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sidehustlekits
sidehustlekits

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How do you answer "that's too expensive" without discounting?

Most freelancers don't lose deals because their craft is weak — they lose them in the 90 seconds after "that's too expensive."

A workflow that works better than improvising:

1) Write floor / target / stretch numbers before the call (private sheet).
2) Answer with a question, not a discount: "Are we optimizing for speed, collaboration quality, or lowest cash outlay?" — then shrink scope instead of making the same scope cheaper.
3) Use one AI prompt for a calm first draft, then edit 20% in your voice.

If useful, I put 10 of those freelance prompts (discovery agenda, pricing objection, proposal-from-notes, LinkedIn hooks, follow-ups) into a free pack:
https://talyami.gumroad.com/l/zmxyed

Curious which objection kills most of your deals — price, timeline, or "we'll get back to you"?

What works better in your market?

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