When it comes to sales, a few moments make professionals sweat like talking about money.
You can almost feel it — that pause, that awkward smile, that quick “Just send me your proposal.”

But here’s the thing: the fear of money talk isn’t about the buyer. It’s about us — the salespeople.

What the Data Shows

In the SalesRev Africa Sales Skills Readiness Scorecard, we asked sales professionals a simple question:

“Probing for the prospect’s budget should be avoided if the prospect is uncomfortable talking about money.”

Out of 242 respondents across nine industries, 71 per cent agreed.
Only 29 per cent said “False.”

That means most salespeople believe they should avoid budget discussions when buyers seem uncomfortable.

And that’s a problem.

Avoiding the money conversation doesn’t protect relationships.
It delays truth.

Why It Happens

I see this all the time in my coaching sessions.
Many salespeople want to be liked — not seen as pushy. They try to build rapport by avoiding tension. But that hesitation creates confusion, not comfort.

We think silence preserves trust.  In reality, it creates distance.

If you can’t talk about money, you can’t talk about business.

What Top Performers Do Differently

Top sales performers don’t avoid the topic — they reframe it.
They create a safe space for honest conversation.

Instead of bluntly asking, “What’s your budget?”, they might say:

“To recommend something practical, could we explore a ballpark investment range?”

That single sentence changes everything.
It shifts the conversation from price to fit, from awkward to aligned.

This is what I call structured confidence — not bravado, not pressure, but confidence that comes from process.

Frameworks like SalesRev Africa’s G.R.O.W.T.H Selling® and T.I.E.D.O.W.N.™ help salespeople handle these moments with empathy and clarity — because real selling is about connection, not confrontation.

The Real Cost of Avoiding the Money Talk

When sales teams skip these conversations:

• Pipelines get clogged with unqualified leads.
• Proposals pile up that were never going to close.
• Managers forecast based on hope, not data.

The sales cycle stretches, deals stall, and motivation drops.
The issue isn’t the market — it’s mindset and skill.

Moving Forward

The best sales professionals learn to lead the money conversation with empathy, not fear.  They understand that the fastest way to trust is through clarity.

If this reflection hits close to home, it might be time to assess your own readiness.
Take the Sales Skills Readiness Scorecard — it will show where you’re strong, where you hesitate, and where structured coaching can help you close faster and sell smarter.

https://scorecard.salesrevafrica.com/mawuli-dpisnrec

Keep Executing.

About the Author

Mawuli Ocloo is a Sales Execution Consultant and Founder of SalesRev Africa, helping organisations across banking, insurance, and B2B industries build sales systems that convert consistently.

He is the creator of G.R.O.W.T.H Selling®, T.I.E.D.O.W.N.™, and The Sales Skills Readiness Scorecard, designed to bridge the gap between sales training and field execution.

Follow him on LinkedIn for more insights: linkedin.com/in/mawuliocloo