There are maybe a dozen objections you'll hear across your entire sales career. Not hundreds โ a dozen. The same ones come up on almost every call, from almost every type of prospect, in almost the same words.
Which means there's no excuse for being caught off guard. If you've heard an objection more than three times and you still don't have a sharp, confident response, that's a process failure โ not a prospect problem.
Here are the five you'll hear most often and exactly what to say back.
"It's too expensive" / "We don't have the budget right now."
This is the most common objection and usually the least honest one. "Too expensive" almost never means the money doesn't exist. It means they're not yet convinced the value is worth it โ or they haven't felt enough urgency to prioritize it.
Don't immediately defend your price. Get curious about the problem instead.
๐ This reframes the conversation from your price to their problem. Most prospects haven't thought about the cost of inaction. Once they do, your fee often looks like the cheaper option.
"We need to think about it." / "Let me talk it over with my partner."
This one is almost always a smoke screen. If they genuinely need to think about it, it means you haven't made the decision clear enough โ either the problem isn't real enough to them, or the solution isn't specific enough to their situation.
Don't say "of course, take your time." That's how deals disappear for three months.
๐ This surfaces the real objection. If they can't answer what they need to think about, they often realize they're stalling. If they can, you now have something concrete to address on the spot.
"We're already working with someone else."
This objection shuts down a lot of founders immediately. It shouldn't. "We have a vendor" and "we're completely satisfied with our vendor" are two very different things โ and most people who say the first don't actually mean the second.
๐ This is honest and direct. You're not trash-talking their current vendor โ you're just asking why they showed up. If they're truly happy, they'll tell you, and you can both move on. If they're not, they'll tell you that too.
"We can probably handle this in-house."
They probably can't โ but arguing that directly is a losing move. Nobody wants to be told they're wrong about their own capabilities. Instead, help them think it through clearly.
๐ Most founders haven't done this math. When they actually walk through what "in-house" would require โ the time, the expertise, the distraction from other priorities โ the comparison often shifts in your favor without you having to push.
"Can you just send me some information?"
This is a polite way of ending the conversation without saying no. An email full of PDFs almost never closes a deal. Don't send it and hope for the best.
๐ You're not refusing to send info โ you're reframing it as less valuable than a real conversation and immediately offering a better next step. The key is to suggest a specific time, not "let me know when you're free."
One Rule That Applies to All of Them
Never panic at an objection. The prospect who objects is almost always more interested than the one who says "sounds great, I'll think about it." Objections mean they're engaged enough to push back.
Treat every objection as a question in disguise: Help me feel confident about this decision. Your job isn't to win an argument. It's to give them what they need to say yes.
Want your whole team handling objections this confidently?
We'll build the playbook and train your reps to use it. Book a free call to see how.
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