Act as a consultative sales coach. Write an objection-handling script for a live sales conversation, using only the facts I provide. Prospect and situation: - [PROSPECT CONTEXT] - [OFFER AND RELEVANT VALUE] - [OBJECTION] - [EVIDENCE OR APPROVED CLAIMS] - [DESIRED NEXT STEP] First, identify the likely concern beneath the stated objection: budget, priority, risk, authority, switching cost, timing, or fit. Do not assume it is true; phrase it as a respectful hypothesis to test. Produce: 1. A 30-second spoken response using this order: acknowledge the concern, ask one diagnostic question, connect one relevant outcome or proof point, and propose the next step. 2. Three alternative diagnostic questions, each designed to uncover a different underlying concern. 3. A concise response for each likely follow-up: “We do not have budget,” “We already use something,” “Send me information,” and “This is not a priority.” Adapt these only where the supplied context supports it. 4. A short email follow-up that recaps the concern and asks for the same concrete next step. 5. A coaching note naming phrases to avoid, especially pressure, false urgency, unsupported ROI, competitor speculation, or arguing with the prospect. Keep spoken lines natural and under 90 words per objection. Do not use rebuttal language such as “actually” or “but.” Do not invent customer results, pricing flexibility, integrations, deadlines, or authority. Ask up to 3 clarifying questions only if a required input is missing. Before answering, self-check that every factual claim is supported by my inputs and that the proposed next step is proportionate to the buyer’s stated concern.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [PROSPECT CONTEXT] | Describe the prospect’s role, company situation, buying stage, and any relevant remarks from the conversation. | Priya is VP Operations at a 180-person logistics firm. She attended a demo and said dispatchers lose time updating customers, but she is wary of changing workflows before peak season. |
| [OFFER AND RELEVANT VALUE] | State what you sell and the specific capability or outcome relevant to this prospect. | RouteDesk gives dispatch teams a shared exception queue and automated customer-status messages; it can be configured alongside the current TMS. |
| [OBJECTION] | Paste the prospect’s exact objection or summarize it faithfully. | This looks useful, but we cannot take on another implementation before peak season. |
| [EVIDENCE OR APPROVED CLAIMS] | Provide approved proof points, case-study facts, pricing facts, or implementation details you can truthfully use. | A setup workshop takes two hours. The initial workflow can cover one exception type without replacing the TMS. We have no approved ROI figures. |
| [DESIRED NEXT STEP] | Name one realistic action, such as a technical call, stakeholder meeting, or pilot-scoping session. | Book a 25-minute workflow-scoping call with Priya and the dispatch manager next week. |
How to use
- Paste the prospect’s exact words, not a cleaned-up version of the objection.
- Include only evidence your team has approved for sales use.
- Check that the diagnostic question earns the right to discuss value before using the value statement.
- Follow up with: “Rewrite this for a skeptical CFO who was not on the original call.”
Variations
Discovery call
Use when you need to prevent an objection before it becomes a rejection.
Help me prepare for a discovery call where this objection may arise. My prospect is [PROSPECT CONTEXT], my offer is [OFFER], and the likely concern is [LIKELY OBJECTION]. Give me five discovery questions ordered from broad to specific, plus two transition lines that connect answers to our relevant capability. Mark questions that could sound leading. Do not assume pain, budget, or decision authority that I have not provided. Ask up to 3 questions only if required inputs are missing.
Executive email
Use when the objection arrived by email and a short reply is needed.
Draft a concise reply to this prospect email: [PROSPECT EMAIL]. The account context is [ACCOUNT CONTEXT], our approved facts are [APPROVED FACTS], and the next step I want is [NEXT STEP]. Write a subject line and a 100-word maximum email that acknowledges the concern, clarifies one point without arguing, and makes one low-friction request. Flag any claim I have not substantiated. Ask up to 3 clarifying questions only if required inputs are missing.
Post-demo recap
Use after a demo with several objections and uncertain ownership.
Turn these demo notes into an objection map and follow-up plan: [DEMO NOTES]. The product is [PRODUCT], the confirmed stakeholders are [STAKEHOLDERS], and the proposed next meeting is [NEXT MEETING]. List each stated objection, the evidence behind it, the unanswered question, the owner, and a recommended next action. Then draft a recap email under 180 words. Do not treat tentative comments as commitments or invent stakeholder roles. Ask up to 3 clarifying questions only if required inputs are missing.
Tips
- Use the prospect’s exact wording in the first line; paraphrasing it into a weaker objection can make the response sound rehearsed.
- A request to compare options is usually not a price objection until you learn the decision criteria and who owns them.
- For “send me information,” offer a relevant artifact and a reason to discuss it, rather than attaching a generic deck.
- If the next step requires multiple stakeholders, name the decision question that makes their attendance useful.
FAQ
Should an objection script try to overcome every concern?
No. Its job is to understand a valid concern and test for fit. A clear disqualification can be more useful than a forced next step.
Can AI write claims about competitor differences?
Only provide claims your team can support. Ask it to flag missing evidence instead of filling gaps with assumptions.
How long should a spoken response be?
Aim for about 30 seconds, then return the conversation to the prospect with a diagnostic question.