---
name: objection-handler
description: "Builds sales objection response playbooks with rebuttals organized by objection category, empathetic acknowledgments, and reframing techniques. Use when a user keeps hearing the same objections on sales calls, wants to train a team on handling pushback, or needs confidence dealing with price, timing, and trust concerns."
---

# Objection Handler Playbook

## When to Use This Skill

- Hearing the same objections on sales calls repeatedly
- Training a sales team or VA on handling common pushback
- Preparing for a high-stakes pitch or negotiation
- Losing deals at the same stage of the sales process
- Want to increase close rate without being pushy

## Core Principle

**OBJECTIONS ARE NOT REJECTIONS — THEY ARE REQUESTS FOR MORE INFORMATION. The goal is to understand the concern, not to "overcome" the person.**

## Objection Categories

| Priority | Category | Examples | Frequency |
|----------|----------|---------|-----------|
| CRITICAL | Price | "Too expensive," "Can't afford it," "Cheaper elsewhere" | 60% of all objections |
| HIGH | Timing | "Not right now," "Maybe next quarter," "Too busy" | 20% |
| HIGH | Trust | "How do I know this works?" "Never heard of you" | 10% |
| MEDIUM | Need | "I don't think I need this," "Already have a solution" | 5% |
| MEDIUM | Authority | "Need to check with my partner/boss" | 5% |

## The LAER Framework

Every objection response follows four steps:

1. **Listen** — Let them finish. Don't interrupt or jump to a rebuttal.
2. **Acknowledge** — Validate their concern with empathy. "That makes total sense."
3. **Explore** — Ask a follow-up question to understand the real concern.
4. **Respond** — Address the specific concern with evidence, reframe, or social proof.

## Workflow

### Step 1: Identify the Objections

Ask the user:
1. What do you sell and at what price point?
2. What are the top 3 objections you hear most?
3. At what point in the conversation do these come up?
4. How do you currently respond?

**Minimum needed: questions 1 and 2.**

### Step 2: Build the Playbook

For each objection, create a response card:

**[Objection Category] — "[Exact words the prospect says]"**
- **What they're really saying:** [The underlying concern]
- **Acknowledge:** [Empathetic first response]
- **Explore:** [Follow-up question]
- **Respond:** [Reframe + evidence]
- **If they push back again:** [Graceful second response]

### Step 3: Deliver the Playbook

Organize all response cards into a reference document the user can review before calls.

## Examples

### Example 1: Online Course Creator ($997 Course)

**Objection: "It's too expensive"**

- **What they're really saying:** "I'm not sure the outcome is worth $997 to me right now."
- **Acknowledge:** "I totally get it — $997 is a real investment, and you should be sure it's worth it."
- **Explore:** "Can I ask — when you think about the cost, is it that the amount feels high overall, or that you're not sure you'll get the return on it?"
- **Respond (if ROI concern):** "That's fair. Let me share what Sarah experienced — she was in a similar spot, invested the $997, and landed her first $3,500 client within 6 weeks using the outreach system in Module 4. The course paid for itself 3x over in the first 2 months."
- **Respond (if budget concern):** "I hear you. We do have a 3-payment plan — $349/month — if that makes it more manageable. And I'd rather you join at a pace that feels comfortable than overstretch."
- **If they push back again:** "No pressure at all. I'll send you a recap of what we talked about. If the timing works out later, the offer stands. But honestly — the people who get the best results are the ones who feel ready, not rushed."

**Objection: "I need to think about it"**

- **What they're really saying:** "Something is holding me back but I can't or won't articulate it yet."
- **Acknowledge:** "Of course — this is an important decision and you should take whatever time you need."
- **Explore:** "Just so I can help — when you say you want to think about it, is there a specific concern I can address right now? Sometimes it helps to talk through the hesitation."
- **Respond (if they share the real concern):** [Address that specific concern]
- **Respond (if they stay vague):** "Totally fine. Here's what I'll do — I'll email you a summary with the key details so you have everything in one place. Is there a good day this week to touch base, even if it's just a quick text?"
- **If they push back again:** "Got it. I'll follow up in a few days, and if it's a no, just let me know — no hard feelings."

**Objection: "I've tried courses before and they didn't work"**

- **What they're really saying:** "I'm afraid I'll waste money again."
- **Acknowledge:** "That's a completely valid concern — and honestly, most courses are terrible. I've taken bad ones myself."
- **Explore:** "What happened with the ones you tried? Was it the content, the format, or something else?"
- **Respond:** "The #1 reason courses fail is lack of accountability and implementation support. That's why this program includes weekly live Q&As and a private community — you're not watching videos alone. If you get stuck, you have a direct line to ask questions and get unstuck."

### Example 2: Marketing Agency ($3,000/mo Retainer)

**Objection: "We already have someone doing this"**

- **What they're really saying:** "I need to justify switching or adding another expense."
- **Acknowledge:** "That's great that you already have support in place. I wouldn't want you to change something that's working."
- **Explore:** "How are results going with your current setup? Are you hitting the growth targets you set at the beginning of the year?"
- **Respond:** "It sounds like [specific gap they mentioned]. That's actually where we specialize — we've helped 12 e-commerce brands in the $1-5M range close that exact gap. Would it be useful if I showed you what we did for a brand similar to yours?"

**Objection: "Can you send me a proposal and I'll review it?"**

- **What they're really saying:** "I want to end this conversation without saying no."
- **Acknowledge:** "Absolutely, I can put something together."
- **Explore:** "Before I do — so I can make it relevant — what are the 2-3 things that would need to be in the proposal for you to say yes?"
- **Respond:** "Perfect. I'll have that to you by [specific day]. And just to set expectations — I'll include exactly those three things plus a timeline. Can we schedule a 15-minute call on [day] to walk through it together? Proposals are way more useful when we can discuss them live."

## Recovery & Fallbacks

- **User can't articulate the objections they hear:** Provide the top 5 most common objections for their industry/price point and ask which ones resonate.
- **Objection is actually a hard no:** Teach the user to recognize "firm no" signals vs. "soft no" objections. If someone says "I'm not interested," that's a no. Respect it.
- **User's product genuinely has a weakness the objection targets:** Don't script around it. Acknowledge it honestly and pivot to strengths. "You're right, we don't do X. What we do instead is Y, which works because Z."
- **Responses feel scripted:** Tell the user to memorize the framework (LAER), not the words. The exact phrasing should be their own voice.

## Constraints

- **NEVER include manipulative tactics** — no false urgency, guilt trips, or pressure closes
- Every response must start with empathy, not a rebuttal
- Always include a graceful exit — if someone says no twice, respect it
- Responses should sound natural when spoken aloud
- Acknowledge when an objection is valid — not every concern can be "handled"
