Pushing back on discount requests without damaging trust.
English for Sales and Account Management. Lesson 8.
Discount requests are rarely only about money. In this lesson, you are speaking with a long-term customer who wants a renewal discount and hints they may switch to a competitor. You need to protect the relationship, stay calm, and be diplomatically firm. The goal is to avoid two common traps: sounding defensive or giving in too quickly.
You will practise language for pushing back politely, asking the right questions, and reframing the discussion towards outcomes, usage, and value delivered. You will work on tone control: sounding warm and collaborative while still setting clear boundaries. You will also rehearse what to do when the client uses pressure tactics such as we need an answer today or your competitor is cheaper.
By the end, you will complete a realistic renewal conversation where you acknowledge the request, explore the reason, offer structured options, and secure a next step that keeps the deal moving without weakening your position.
1. Renewal call: the discount request lands.
Picture the situation: you are on a renewal call with a long-term customer. They like the product, but they have learnt how to apply pressure, and now they want a discount. The risk is that you either sound defensive, or you give away margin too quickly. Today we’ll practise a calmer third option: you acknowledge the request, you slow the moment down, and you move the conversation from “price” to “what’s driving this and what do you need this year?”.
In this first block, you’ll listen to a short call extract. Your job is not to win the negotiation in one sentence. Your job is to respond like a professional: warm, steady, and curious. Then you’ll write your first reply, using phrases that buy time and open up the real reason behind the discount request. Keep it short, but make it sound like you are in control.
The situation (stay inside this story for the whole lesson).
You are the Account Manager for Northbyte, and you manage the renewal for HelioFin, a customer you’ve supported for 3 years.
Renewal value (current): £72k/year
Renewal date: end of next month
Main contact on the call: Priya (Head of Operations)
Pressure tactic you might hear: “Your competitor is cheaper” or “We need an answer today”
Your goal is not to “win” the discount argument instantly. Your goal is to protect the relationship and protect your position by doing four things in order:
Acknowledge the request calmly.
Explore what is driving it (budget, usage, internal politics, competitor offer, value concerns).
Reframe towards outcomes and commercial fairness (scope, usage, results, risk).
Secure a next step (clear option, decision criteria, meeting with stakeholders, timeline).
What good sounds like at B2 level.
When the discount request lands, you want to sound:
Warm: you’re not offended.
Curious: you ask smart questions.
Firm: you don’t promise a discount too fast.
Here are a few “anchor” chunks you’ll reuse today:
“I hear you, and I appreciate you raising it early.”
“Can I ask what is driving the discount request?”
“To be fair, we need to look at scope and usage, not just price.”
“I would rather be transparent than overpromise.”
In the short audio below, listen for:
How the AM stays calm.
The first question the AM asks.
How the AM avoids saying “no” too aggressively.
Mini reminder: avoid the two traps.
Trap 1: defensive
> “That’s our price. Everyone pays it.”
Trap 2: too quick to concede
> “OK, we can do 15% off.”
A better opening move is: acknowledge + question + boundary.
Practice & Feedback
Listen to the call extract and do two things:
Answer the comprehension questions (short answers are fine).
What two pressures does Priya use?
What is the first calm sentence the AM uses to acknowledge?
What question does the AM ask to explore the driver?
Then write your own first reply (2–3 sentences) as the AM. Keep it realistic for a live call: acknowledge, ask one good question, and avoid offering a discount immediately. Try to use at least one phrase from the chunk list on the screen.
2. Ask better questions: find the real driver.
Now that you’ve heard the moment, let’s make your questions do more work for you. In discount conversations, the customer’s first sentence is often a headline, not the real story. “We need a discount” can mean many things: a genuine budget cut, a stakeholder who dislikes you, a new CFO, low usage that makes value harder to justify, or simply a negotiation tactic.
Your job is to uncover the driver without sounding suspicious or aggressive. So we’ll practise three types of questions: a broad question to open the topic, a choice question to structure the answer, and a clarification question to pin down details like scope, usage, and competitor comparisons. As you practise, keep your tone collaborative: you’re working with them to solve a renewal problem, not interrogating them.
Why your questions matter in renewal discounts.
If you ask the wrong question, you either:
get a vague answer (“Budget.”), or
get pushed into defending price, or
miss the real issue (for example: low adoption, missing features, internal politics).
If you ask the right question, you slow the conversation down and you earn the right to propose options.
Three question patterns that sound calm and senior.
Below are patterns you can reuse. Notice how they are polite, but they still guide the customer towards specifics.
1) Open driver question (broad, neutral)
“Can I ask what is driving the discount request?”
“Help me understand what’s changed since last year.”
“Is it the overall budget, or the timing of the spend?”
“Is this mainly about price, or about value delivered so far?”
3) Clarifying question (pins down facts, reduces risk)
“When you say cheaper, are we comparing like for like scope?”
“What’s included in the competitor quote?”
“Who is pushing hardest internally, and what do they need to see?”
Softening that keeps it diplomatic.
Softening is not weakness. It’s a way to stay professional while you ask direct questions.
Compare:
Too blunt: “That’s not our problem.”
Better: “To be fair, we need to look at scope and usage, not just price.”
Mini toolkit: decision criteria language.
Discount conversations become messy if you don’t agree how the decision will be made.
Useful chunks:
“Could we agree the decision criteria before we discuss numbers?”
“Let’s step back and look at the value you need this year.”
In the reading below, you’ll see a short part of the conversation as text. Your task is to choose the best questions and improve them where needed.
Practice & Feedback
Read the conversation extract. Then do two things:
Choose the best next question (A, B, or C) for each moment. Write your answers like: 1=B, 2=C, 3=A.
Improve the weak questions: rewrite two of the ‘weak’ options so they sound calm, professional, and collaborative. Keep each rewrite to one sentence. Try to use at least two chunks from the screen (for example, “Can I ask what is driving…?” or “Could we agree the decision criteria…?”).
This is still the same renewal call with Priya at HelioFin.
Conversation moments: pick the best question.
1) Priya: “Procurement say you need to move on price.”
A: “Why are you doing this to us?”
B: “Can I ask what is driving the discount request on your side?”
C: “Fine, what discount do you want?”
2) Priya: “Your competitor is 20% cheaper.”
A: “They always undercut. They’re not as good.”
B: “OK, we’ll match them.”
C: “When you say cheaper, are we comparing like for like scope and usage?”
3) Priya: “We need an answer today.”
A: “Could we agree the decision criteria before we discuss numbers, so I come back with something accurate?”
B: “That’s impossible. We can’t do today.”
C: “If you can’t wait, we’ll just have to cancel.”
Your rewrite task.
Pick two weak options (A/B/C) and rewrite them to be calm and constructive.
3. Reframe: move from price to outcomes and fairness.
Let’s handle the key turning point: the reframe. When you hear “20% cheaper”, your instinct might be to defend your product or criticise the competitor. That usually creates friction and doesn’t help you. A more strategic move is to reframe the conversation onto outcomes and commercial fairness: what scope is included, what value is needed this year, and what risks exist if they switch.
Reframing isn’t a speech. It’s typically two or three sentences: one to acknowledge, one to explain the lens you want to use, and one to invite specifics. If you do it well, you sound like a partner who is protecting the customer from a bad decision, while also protecting your own position. In this block, you’ll practise short reframes you can say naturally on a call.
What “reframing” actually is.
A reframe is a controlled shift in what you and the customer are talking about.
From: “Can you reduce the price?”
To: “Let’s make sure the package, usage, and outcomes match what you need.”
At B2 level, your reframe should be:
Brief (no long monologue).
Commercially fair (you’re not refusing; you’re changing the basis).
Specific (scope, usage, outcomes, risk).
Reframe building blocks (copy and adapt).
Here are reusable sentence parts. Mix and match.
Acknowledge (warm):
“I hear you, and I appreciate you raising it early.”
“That makes sense, especially with procurement involved.”
Set the lens (fair + firm):
“To be fair, we need to look at scope and usage, not just price.”
“It’s hard to compare numbers unless we compare like for like.”
Value focus (outcomes):
“Let’s step back and look at the value you need this year.”
“Before we discuss numbers, can we confirm what success needs to look like?”
Invite specifics (questions):
“What’s included in the competitor quote?”
“Which outcomes matter most: speed, cost, or risk reduction?”
Two model reframes (good B2 length).
Model 1 (competitor cheaper):
> “Understood. To be fair, we need to look at scope and usage, not just price. When you say cheaper, what’s included in their quote, and are we comparing like for like?”
Model 2 (budget cut):
> “I hear you. Let’s step back and look at the value you need this year. If budget is the main issue, we can explore options, but I’d like to understand what outcomes you still need to protect.”
Quick warning: what not to say.
Avoid attacking the competitor:
“They’re cheap because they’re rubbish.”
Avoid sounding offended:
“After all we’ve done, you’re asking for a discount?”
Your job is to sound like a calm commercial partner.
Practice & Feedback
Write three short reframes you could say on the renewal call. Each reframe should be 2–3 sentences and should fit one of these moments:
Priya says: “Your competitor is 20% cheaper.”
Priya says: “We need an answer today.”
Priya says: “We’re not sure we used it enough this year to justify the price.”
For each reframe, include:
one acknowledgement (warm),
one ‘fairness’ lens (scope/usage/value),
one question to move forward.
Try to use at least three chunks from the lesson across your three reframes.
Useful chunks (choose and adapt).
“I hear you, and I appreciate you raising it early.”
“To be fair, we need to look at scope and usage, not just price.”
“I am afraid we cannot do that rate on the current package.”
“What we can do is explore a different option that fits your budget.”
“I would rather be transparent than overpromise.”
“Let us step back and look at the value you need this year.”
“Could we agree the decision criteria before we discuss numbers?”
“If budget is the main issue, we could adjust the scope.”
4. Offer options: trade scope, terms, or commitment.
Once you’ve acknowledged, explored, and reframed, you need a constructive next move: options. This is where many people either freeze or jump straight to a discount. Options let you stay collaborative without giving away value.
In renewals, there are a few classic option types. You can keep the package as-is and hold the rate, you can adjust scope to match budget, or you can create a conditional offer linked to commitment, term length, or timing. Notice the logic: you’re not saying “no”; you’re saying “yes, if…”. That protects trust, because it’s commercially fair. In this block you’ll practise writing options that sound clear, not aggressive, and not confusing. You’ll also practise a clean next step so the conversation does not drift.
Why options are your friend.
Options stop the conversation becoming a fight.
Instead of:
Customer: “We want 15% off.”
You: “No.” / “OK.”
You move to:
“We can explore a few options, depending on what matters most to you.”
That language is calm, and it signals you’re in control of the commercial process.
Three renewal option types (with realistic examples).
Below are option templates you can reuse with HelioFin.
Option 1: Hold rate, protect value (firm, fair)
> “On the current package, I’m afraid we can’t do that rate. What we can do is confirm the outcomes you need this year and make sure the scope fits.”
Option 2: Adjust scope to fit budget (collaborative)
> “If budget is the main issue, we could adjust the scope. For example, we can reduce seats / modules, and the price would reduce accordingly.”
Option 3: Conditional offer linked to commitment (not a giveaway)
> “If you can commit by Friday, we can hold the current rate and include onboarding for the new team. If you need more flexibility, we can look at a phased approach.”
A simple structure to present options clearly.
Use this 4-part structure:
Bridge: “What we can do is…”
Option A (base): keep package / hold rate.
Option B (trade-off): scope change / term change.
Check + next step: “Which option is closer?” / “Shall we review this with procurement?”
Tone control: boundaries without bluntness.
Compare:
Blunt: “We can’t discount. End of story.”
Diplomatic: “I am afraid we cannot do that rate on the current package.”
The second version is still a clear boundary, but it stays professional.
In the activity, you’ll propose options for HelioFin based on a short account summary.
Practice & Feedback
Read the account summary. Then write what you would say next on the call to Priya.
Write two options (Option A and Option B) and a clear next step. Keep the whole message to 6–9 lines, like a spoken script.
Requirements:
Include at least one boundary phrase (for example, “I am afraid we cannot do that rate on the current package.”).
Make at least one option conditional (use “If…, we can…”).
Ask one question to check direction and secure a next step (meeting, decision criteria, timing).
Stay in role: you are the AM; Priya is the customer.
HelioFin renewal snapshot (for your options).
Current package: Enterprise (all modules), 120 seats.
Usage: strong in Ops team; low in Finance team after re-org.
New internal stakeholder: Procurement lead (Martin) joined 2 months ago.
Customer goal this year: reduce manual reporting time and improve audit readiness.
Customer pressure: competitor quote is lower but includes fewer modules and only email support.
5. Chat simulation: handle pressure tactics in real time.
Now we’re going to make it feel more real. On a call, discount pressure often comes in quick, short lines: “We need an answer today.” “Your competitor is cheaper.” “If you can’t move, we’ll switch.” Your goal is to stay steady and keep the conversation structured.
In this chat-style simulation, you’ll reply as the Account Manager. I want you to keep each message short, like you would speak on a call: one acknowledgement, one question or one option, and a clear next step. The skill here is not perfect English; it’s control. You’re showing you understand, you’re being transparent, and you’re guiding Priya towards decision criteria and a workable path forward. If you feel yourself wanting to apologise too much or concede too quickly, pause and use the “fairness” lens: scope, usage, outcomes.
How to survive pressure tactics (without sounding cold).
Pressure tactics are normal in renewals. The trick is to treat them as information and process, not as a personal attack.
Here are three micro-responses that keep you calm:
1) Acknowledge + slow down
“Understood.”
“I hear you.”
“I appreciate you being direct.”
2) Transparency boundary (no drama)
“I would rather be transparent than overpromise.”
“I’m afraid we can’t do that rate on the current package.”
3) Move to process (decision criteria + next step)
“Could we agree the decision criteria before we discuss numbers?”
“If you can share what’s in the competitor quote, I can come back with options.”
Pattern you will use in the chat.
For each customer message, try this pattern:
One warm acknowledgement.
One exploring question or one option.
One next step.
Example:
> “I hear you. When you say 20% cheaper, what’s included in their scope? If you can forward the outline today, I’ll come back tomorrow morning with two options we can stand behind.”
Your aim.
By the end of the chat, you should have achieved at least one of these:
agreement on decision criteria,
agreement on a follow-up meeting with procurement,
agreement on what scope is being compared,
agreement on timing for your proposal/options.
Practice & Feedback
You’ll see Priya’s chat messages below (as if you’re on a call and notes are coming in fast).
Write your replies as the AM, one by one. Keep each reply to 1–3 sentences.
Rules:
Do not offer an immediate discount.
Use at least four phrases from today across your replies (acknowledge, fairness lens, boundary, decision criteria, conditional offer).
Aim to end with a clear next step (a meeting, criteria, or a time when you’ll come back with options).
Write your replies in this format:
AM1: …
AM2: …
AM3: …
AM4: …
Priya (customer) messages.
Priya1: “We’ve been a customer for three years. We need you to show flexibility.”
Priya2: “Procurement will not accept the current number. And the competitor is cheaper.”
Priya3: “I need an answer today, or I’ll recommend we switch.”
Priya4: “Honestly, Finance barely used the tool after the re-org, so it’s hard for me to justify full price.”
6. Capstone: run the renewal pushback and lock next steps.
Time to bring everything together into one realistic performance. You’ll do what you would actually do at work: handle the discount request, explore the drivers, reframe to value and fairness, offer structured options, and then lock a next step that keeps the deal moving.
The most common failure at this stage is drifting into vague language: “We’ll see what we can do” or “Let me get back to you” with no timeline. The second common failure is going too hard on the boundary and damaging trust. So as you write, keep your structure visible. Use signposts like “Just to make sure I’ve understood…” and “What we can do is…”. Then close firmly with a concrete next step: who, when, and what will happen.
At the end, you’ll also write a short follow-up email to confirm the options and the next meeting. That email is your safety net.
Your capstone task: one call segment + one recap email.
You are still speaking with Priya at HelioFin. The conversation has progressed. You’ve acknowledged the request, and now you need to steer it to a professional outcome.
In this final block, you’ll produce two outputs:
A short call script (what you say) that includes the key negotiation moves.
A short follow-up email that captures options and next steps so nothing “drifts”.
“I hear you, and I appreciate you raising it early.”
“Can I ask what is driving the discount request?”
“To be fair, we need to look at scope and usage, not just price.”
“I am afraid we cannot do that rate on the current package.”
“What we can do is explore a different option that fits your budget.”
“Could we agree the decision criteria before we discuss numbers?”
“If we can solve X, would you be willing to commit to Y?”
Follow-up email: keep it crisp and commercial.
Your email should include:
a subject line,
a 1–2 sentence recap of the situation,
Option A and Option B (clear and comparable),
a decision point (what you need from them),
the next meeting/time.
Mini rubric (self-check).
Before you submit, quickly check:
Clarity: can a busy procurement lead understand your options in 20 seconds?
Tone: warm + firm (no drama, no apology overload).
Control: a concrete next step with a time.
Practice & Feedback
Use the deal brief below and write both parts.
Part 1: Call script (10–14 lines)
Write what you would say on the call now. Use short spoken lines. Include: acknowledge → explore → fairness lens → boundary → two options → next step.
Part 2: Follow-up email (8–12 lines)
Write an email to Priya and Martin (Procurement). Include a subject line, the two options, and a clear decision/next step.
Try to use at least six chunks from the lesson across both parts. Keep it realistic: no big speeches, just commercially clear language.
Deal brief for the capstone.
Priya says Procurement need a discount and the competitor is “around 20% cheaper”.
You learn the competitor offer includes fewer modules and only email support.
HelioFin care most about: reducing manual reporting time and audit readiness.
Finance team adoption is currently low, but Ops usage is strong.
Priya is presenting options this afternoon; Procurement lead Martin will join a follow-up call.
Your internal position: you can’t simply cut the rate on the current Enterprise package, but you can offer scope adjustments or a conditional offer linked to commitment/term.
