When Clients Compare Apples to Oranges: The Quiet Frustration of Misaligned Value
Every leader who sells expertise—fractional executives included—has faced the same maddening moment: a prospective client lines up your offering next to three others, scans only the price column, and declares, “This one is cheaper.” As if professional services were interchangeable commodities priced by the pound.
It’s the classic apples-to-oranges comparison. Except sometimes it feels more like apples to doorknobs.
What’s behind this impulse? In most cases, CEOs aren’t intentionally dismissive. They’re simply navigating uncertainty. When buyers don’t fully understand the differences between services, quality signals collapse into a single dimension: cost. And when cost is the dominant variable, the cheapest option naturally appears “best.” Unfortunately, that decision often delays results, introduces risk, and forces them to pay twice—once for the discount version, and again for the provider who actually solves the problem.
The challenge, then, is not defending your price. It is clarifying the value behind it.
Even highly capable CEOs fall into the price trap for three reasons:
Information asymmetry — They don’t know what they don’t know. Without context, every provider sounds similar.
Cognitive load — Comparing nuanced service models requires time and concentration. A quick price comparison is efficient, even if misleading.
Fear of overpaying — No leader wants to look careless with capital. Price becomes a proxy for prudence.
Recognizing these drivers creates empathy—and opens the path to correction.
The goal is not to convince CEOs that expensive is better. It’s to reframe the decision so they understand the true cost of a wrong choice.
A few practical strategies help illuminate the difference:
Anchor the CEO in outcomes, not inputs.
Instead of detailing “hours,” “deliverables,” or “processes,” frame the conversation around business impact. “This engagement shortens your sales cycle by 20%” resonates more than “This package includes five strategy sessions.”Contrast the risk profiles.
Leaders make decisions every day by comparing upside versus downside. Present the options as different risk curves, not price tags.
Cheap-but-generic = higher execution risk.
Experienced-but-pricier = reduced variance, faster time to value.Use simple heuristics.
Every CEO understands that top talent costs more. Subtle humor works well here: “If two ‘fractional CROs’ are priced dramatically differently, they aren’t the same product. One is a veteran operator; the other may have watched a few YouTube videos about sales.”Tell the “pay twice” story.
Real-world examples—without naming names—help CEOs map decisions to consequences. “Most of our replacement engagements come from companies who first selected the cheapest provider.”Ask the clarifying question.
“What is the cost to the business if this problem remains unresolved for another three months?”
When they answer, they reveal the value themselves.
Ultimately, the shift happens when a CEO realizes they aren't buying a price—they’re buying an outcome. Your job is not to win the race to the bottom. It’s to illuminate the gulf between seemingly similar offerings, articulate the value behind expertise, and guide them away from false equivalencies.
When they finally see the light, the conversation changes. Suddenly, it’s not about apples or oranges. It’s about choosing the right solution to achieve the results they care about most.