Diagnoses what is actually behind a B2B sales objection - price, timing, authority, need, competitor, or status quo - and supplies a calibrated, non-pushy response for each with reframe patterns and exact language. Use when someone asks "they said it's too expensive, what do I say", "how do I handle 'not right now'", "the buyer says they're fine with their current tool", or a rep needs a response framework mid-deal. Do NOT use for gym or local-fitness lead objections and speed-to-lead cadence - use objection-handling-and-speed-to-lead instead; for writing a full call script, use closer-sales-script.
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name: Objection Handler
description: Diagnoses what is actually behind a B2B sales objection - price, timing, authority, need, competitor, or status quo - and supplies a calibrated, non-pushy response for each with reframe patterns and exact language. Use when someone asks "they said it's too expensive, what do I say", "how do I handle 'not right now'", "the buyer says they're fine with their current tool", or a rep needs a response framework mid-deal. Do NOT use for gym or local-fitness lead objections and speed-to-lead cadence - use objection-handling-and-speed-to-lead instead; for writing a full call script, use closer-sales-script.
---
# Objection Handler
An objection is not a rejection - it is information. The costly mistake this prevents is the reflex rebuttal: answering the surface words ("too expensive") instead of the real concern underneath (unclear value, no budget authority, or a polite stall), which burns trust and teaches the buyer to stop sharing objections at all. Diagnose first, respond second, one objection at a time.
## Operating procedure
### Step 1: Gather inputs
Before crafting a response, establish:
1. The objection verbatim - the buyer's exact words, not the rep's paraphrase.
2. Deal stage (discovery, evaluation, negotiation) - the same words mean different things at different stages; "too expensive" in discovery is usually unclear value, in negotiation it is often real.
3. Who raised it and whether they hold budget authority.
4. What quantified pain has already been established. If none, that gap - not the objection - is the real problem.
### Step 2: Run the universal first move
For every objection: pause, acknowledge, and ask one clarifying question before responding. "That makes sense - can you help me understand what's driving that?" This surfaces the real concern. Skip this step and almost every rebuttal lands hollow. Then classify into the taxonomy below and respond to what the diagnosis reveals, not the surface words.
### Step 3: Apply the category playbook… load the full skill through Skill Me