Think back to our previous articles on the dark funnel and personalized VSLs (video sales letters). Thanks to these strategies, you were able to educate a potential client long before they ever got in touch. The customer is “pre-sold” – they understand your value, they trust you and they eagerly come to your website to find out the last, most important piece of information: how much it’s all going to cost.
And what do they find? A huge, bare button: “Request a Quote”.
It used to be the gold standard in B2B. Hide the price so the salesperson can nicely “work” the client on a personal call and build value. Today? Modern B2B buyers absolutely hate it. If they don’t see at least a ballpark price on your website, they often close the tab and go straight to a competitor. Let’s look at why hiding prices is the fastest way to kill a sale and how you can elegantly price even the most complex “custom solution.”
Why modern buyers can’t stand your forms
Today’s B2B customers do most of their purchase research entirely on their own, quietly, without ever contacting your salesperson. They study your website, watch your videos, read discussions on social media and compare you with your competitors.
Once they’re ready to find out the price, they have zero desire to sit through a 30-minute discovery call just to find out whether you’re even in the same financial galaxy. Psychologically, a “Request a Quote” button signals a pile of unnecessary work, delays and fear of aggressive sales tactics. If you don’t give them this basic information, they’ll find a partner who plays with their cards on the table.
The custom-solution myth: how to show a price when you don’t know it exactly
The most common excuse from directors and salespeople is: “But our services can’t be priced at a flat rate! Everything we do is tailor-made to the client’s team and needs.”
That may be true, but at this stage the client isn’t looking for an invoice accurate to the cent. They’re looking for context and an order of magnitude (a so-called ballpark figure). How do you communicate that on your website, even for the most complex services?
- Visual “from–to” packages: Create three reference packages on your website. For example: “Basic implementation (from €5,000),” “Complete solution (around €15,000)” and “Enterprise (custom).” The client can instantly place themselves mentally.
- Case studies with real budgets: Instead of a boring price table, show real work. Write: “We developed this internal software for company XY. The project took 3 months and the total budget was around €25,000.” The customer will immediately compare it with their own situation.
- Connecting to micro-tools: Use free website calculators (engineering as marketing). Let clients click through the modules or services they need, and at the end the calculator gives them a ballpark budget. You deliver enormous value and elegantly avoid publishing a fixed, unchangeable price list.
Price as the perfect filter and margin saver
What really happens when you put your prices on your website? Yes, your total number of inquiries (leads) will most likely drop. And you know what? That’s the best news for your business.
Publishing your price works as an absolutely uncompromising filter. It stops exactly the people who have been wasting your time so far – clients looking for a cheap solution costing a few hundred euros when your service actually costs tens of thousands. Your salespeople will finally stop getting calls from people who don’t really have the budget for your solution.
The people who call you after seeing your price list no longer have a problem with your price. Lead quality goes up radically, the sales cycle gets dramatically shorter, and your salespeople can finally sell with ease instead of haggling over discounts.
Transparency is the new currency
In modern B2B marketing, the winner is whoever can remove uncertainty from the customer’s mind fastest and most transparently. By anxiously hiding your pricing, you don’t build any tactical advantage before a personal meeting. You just build a pointless barrier that most buyers today simply don’t feel like climbing over. Show your cards, share at least ballpark numbers and watch your calendar fill up with clients who are truly ready to buy.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Won’t publishing a high price scare clients away before we can explain our added value?
If a client lacks context and doesn’t see the value, any price will scare them away. That’s why publishing a price must never be just a dry number in a table. Your pricing has to be wrapped in context – explain exactly what is included, which risks you eliminate and what return on investment (ROI) the client will get.
What if our competitors hide their prices and start undercutting us once they see ours?
Competitors who only want to compete on price will always find a way to undercut you. But B2B buyers aren’t automatically looking for the cheapest solution – they’re looking for the most transparent and reliable one. Your openness about pricing builds professional authority and trust, which often carries far more weight than a 10 percent discount from a competitor who hides their prices.
How do we handle it when, after the initial estimate on the website, the project turns out to be significantly more expensive?
Communicate it like a professional from the very first moment. If you use visual packages or ballpark calculators, always state clearly that it’s an estimate based on standard requirements. When you find out on a call that the client needs a more complex solution, explain which specific features increased the original budget. The customer will understand as long as the change is rationally justified.
If you want a website where prices, packages and calculators work for you, take a look at our web design services.
