Prospects Have Objections, You Need to Know How to Handle Them
Learning to handle objections is important so that you don’t spend time with prospects who are not going to buy and you ensure that those who are going to buy have all the information they need to make a good decision.
How often do you lower the price of your product or service just to close a deal and avoid dealing with an objection?
Many times objections come up during the sales process and we are too quick to appease with a price reduction.
Price can be a smokescreen and if we rush too quickly to solve for that we may not find out the real objection. Price is only one type of objection.
Prospects will have objections about timing, features, service, shipping and a myriad of other things.
Objections are a Natural Part of the Sales Process
When you and the customer are taking the steps to move forward in the sales process it is natural that objections will arise. You have to be prepared to handle them.
Sometimes people are just not interested but don’t know how to say no or they really can’t afford it and don’t want you to know that.
Learning to handle objections is important so that you don’t spend time with prospects who are not going to buy and you ensure that those who are going to buy have all the information they need to make a good decision.
What are Objections?
When you have a qualified lead they are a signal that the customer is interested but not ready to buy.
Objections usually arise because either you or the prospect don’t have a full understanding of something important.
People want to feel good about their purchases, business or personal.
They want to be sure they made the right decision. So sometimes an objection is really the prospect saying, “Tell me why your product is so great so I can feel good about my purchase.”
Handle vs. Overcome
Most objections are legitimate and should be treated that way. Many salespeople talk about having to overcome objections. I always use the term “handle” instead. If I have an objection I don’t want to be “overcome”.
I want to know how you will handle that objection and make sure the purchase is a good fit for me or my company. As a prospect, this will tell me a lot about how you will respond in the future if I become a customer.
Objections usually fall into one of 4 categories, price, timing, product or something the prospect will not disclose to you.
An example of the 4th is something like, “My brother sells the same product and I need three quotes but I am going to buy from him” or, “I don’t like you, but I am not going to tell you that so I will throw out some other objections.”
You are familiar with all of the common objections for your sale, so I suggest doing the following exercise with them.
- Make a list of the objections you commonly hear.
- Write several solutions that are appropriate for those objections. These must be things that the company approves.
- Craft questions to ask the prospect that will help you understand the objections.
Objection: The price is too high.
Possible solutions:
Discuss the value – perhaps they don’t understand what they are getting for the price, provide financing, develop a payment plan, explain the return on investment, help them work it into the next budget.
Possible questions:
What have you discovered in comparing our product to the competition? How much were you planning on spending? What is your budget for this purchase? Would financing make the purchase possible? What features and benefits would make the price work for you?
Once you understand the objection better by hearing the answers to the questions it will be easier to handle.
Handling objections is something you need to review frequently. New objections come up, but typically you hear the same objections and can work on good solutions to handle those. It is good to do the above workshop several times a year and review the process for handling objections below.
Process to Handle Objections
Listen – listen carefully to the objection. Listen with your eyes and ears.
What words are they using? What is the tone of voice? Do you see any body language?
Confirm – your understanding of the objection. Ask questions to clarify.
Answer – with the appropriate solution.
What is it that your company can offer to handle this objection or is it a situation where you don’t have a solution and should point the prospect elsewhere?
Ask – if that covers their objection.
Once you have provided a solution, be sure that it is acceptable to the prospect by asking.
Move on – to the next steps.
Don’t oversell the solution, if you have handled the objection take the next step to move the sale forward.
Handling objections is something that should be easy to do. Objections are a natural part of the sales process. In fact, if I don’t get any objections when I am selling I get a bit worried.
I would rather handle objections before I close a sale than after, because I want my buyers to be satisfied and become a long term customer with repeat business and referrals.
Get the tactics, tools, and techniques for mastering the art and science of getting past NO in Jeb Blount’s mega-bestseller OBJECTIONS
![6 High-Probability Moments to Send LinkedIn Connection Requests Prior to an Event Events create natural relevance. Conferences, trade shows, user groups, and local meetups give you a reason to connect that does not feel forced. The mistake sellers make is waiting until the event starts or turning the request into a pitch. A better move is connecting days or weeks ahead with a simple acknowledgment of the shared event. Example: Hi Sarah, saw you’re attending the Midwest Manufacturing Summit next month. I’ll also be there and am super excited! I’d love to catch up in person at the event. In the meantime, let’s connect here on LinkedIn. You are aligning with something already on their calendar. When you see them at the event or reach out afterward, your name is no longer unfamiliar. Following an Event After an event, connection requests work best when they reference a real interaction, even a small one. A short conversation, a question during a session, or a brief introduction creates enough context. The request should reflect that moment, not attempt to convert it into a follow-up. Example: Tim, I enjoyed meeting you at the conference last week. Your take on [subject/trend/idea] was intriguing. I look forward to staying connected and to our next conversation. This reinforces continuity and professionalism without pushing the relationship forward prematurely. After a Sales Call Sending a connection request after a sales call is one of the most underused opportunities in prospecting. If the call was answered and productive, the request reinforces credibility and continuity. Example: Thanks again for the conversation today. I appreciated your perspective on how your team is thinking about next quarter. I look forward to our next meeting and sharing some ideas I have with you and your team. If the prospect did not answer, a connection request can still make sense as a light reinforcement, especially early in the relationship. It keeps your name present without escalating pressure. Either way, the request works because the call establishes legitimacy first. After a Meaningful Interaction Not all interactions happen in formal selling environments. Thoughtful exchanges in comment threads, group discussions, or brief conversations in passing all create natural moments to connect. That might mean running into each other at a non-work event, crossing paths at an airport, or chatting briefly in a line somewhere unexpected. Example: Haley, it was a pleasure meeting you on our flight to Atlanta. Thank you for your restaurant recommendations! I look forward to staying connected, What makes this work is that the interaction was real. The request simply continues it. Mutual Connections Shared connections reduce perceived risk when handled with restraint. They signal that you operate in similar professional circles, not that you have permission to pitch. The mistake is overexplaining or implying endorsement. Example: Hi Mark, I noticed that you are connected to my good friend, James, and since you are also [interested in, working in, located in] I thought it might make sense for us to be connected also. A simple acknowledgment is enough. Familiarity does the work. Profile Views Profile views signal awareness, not intent. When someone views your profile after a call, email, or content interaction, a connection request can make sense as a low-pressure acknowledgment. Example: Wendy, thank you for visiting my profile. I had a chance to look at yours, and based on your interests, I thought it might make sense for us to connect. The discipline is resisting the urge to read more into it than is there. Want the exact framework for integrating LinkedIn into a disciplined outreach sequence without pitching, spamming, or wasting time? Buy The LinkedIn Edge by Jeb Blount and Brynne Tillman today. Sales Gravy is the number one sales training organization](https://salesgravy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/6-Moments-LinkedIn-Connection-Requests-Actually-Work-in-Prospecting-Sales-Gravy-Blog-Featured-Image-768x401.jpg)