You’re sitting in your desk chair, staring at your inbox. “How did this happen?” you wonder.

You thought you had that project all sewn up. You had built some rapport with the prospect. You sent them your best samples. You wrote a proposal that might be on par with some of the greatest works of literature ever created. You laughed at their jokes.

But now, you’re staring at an email that says, “We found your price to be too high for our budget. We’ve decided to go with a more affordable option.”

Ouch! It happens from time to time and all businesses expect “price shoppers” to darken their doors. But, as freelancers, every prospect can represent a substantial portion of our income and they represent a substantial commitment of time.

The price objection comes out of the blue. What makes it challenging is that, quite simply, there are other places in the world where it costs less to live and where a basic wage is much less than what we can live on.

Over the years, I’ve found a few ways to help counter this problem. That doesn’t mean that I don’t win over every “price shopping” client, but I believe I do get more as a result. Here are some of the tips and ideas that I’ve used in the past. You might find that some of them might work in some situations and not in others and you’ll need to follow your instincts to decide when to use them.

1. Be proactive. Before price even comes up, you probably point out what makes you special. During that time you should also include elements that are loosely related to your price. For example, if I’m trying to win a local client and I know that the client is also looking at cheaper offshore options, I will point out that I’m 20 minutes away by car and can show up at their beck and call.

2. Detail what your price includes. People get scared off when they hear a high price (especially if they’ve also heard a low price for the same project). Detail what your price includes and make sure that you’re clear about the benefits (not just the features).

3. Offer something extra. Buyers who are price shopping thing they are comparing apples to apples when they compare your price and a cheaper price. However, if you respond to their project with a price and a series of free bonuses and extras, it makes it harder for them to make a direct comparison, AND the price is spread over several deliverables.

4. Ask them about their intended outcomes. Often, customers have high budget outcomes but low budgets! You’ll do them a favor if you point out that they could be risking what little money they have on low budget alternatives that don’t work. If you have guarantees and testimonials, use these to point out that it’s better for them to spend a little more to ensure that their outcome is actually achieved.

If all of these fail, just let them go. There has been more than one occasion when prospects have said that my price was too high and they sought out a low priced alternative… then, weeks later, they return to me and willingly pay my rate because their cheaper option didn’t deliver.