Budget may be a sensitive topic for some people to talk about. Everyone has money issues, but the key is that you have to become totally comfortable with talking about money when selling. Although talking about money may be difficult at first, you have to be careful not to project your issues with money onto the prospect. Some people may be extra frugal with money because they grew up having parents that felt that way. Be sure not to be too pushy with these types of people because you don’t want to drive them away. On the other hand, some people might not mind spending money. If this is the case, be careful not to ignore price sensitivity signals from the client.
There are two situations were budget discussions make sense. The first is a true assessment of the real pain of the prospect. Sometimes, to find the pain of the prospect, you need to talk about budget options. The second situation is when the prospects perception that your solution can solve that pain and is worth the cost. In order to fix the prospects pain point, you have to see if the solution is worth the cost of fixing that pain. If it is not in the prospects best interest to pay that price, then you should not push them to pay that specific price.
Talking about money in any sales conversation can be a very difficult thing. It is often the most difficult for most salespeople. Its important to understand where they are coming from and their perspective on money, like you highlighted. It may be wise to ask a few question to the prospect on how they feel about money, or let them come up with the numbers that makes sense to solve their own problem. In this case they are more comfortable with the numbers and if its too much or too little than you would have to work it our from there.