MOVE 03 · FRAMING & CLARITY · FREE
Find the Real Question
Identify the concern underneath the stated request so you answer what actually matters to the other side.
The stated request is often a proposed solution to a problem that has not been said aloud.
WHY IT WORKS
Requests like 'can you do it cheaper?' bundle a concern (budget, risk, internal optics) with a solution (lower price). If you answer only the solution, you trade value for nothing. If you find the concern, more options appear, many of which cost you less.
WHEN TO USE IT
- A request seems disproportionate to the situation.
- The same objection keeps returning after you have answered it.
WHEN NOT TO USE IT
- The request is simple and clearly stated; probing would feel evasive.
- Trust is too low for questions to be heard as anything but stalling.
SIGNALS IT FITS
- They ask for one specific concession without explaining why.
- Their urgency does not match the business stakes you can see.
PREPARATION
- List three possible concerns that could produce this request.
- Prepare one open question for each.
STEP BY STEP
- Acknowledge the request without agreeing to it.
- Ask what the request would solve for them.
- Listen for the concern and restate it.
- Offer options that address the concern, including but not limited to the original request.
OPENING LINE
“I can look at that. Help me understand what it would solve on your end?”
SCRIPT
I can look at the price. Before I do, can you tell me what a lower number would solve for you — is it the total budget, the approval threshold, or something else?
LIKELY RESPONSES & COUNTERS
- If they name an approval threshold
- Explore phasing or splitting the purchase rather than discounting.
- If they refuse to explain
- Offer two concrete options and ask which is closer; their choice reveals the concern.
- If they mention a competitor quote
- Ask what is included in the comparison before responding on price.
SECOND MOVE
Once the concern is named, use Trade, Never Concede to address it with a matched exchange.
FOLLOW-UP
Confirm the concern in writing so later proposals can reference it.
COMMON MISTAKES
- Asking 'why?' in a way that sounds like a challenge.
- Hearing the concern and then offering the discount anyway.
WALK-AWAY CONDITIONS
- The real concern is one you cannot address without compromising quality or safety.
EXAMPLE (FICTIONAL)
A buyer asked a design studio for 20% off. The studio asked what it would solve; the buyer's sign-off limit was $25,000. The studio split the work into two purchase orders at the original rate.
ETHICAL BOUNDARY
Use what you learn to solve their problem, not to exploit a vulnerability they disclosed in good faith.
RELATED MOVES
Content version 1 · Drafted by Power Move IQ Editorial · Not yet human-reviewed · Educational decision support, not legal, financial or employment advice.