What do you say in the first ten seconds?
An objection on a live call leaves you a few seconds before the silence gets heavy. Use them for three things, in this order. Don't answer yet: you don't know what the concern is.
Don't start talking until they stop. Write down the exact words they used, because your question will build on them.
"That's fair." "You could, yes." "That makes sense." Then stop. Don't add "but".
One open question about what's behind it. "What would they stop working on to build it?"
The question does the work. A buyer who says "we could build this" might mean "we have spare engineers", "we don't trust a vendor" or "I haven't thought about it". Their answer to your question tells you which one you are dealing with.
What do you say to the most common objections?
For each one: the line to say back, then the question to ask. Every question is one open question you can ask as written.
| They say | You say | Then ask |
|---|---|---|
| "We could build this ourselves." | "You could. Your team knows this system better than anyone." | "What would they stop working on while they build it?" |
| "We're happy with how we do it now." | "Good. Then I'd like to understand what's working." | "You mentioned close takes four days. What gets pushed back while it runs?" |
| "Just send me some information." | "I will." | "What would it need to show for this to be worth a second call?" |
| "The timing's wrong for us." | "Understood." | "What has to happen first for this to come back up?" |
| "We already have a tool for this." | "That makes sense." | "What made you take this call with that tool in place?" |
| "Security will never approve a new vendor." | "Then let's find out what they need early." | "What has stopped a security review here before?" |
| "I'll need to run it by my team." | "Of course." | "Who on the team will have the most questions about it?" |
The second row only works if the buyer told you about the four-day close earlier in the call. Use a fact they gave you, in their words. If they haven't given you one yet, ask "Where does it break most often?" instead.
What does a good answer sound like?
"We could build this ourselves."
Building it would take you a lot longer than you think.An argument. The buyer defends their team, and now you are on opposite sides.
You could. Your team knows this system better than anyone. What would they stop working on while they build it?It agrees with what's true, then asks the buyer to work out the cost of building in their own terms.
"Just send me some information."
Sure, I'll send the deck over.The call ends with no next step and an email that won't get opened.
I will. What would it need to show for this to be worth a second call?Their answer tells you what to send, and gives you a reason to book the next call.
How do you answer once you know the concern?
Answer the concern they told you about, and back it with something they can check: a page from your security documents, a number from your product docs, a case your team has written up. If you don't know, say it plainly and ask a question: "I don't know that one. What decision does it affect on your side?" That beats a guess the buyer catches later.
Veracity helps with this part. When the buyer pushes back, it shows an objection card with a line to say, 30 words or fewer, an acknowledge and a reframe, and proof from your own documents when one matches. Its answers name the files they came from, say so when your documents don't cover the question, and never tell you to loop in your SE.
More on how the cards work: real-time objection handling and technical answers from your own docs.
What makes an objection worse?
- Answering before they finish. You answer the objection you expected, and miss the one they had.
- "That's fair, but…" The "but" cancels the line before it. Say "That's fair", stop, and ask your question.
- Arguing with their number. If they say a build would take two sprints, ask "What would those two sprints have gone to otherwise?"
- "Let me loop in my SE." It tells the buyer you can't answer. Give what you know now, and ask "What decision depends on the rest?"
- Checking with "Does that make sense?" They'll say yes to be polite. Ask "What would you still need to see?"