The best way to overcome sales objections is to identify and remove the friction that’s acting as a hurdle for your client. 

Do this by asking pertinent questions to uncover the real problems. Then, handle them one by one (and calmly!) to move forward in a mutually beneficial way.

Sales objections aren’t doors slamming in your face- the customer just needs more information.

In this blog, you’ll find the 7 most common sales objections and rebuttals for each one. As a bonus, you’ll also find objection-handling scrips to take your conversations to the next level!

1. The Blow-offs

Customer: “I'm not interested"

This kind of sales objection is generally an impulsive response to a sales pitch. This almost never has anything to do with you, so don’t take it personally. 

Blow-offs are possibly the most common sales objections, but luckily they’re not too serious. Sales prospects tend to do this when they feel the salesperson is taking away their time.

Rebuttal:

The best way to deal with blow-offs: do not contradict them. Instead, empathize, relate, and offer a solution. 

• First, empathize with the customer by telling them that you understand how they feel.
• Then, relate to them by telling them about someone else who felt the same way.  

Next, offer them a solution by letting them know how the product benefitted the person from your previous example.

Response script #1:

"That’s all right, Mr. Prospect, I understand why you may feel that this is not of any interest to you; CLIENT XYZ told me the exact same thing and now he is using our solution to improve their closing rates. I understand that improving closing rate is an important KPI for your business as well -- can you share with me why improving these metrics is not of any interest to you at this time?"

Response script #2:

“I didn’t expect you to be interested; you don’t know enough about this yet. But like everyone else, I do know you’re interested in (provide a benefit here - reducing driving time, increasing customer meetings, close rate) and that’s why I’m calling. If I could show you how you can (provide your unique benefit  here) and even save you (time, money, etc.) wouldn’t you be happy you took the time to find out how?”

Response script #3:

“Believe me, I hear you. The good news is that talking for 30 seconds with me right now could change the way you do business, and could help you meet more customers and save hours of time (or whatever your product or service provides).  In fact, let me share briefly with you how we’ve helped hundreds of companies just like yours…”

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2. The Cold Shoulder

Customer: “Send some information over”

Customers resort to this when they have made up their mind (prematurely) about you what you’re selling. They’ve already decided that what you have to offer might not be relevant to them.  By asking you to send information over, they’re just hoping to cut the conversation short (and spare your feelings).

Rebuttal:

A seasoned salesperson will see right through it and not fall for the trap. By simply sending over your marketing material, you leave the responsibility of a follow-up with your prospects.  Translation? You’re surrendering the deal. Instead, agree to send them more information, but don’t hang up yet! Ask them open-ended follow-up questions with the intention to lower their guard enough to start a conversation (and qualify them).

Response script #1:

"I’d be happy to email our information over to you. (Prospect’s name), I have a 100-page product feature eBook that I can email you, but do you mind if I ask you just a couple of quick questions so I can only send you that part that you’d be most interested in? I wouldn’t want to waste your time.”

Response Script #2:

"I’ll be happy to do that Mr. Prospect, but If you’re serious about learning how this can help you improve productivity, then I’d suggest we take a couple of minutes right now to discuss your situation.  After that, if you’re really interested, I’d be glad to get something out to you – sound fair?”

Response Script #3:

“Of course, but before I do that, I want to make sure this is actually a good fit for your business processes. Let me ask you a couple of quick questions: (Ask qualifying questions on budget, decision-making process, etc.)”

Learn how to use Sales Judo to handle the “just send me the information” and more objections with our Training Tuesday videos:

3. The Stall Wall

Customer: “I need to speak to my partner first”           

More often than not, this is simply a stalling tactic used to get you off the phone or out of their office. The prospect is stalling because they are too polite to say “No.” 

Yes, customers can actually be too afraid to say “no”. The problem is that they don’t plan on saying “yes” either. Sales reps that don’t take the hint keep calling.   

This response could also mean they still have some reservations about your product and need to be convinced further.

Rebuttal:

Never challenge a stall. Doing that only creates conflict, not sales. Instead, try to minimize the risk for the buyer. Circle back to your value proposition and demonstrate how you’ve solved similar problems for others.

As Greg Woodley from Sales and Persuasion Techniques said, “The key to dealing with these objections is to recognize the customer's statement is a stall, so you know what to say.”

Response script #1:

"That's all right, and let me ask you. If your partner says, 'Do whatever you feel is best,' then based on what we've gone over, and what you understand about this, what would you do?"

Response script #2:

“I understand that you like features X and Y about our product. We have helped X client improve their key metrics by 20%. You don’t have to take my word for it. We offer a free trial, so you can be the judge. No satisfaction, no charge.”

Response script #3:

“Mr. Prospect, we have been discussing this for a couple of weeks. In your opinion, what is the chance of this going through? I wouldn’t want to waste your time if you feel there isn’t a strong possibility of this happening.”

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4. Complacency

Customer: “I don’t see the need for your service”

True to human nature, many people are lured into a false sense of security.  They do not like to make changes or decisions unless it is absolutely necessary.  You need to create a sense of urgency. Make the client aware that if something is not changed now, they might not like the result down the road.

Rebuttal:

Lead by showing some research you have done on a competitor, and how the lack of change caused terrible results. 

Additionally, if a competitor has made a change and witnessed significant success, showing these results will motivate the client. No one wants to be left behind.

Response script #1:

“Ms. Prospect, the industry has witnessed (some change). These shifts are the reason CLIENT X  just signed with us last month to increase ABC. Since you mentioned ABC as a key metric the last time we spoke, it would be great to discuss how our product can add value for your business."

 Response script #2:

“Thank you for the insight, Mr. Prospect. I understand why you may be hesitant to open up your budget for a solution you have no experience with. The reason I am calling you, however, is to open up some initial dialogue. Our product was specifically built to tackle problems ABC faced by companies in your industry. Even if you do not purchase our solution, it would be prudent for us to connect and discuss the benefits for you when the budget does open up."

 Response script #3:

 “What I hear you wondering is, ‘what benefits are there for me in this product?' (Then proceed to explain the most relevant feature of your product)”

In sales, time is everything. But, understanding the customers underlying needs based on their rebuttals is crucial. 

Each client needs to feel understood and unique to help build trust. The extra effort may take more time, but closing more deals is worth it in the end.

If you’re looking for a way to add more time to your schedule, Badger Maps is a great example of a tool that helps field salespeople all around the world optimize their daily routes, manage their customers and territories, and streamline every aspect of their jobs. 

Combine these great sales objection tips with the best field sales app:

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5. The Price Squeeze

Customer: “It’s too expensive”

Price objections are the best type of sales objections you can get. Questions and comments about price indicate a prospect’s intention of buying.

After all, you wouldn’t ask for a lower price or run a price comparison unless you are interested.

Rebuttal:

The moment you start justifying the selling price, you reduce yourself to a transactional middleman. As John Doerr, Co-President of the Rain Group, advised, “Communicate a clear picture of the value of the solution you established in the selling process – the right buyer can usually “find” the money.”  Link the price to the value rather than discussing it in isolation.

Response script #1:

“Our app helps sales reps meet more customers, drive less and close more. It’s beautiful and easy to use. I can refer you to any number of customers we’ve helped make successful. But don’t just take our word for it—sign up for our free trial now and see for yourself.”

Response script #2:

“Let's say money was no object. Would our product/service help solve your problem? Is price the only thing that's keeping you from signing?”

Response script #3:

"In your own business, is your product/service always the least expensive option available? [Prospect’s name], I would rather inconvenience you with a high price today than with a cheap solution that isn’t really solving anything. Now, let’s not let a few dollars keep us from doing business together.”

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6. The Competitor Tussle

Customer: “We already work with your competitor”

Every salesperson is far too familiar with this objection, but do they know how to handle it with a proper rebuttal?

As Jill Konrath, an internationally recognized sales strategist, advised, “Unless your product or service is truly groundbreaking, you should always assume that your prospect is already working with a competitor. What you don’t know from the outside is how they feel about their current provider.” 

While overcoming this objection is tricky, it’s not entirely impossible.

Rebuttal:

The best approach is to look for any cracks in the existing partnership. 

Your prospects might hate change but planting doubt in their mind might compel them into considering changing vendors.  They probably haven’t re-evaluated their decision in a while. Ask questions that’ll have them wondering whether it’s still the right choice. Being an expert in your competitors’ products lets you know where they are weak and where you are strong- use this to your advantage.

Response script #1:

"That’s good to hear -- [competitor] is a great company. In fact, we share a lot of mutual customers. Companies that use both of our offerings often find that accomplishing [X goal] is much easier with our product since it has [unique benefit #1] and [unique benefit #2].”

Response script #2:

“Of course -- many of our current customers have used different suppliers in the past. But I’m reaching out to discuss ways you could meet more customers, increase sales conversions and reduce daily administrative tasks. Would you be interested in scheduling another call to talk about that?”

Response script #3:

“That’s great. I’m wondering, however, if you’re still struggling to overcome the challenges caused by manual route planning. I actually have a couple of suggestions for you related to that challenge -- would it make sense to schedule a call to discuss them?”

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7. Sales Inertia

This is more of a mental block and less of an actual obstacle. 

We are bombarded with advertisements and sales pitches all the time. As a result, we develop a natural resistance to any sort of sales pitch that comes our way. 

Although this isn’t an objection the prospect is going to raise, it’s important to neutralize it. Ensure that your pitch doesn’t just bounce off the prospect’s natural wall of resistance.

Rebuttal:

Before you start with your product presentation, try to make the prospect see that the meeting is about finding a solution for his/her problem- not about you trying to make a sale. 

What you're doing is helping them let their guard down so that they actually listen to your pitch with an open mind.

 Response Script:

“I’m not going to try to sell you anything. I’ll just demonstrate some of the reasons why thousands of companies are using this product. After that, you can decide if it’s applicable to you or not. You be the judge. Sounds fair?”

Become an expert with our sales objection email course:

If you want to expand your knowledge about handling sales objections, you can try this free course on How to Effectively Overcome any Sales Objection.

Overcoming Sales Objections is Tricky but not Impossible

Sales and objections are intertwined. Therefore, it’s necessary to understand and be prepared for these common sales objections. 

While knowing your product inside and out helps, unearthing the true reason for the customer’s objection is what will truly help you cross the hurdle.  Ask your prospects open-ended questions and try to build a sense of trust and credibility at every step.

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Edited by: Emily Healy