Show me the Money
It's too expensive
✅ "Compared to what?" — Makes them articulate value, not just price
Call me back next quarter.
✅ "Happy to — what's changing next quarter that would make the timing better?"
We're already working with someone.
✅ "That's great — what do you like most about them?"
I'm not the decision maker.
✅ "Totally understand — who would be, and what would they need to hear?"
Sounds too good to be true.
✅ "I get that — want me to connect you with a customer who thought the same thing?"
We don't have budget until next fiscal year.
✅ "Totally fair — what would it look like to have a plan ready so you can move fast when budget opens up?"
✅ Gets you a follow-up meeting without pushing on money now
We're in the middle of a reorg, this isn't a good time.
✅ "That makes sense — reorgs are intense. How are you thinking about your tech stack once things settle? I'd love to be a resource when you're ready to move forward."
✅ Shows empathy, plants a seed, opens a future door
We just renewed our contract last month.
✅ "Congrats on locking that in. Does the renewal cover everything, or are there workloads that sit outside of it?"
✅ Finds the gap without fighting the contract
I'd need to run this by my VP.
✅ "Of course. What does your VP care about most — and would it help if I put together a one-pager tailored to their priorities?"
✅ Arms your contact to sell internally
Do you have case studies for my industry? But you dont
✅ "Not in your exact vertical yet — but here's one from a company with the same challenge you described. The workload pattern is nearly identical."
✅ Pivots from industry to use case — which is what actually matters
Your competitor offered us the same thing for half the price."
✅ "That's worth looking into — when you compared the two, what were the differences beyond price?"
✅ Forces them to evaluate value, not just cost — and they may not have actually compared
We just launched a big initiative and can't take on anything else.
✅ "Congrats on the launch — what's the biggest challenge you're facing as you scale it?"
✅ Pivots to discovery — their new initiative might actually need AWS
We're happy with our current provider.
✅ "That's great to hear — what's the one thing you wish they did better?"
✅ Even happy customers have gaps — this finds it
There's a committee that handles these decisions and they meet quarterly.
✅ "When's the next meeting? Let's make sure you have everything you need to bring this to the table — what would make it a no-brainer for the committee?"
✅ Creates a deadline and positions you as their prep partner
We tried AWS before and it didn't work out.
✅ "I appreciate you being honest about that. What didn't work — and would you be open to hearing what's changed since then?"
✅ Acknowledges the bad experience, doesn't dismiss it, asks permission to re-engage
"I need to get budget approval from finance and that takes 3 months.
✅ "Let's work backward from that — what would finance need to see to say yes? I can help you build that case."
✅ Positions you as a partner, not a pusher — and you get a 3-month engagement
I'm interested but my plate is completely full until Q4.
✅ "Respect that. What if I send you a 2-minute case study from a similar company — no meeting required — and we reconnect in September when things open up?"
✅ Gives value now, locks in a future touchpoint
We evaluated AWS last year and went with someone else.
✅ "I appreciate that. A lot has changed in a year — what was the deciding factor back then, and is that still true today?"
✅ Acknowledges their decision, then challenges whether the reason still holds
My boss already said no to cloud last year.
✅ "What was their main concern — and has anything changed in the business since then that might shift that thinking?"
✅ Doesn't fight the boss — explores whether the reason is still valid
"I've heard AWS is hard to use and has a steep learning curve.
✅ "That used to be more true — but tools like Amazon Quick are specifically built to simplify that. What would 'easy' look like for your team?"
✅ Acknowledges the perception, shows evolution, asks them to define success
We already overspent this quarter and my VP froze all new spend
✅ "I get it — that's a tough spot. Two questions: when does the freeze typically lift, and is there a way to frame this as cost savings rather than new spend?"
✅ Plants two seeds — timing for follow-up AND a reframe that might bypass the freeze
We've been talking about this internally for a year but it keeps getting deprioritized.
✅ "What's been getting prioritized over it — and what's the cost of waiting another year?"
✅ Makes them quantify the cost of inaction — urgency comes from within, not from you
Our CTO is best friends with the competitor's CEO. We're never switching.
✅ "I wouldn't ask you to switch — most enterprise companies run multi-cloud. Where are there workloads your current provider doesn't cover well that we could complement?"
✅ Removes the threat, positions alongside — you're not replacing his friend's company
I love this but I have zero influence on purchasing decisions.
✅ "You might have more influence than you think. If I could show you the impact this would have on your team's workload — would you feel comfortable sharing that with the person who does decide?"
✅ Empowers them, gives them a story to tell, makes them the hero
Every vendor promises the same thing. Why should I believe you're different?
✅ "Fair point — I'd rather show you than tell you. What if we did a no-commitment pilot on one workload and let the results speak for themselves?"
✅ Shifts from words to proof — lowest risk way to build trust