’t want it.
How to respond:
Respect their time and their intelligence, and spell it all out upfront. If you charge for onboarding, tell them. If you don’t charge for it, take credit for that, too.
Example of a great response:
“Good question. Our onboarding fee is $2,000 and includes setup, admin training, and data migration. Our clients report that this upfront support helps teams go live 50% faster and cuts down on the number of support tickets your team sends out in the first 90 days. If your internal team would rather self-serve, we do have a free onboarding path that includes guides and video modules.”
Best practice:
Customers generally don’t like flat fees for onboarding, so try to bake it into your plan if you can. and if not, then at least try to make your onboarding and setup fees transparent early in the sales process. no one likes surprises when it comes to pricing.
3. Are there separate charges for customization, branding, support, or premium features (e.g., analytics, integrations)? Please specify.
Why they’re asking:
This buyer has been burned before, and they want clarity to make sure it doesn’t happen again. They’ve likely had a vendor who added a line item for “advanced button theming” at $5,000, or something else ridiculous.
How to respond:
Break it down. Keep it simple. Be transparent. Don’t include convoluted jargon or ambiguity, And don’t hit them with, “Talk to your rep for more info.
They don’t want to play games. So don’t play games.
Example of a great response:
“Our base package includes core features like reporting, workflow automation, and email notifications. Premium features like Salesforce integration and customizable dashboards come with our Pro and Enterprise plans. Customer branding is part of the Pro tier. We never charge extra for support.”
Best practice:
Show a feature list so it’s easy to compare plans, like this:
4. What is your pricing model (e.g., per-user, per-usage, tiered, flat rate)? How does pricing change as the number of users increases, and are volume discounts available?
Why they’re asking:
Look, no one wants to be the hero who got the deal signed only to find out that adding five users next quarter blows the budget out of the water. That can be a fatal mistake.
How to respond:
Again, keep it simple. Offer examples. If you’ve got volume discounts, don’t make them feel like you’re doing them a favor.
Example of a great response:
“We operate on a per-user pricing model. It’s $25 per user per month. Once you exceed 100 users, that price drops down to $20. For teams with over 500 users, we offer custom pricing, so you’re never penalized for growth. In fact, we lower the price per user as you scale.”
5. Are price lists of your products and services publicly available?
Why they’re asking:
This client has clearly been through it before, and they’re tired of guessing. Or filling out forms. Or booking a demo just to get a freaking PDF. Transparency is the new black.
How to respond:
If it’s public, tell them it’s public. Send them the link. If it’s not, explain why it’s not. You’ll even get bonus points if you say it like a human and not a stuffy robot.
Example of a great response:
“Our pricing is not publicly available because we always base it on your specific needs. Factors that could affect your pricing include user count, feature requirements, and compliance needs. Of course, we’re happy to share a detailed pricing proposal with you once we get a sense of your setup. Transparency is important to us. Let’s jump on a quick call so we can make sure you have the full breakdown before you make any decisions.”
Best practice:
Make your pricing transparent. It’s not 2010 – customers expect software pricing to be easily accessible.
6. What are your standard payment terms and conditions (e.g., payment frequency, upfront vs. pay-as-you-go, billing cycles)?
Why they’re asking:
It’s not just about payment terms. It’s about how those terms will trigger a red alert in their finance department. And now they’re in trouble.
How to respond:
Lay out the default terms and offer flexibility. You’re not selling a timeshare. And you don’t want them to feel like you are.
Example of a great response:
“Our standard terms are annual billing with net-30 payment after invoicing. That said, for multi-year contracts or public sector clients, we’re open to quarterly or milestone-based billing. Of course, we try to be as flexible as we can while also keeping things predictable for you and for us.”
7. What is your policy regarding price changes after the initial contract period ends, and how are future price adjustments determined?
Why they’re asking:
Yep. They’ve seen those “intro” prices turn into “how-do-we-explain-this-to-legal” prices. They want guardrails so they don’t get railroaded.
How to respond:
Share with the buyer your process for communicating pricing increases. Let them know how often they happen and why. If you can offer a price promotion, you’ll instantly earn trust and respect.
Example of a great response:
“We guarantee pricing for the duration of the contract with zero surprises mid-term. After that, any changes in your pricing will be communicated 60 days in advance. Historically, our pricing changes have ranged from 3-7% annually. These increases reflect inflation and product improvements. We’d be happy to plan a multi-year contract to lock in pricing, so you can plan for predictable costs in the long term.”
How to Automate Answers to Pricing Questions
No. They don’t have to be a minefield. When you’ve got a clear understanding of why buyers are asking these questions, you’ll feel more confident to answer them. You can be clear and concise and feel good about the price of your valuable services.
So what feels like a negotiation actually becomes a partnership.
Now, if you’re tired of reinventing the wheel every time a buyer sends you a spreadsheet or an RFP, meet 1up:
We help sales teams automatically answer the most difficult questions, like these pricing ones. We’ll pull context-aware responses from your best past answers.
You’ll no longer be hunting down pricing docs or Slack messages from product marketing.
Only fast, accurate answers that actually help close deals.
Check out our free demo to see how we can work for you.
