How to Overcome Price Objections with Leads as an Online Coach

As an online coach, how do you handle a situation when a lead says your coaching rate is too high or that they can’t afford to work with you?

If you aren’t sure or you immediately say “OK!” and run away, stick around – I’m explaining exactly how to handle price objections depending on the lead, their budget and their goals.

You’ll learn how to determine if their objection is REALLY about the cost or something else, as well as practical options you can provide for someone who is truly unable to afford your full rate.

Let’s dive in:

👉🏼 First, how do you determine if the objection truly is about the cost of your program?

There are definitely times when people CANNOT afford your online coaching services, and those objections do NOT need to be overcome.

So, when a price objection comes up during a sales conversation (aka: someone hears your rate and says it’s too expensive for them), I recommend saying something like… 

“I totally get that. I know that this is a big investment for a lot of people. If you don’t mind me asking: Is this investment something that’s completely outside of your budget? And financially, there’s absolutely no way we could make it work? Or is this more about the fact that this investment would be very uncomfortable, and you’re not 100% sure that it would work or pay off for you? And because of that, it doesn’t feel like a safe choice? Which one of these is more true for you?”

Remember: Part of being a coach is coaching your leads through the fears and uncertainties that may arise if your rate feels out of their comfort zone.

Your job is NOT to push or convince; instead, you’re helping them work through their feelings and make an empowered buying decision.

Once you understand their situation more clearly, you can begin to offer solutions that may make it easier for them to work with you, including:

 ✅ Extended payment plans

An extended payment plan goes beyond the length of your online coaching program. For example, if you have a 3-month program, you could create a 6-month payment plan to lower the monthly payment to something that feels more reasonable (or possible) for your leads.

Let’s say your coaching rate is normally $999 for 3 months, and your 3-month payment plan is $333.33/month. You could extend that to 6 payments of $166.50/month – and that could absolutely change someone’s “no” to a “yes.”

 ✅ Providing a shorter [less expensive] version of your coaching program

Here’s how this can work: If you typically offer a 6-month private coaching program and someone can’t afford the investment, you can offer a 3-month option and cut the cost in half.

Although this may not be what you consider ideal or preferable, it gets a new client into your orbit – and, if they like working with you 1:1 and are getting the results they want, they are likely to resign for another 3 months!

 ✅ An abridged version of your services

I wouldn’t recommend offering this publicly, but if a lead is having trouble affording your full offer, consider offering an abridged version of your coaching for a lower rate.

For example, instead of a 6-month nutrition + fitness coaching program with weekly check-ins, you could offer a 6-month program with nutrition coaching ONLY and biweekly check-ins. This wouldn’t necessarily work for everyone, but if a lead already has a workout routine in place, it could be a perfect fit – and you still land the client.

One more option: If paying for online coaching is completely out of the question for someone, you can also offer a down-sell in the form of a self-paced course or a bundle of your favorite client resources (ideally at a no-brainer price).

🚨 Before you go: Please understand that I am NOT saying you *must* or *should* lower your rates in order to accommodate everyone who cannot afford to work with you.

However, if you frequently receive price objections and want to increase your cash flow, the solutions I outlined in this post may help!

Want more?

I’m sharing even more on this topic on ⚡️The Best Coach Ever Podcast!⚡️

🎙 Listen to Episode 121: How to Overcome Price Objections with Leads wherever you get your podcasts (and if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts, don’t forget to leave a 5-star rating and review – I would love to hear from you)! 💜

Looking for more tips, strategies and support as you grow your online coaching business? Follow me on Instagram @lynettemarieh!