I want you to consider something that might feel untrue. It’s a pricing paradox. When a customer pushes back on price—when they ask you to “sharpen your pencil,” when they demand you match a competitor’s rate, when they claim their budget won’t stretch that far—it might feel like resistance. But in reality? It’s a buying signal.

Think about it. Whether your customer is a business, a non-profit organization, a government agency, an educational institution, or any other kind of organization, they all have one thing in common:  There is a human being (or collection of humans!) making the buying decision for production inkjet printing services.  All of your customers are human beings.  And like all human beings, they are notoriously self-interested.  They don’t want to waste their time.  So why would they bother beating you up on price if they had no interest in buying from you?  The answer is:  they wouldn’t.

If a prospect had no interest in your production inkjet printing services, they wouldn’t be negotiating with you. They wouldn’t be asking for better pricing. They’d simply move on and place the order with a competitor. Instead, they’re engaging with you. They’re asking. That means they prefer to buy from you.

And that means you have pricing power—not unlimited power, but at least some.

So don’t squander it by immediately caving to discounts. Instead, lean into the conversation. Use that price pushback as a doorway to uncover what really matters to the customer.
 

Are they worried about total cost, or are they fixated on unit price? (Inkjet is more cost-effective than offset for short runs, but do they see the full picture?)

• Are they open to exploring value-added services, like mail fulfillment or data analytics, that could enhance ROI

• Have they accounted for potential efficiencies in shipping, storage, or inventory management with on-demand printing?

• Are they comparing you to a competitor who doesn’t deliver the same speed, quality, substrate flexibility, or finishing options?

• Is this about budget, or is it about risk? (Would a slight tweak in print specs, run size, or finishing options help them get what they need without forcing you to discount?)
   

When you get price pushback and are being compared against cheaper competitors, one of my favorite questions to ask is this:

You:  If there were no price difference between our proposal and theirs, who would you choose?

Them:  You. (If they don’t say this, price is not the problem.)

You:  Can you tell me what it is about what we’ve proposed (our products and services, our process, our company) that has you answer that way?  I want to make sure any revision I make to our proposal to you incorporates everything that’s important to you.
 
This question opens the door to understanding the real importance of price relative to other buying criteria that are important to the customer

By asking the right questions, you shift the conversation from price to value. You might even find that discounting isn’t necessary at all—because the customer was actually more concerned about turnaround time, print consistency, or the ability to handle variable data for personalized campaigns.

At the end of that process of asking questions, discounting is still a tool in your pricing toolkit. But it should be a last resort, not a first reaction. Because price pressure isn’t rejection—it’s proof they’re interested. So don’t just drop the price. Raise the conversation.
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Want to learn more? Register now to attend the thINK Academy Workshop, “The Power of Pricing”. (Important Note: The session will NOT be recorded or available on-demand).

BONUS! Workshop attendees will receive a workshop guidebook and be eligible for 1:1 follow-up coaching sessions.