A sale cycle is never free of objection. But, neither is forming a plan with a group of friends.
People rarely accept what they are told is the best course of action without some contemplation, which leads to objections—or reasons against a decision.
In B2B sales, these objections come in the forms of “we don’t have the budget” or “you don’t have feature X.” They are hurdles that every B2B sales representative has to overcome.
So, whether you are trying to book a meeting or close a deal, you need to know how to overcome them. If you fumble or come off as too combative, the prospect may retreat.
- A Strategy to Overcome Any Objection
- We Don’t Have the Budget
- The Price Is Too High
- We’re Too Busy Right Now
- I Need to Talk With My Partners
- We’re Already Working With Another Vendor
- Can You Just Send Me Some Info?
- Solution X Is Cheaper
- Your Product Doesn’t Integrate With Our Tools
- We Just Don’t See the ROI
- We Do It Ourselves
- I’ve Never Heard of Your Company Before
- Conclusion
In this post, we will go over a secret weapon that will help you overcome any sales objection. You will learn the most common sales objections and how to solve them.
Then, armed with a strategy and effective rebuttals, you can prevent more deals from fizzling out over troublesome objections.
A Strategy to Overcome Any Objection
Why does a trial lawyer obsess over the skill of critical thinking?
Because they know that the courtroom is often an unpredictable landscape, where practiced lines and arguments often fail to achieve the desired goal. Anything can happen.
So, they learn a skill that can help them succeed in any unexpected, tricky situation: critical thinking. Acquiring the skill improves their adaptability, which happens to be essential for salespeople as well.
Salespeople never really know what their prospect is going to say next.
For instance, during a presentation, you might hear an objection that you have never heard before. And because of its novelty, you don’t have a rebuttal queued up. Time to improvise!
This uncertainty is why it is critical to build your general skills at handling objections, rather than just memorizing rebuttals.
So, to do this, use the LAER Framework: a strategy to overcome any objection by active listening and exploration, until you have enough information to show the prospect why their objection doesn’t stand up.
The LAER Framework for Objection Handling
- Listen
- Acknowledge
- Explore
- Respond or Repeat the process
Before getting into the details of the LAER Framework, let’s go over something you must understand about the nature of sales objections.
The Objection Hidden Behind the Words
You cannot take an objection at face value. Often, prospects will hide their real objection behind a less insulting one. They, like any socially aware human, want to maintain professionalism and peace in the relationship.
For instance, perhaps a prospect says, “we don’t have the budget right now.”
But what they are actually thinking is, “I can’t see how this would ever make my team more efficient.” or “how is this any different from competitor X?”.
A salesperson’s goal is to dig down until they unearth these real objections hidden behind the words.
You need to truly understand why the prospect is reluctant to buy. Only then can you assuage their fears or show them why their assumptions are off the mark.
The LAER Framework will help you do this, no matter the objection.
How to Use The LAER Framework
The LAER Framework is an objection handling strategy that focuses on forming a deep understanding of your prospect’s true objection.

The strategy comes with the added benefit of initiating a conversation around an objection, thereby helping you form a better relationship with your prospect or client.
Now, we will break down each component, so you understand how to implement it.
Listen
When your prospect is talking about their objection, it’s your job to listen — truly, actively listen. Refrain from interrupting, and really think about what they are trying to say.
Pro Tip for Listening: Try your best not to judge what they are saying. We salespeople have a tendency to dismiss objections right when we hear them. We think, “our product is so much better at this than company Y.”
Even if it is true, the judgment in our mind comes out in our tone and actions, which unsettles prospects. So, try your best to look at their objection objectively.
Acknowledge
Prospects want to be heard. Even if you are listening intently, your prospect will be unaware of that until you show proof.
To do this, try rephrasing what they said so it’s clear that you understand. And if you didn’t, ask clarifying questions. They will gladly answer, and you will learn even more about their business.
Explore
If their stated objection doesn’t give you enough information to overcome it, or if you think that it is a “blanket” objection covering the real one, it’s time to explore.
You don’t need a safari hat for this—just ask open-ended questions about the objection and help the prospect talk about their hesitation.
For instance, say something like this: “Help me understand this a bit more. How have you been doing {X}?”
Respond or Repeat
Respond if you feel you have enough knowledge about their situation to overcome the objection. For example, you may find that they were mistaken about one of your feature’s capabilities. Now you can show it to them in a demo and help them learn how it actually works.
Repeat the process with another question if you still don’t have enough information. Maybe their objection still isn’t clear to you, and you have some more learning to do.
Here is an example of the LAER Framework playing out in a sales dialogue.
Sales Conversation Using the LAER Framework
Client: “We are not interested right now.”
Sales Rep: listens and waits 2 seconds to respond. Then, the rep acknowledges the objection.
“Right now?”
This statement acknowledges the objection and brings into play a technique called mirroring, coined by FBI Negotiator Chris Voss.
Mirroring is when you repeat the last couple of your prospect’s words in a questioning tone. It induces the prospect (in his case, a bank robber) to give more information. It also makes them feel heard.
Client: “Yeah, we like the software, but we have a ton on our plate right now.”
Sales Rep: “I hear ya! A lot of our clients are busy this month with {industry jargon}. What makes you so busy over there?”
As you can see, the sales rep acknowledged and explored, steps 2 and 3 of the LAER Framework.
Client: “Just a lot of projects. We don’t really have time for implementing something new right now.”
Now the sales rep knows the true underlying objection. The client is worried the implementation process will be too much of a heavy lift.
Depending on the product, the sales rep can either overcome this objection by explaining to them how easy the implementation is, or they can maintain the relationship and make a close down the line.
Either way, the sales rep has welcomed the objection instead of trying to plow through it, thereby creating a bond with the prospect.
Alright, now that you have a skillset to practice, let’s go over some common objections and their solutions.
We Don’t Have the Budget
Are you rolling your eyes at this one? It’s hard not to. Even if the prospect is being honest about their lack of funds, you have heard it so many times that it has become an annoying truism.
If they really don’t have the budget, the prospect is trying to tell you that they’ve spent their resources elsewhere and therefore don’t have any left for your product. Or, they are too small for your price point.

To overcome the objection, you can either help them secure a budget to buy now, or form a relationship with them, track their growth, and call in a couple of quarters.
Also, when responding to this objection, it’s always a good idea to figure out when they should have the necessary resources and if they would ever consider spending them on your solution. That way, you won’t waste your time pursuing a bad fit customer.
The Price Is Too High
With this one, you need to figure out what they mean using the LAER Framework. Ask if the price is too high in general or relative to another service.
Once you get an answer, you can take action. If it’s too pricey in general, you most likely need to host another presentation to show the value. Make sure to attach to a real pain they feel. You could also show them a couple of case studies.
If the price is too high relative to a competitor, try to show them why your solution is superior.
Pro Tip: Write up a list of ways you differ from each competitor. Then memorize them, or put them on your computer.
This is especially helpful if you are cold calling into other businesses who haven’t had time to research your solution just yet. They might just group you together with other companies in your niche.
For example, if you sell martech, a prospect might loop you in with other popular martech companies they have heard of. They won’t understand the nuance of your product unless you can easily explain it to them.
We’re Too Busy Right Now
Every professional is busy. It’s literally in the word “business”! So, it makes sense that your prospects are saying they are too busy to start using a new service right now.
Keep in mind there are two scenarios where you will hear this objection, and you should deal with each one in its own way.
If you hear this on a cold call, it is probably just an excuse to get off the phone. So, try to understand why they are busy and see if you can help lighten the load. Any software that automates “busy work” will do well here.
If this objection arrives later in the sales cycle, try your best to figure out why they think they are too preoccupied to consider purchasing your service.
Do they think the implementation process will be too laborious? Are they just jam-packed with meetings this month? In either of these situations, the sale is not lost. Do your best to accommodate their schedules.
Pro Tip: If you have a customer success team that makes implementation super quick and easy, bring that up!
I Need to Talk With My Partners
When your prospect says this, they could mean one of two things.
1. They Are Not the Decision-Maker
If they actually need to talk with their team, they are not the decision maker, and you must try your best to join in on any internal conversations about the solution. Prospects are usually unequipped to sell a solution internally. It is difficult for them to articulate the value. Plus, they are not a trained sales professional like yourself.

So, try to arrange a meeting with the team.
Tell your prospect that you would be happy to give a presentation to the rest of the team and that you will be their resource to answer any questions about functionality, price, etc. Therefore, it will save them time in their deliberation.
2. They Are Still Unsure
If your prospects are pulling the classic “I need to talk with my spouse” move—it means they are still unsure. Here, you need to dig deeper into the underlying objection.
You can usually get a feel for when they are saying this just to get off the phone. Maybe they were silent during the web-demo or audibly upset when you mentioned the price.
It is your job to connect with them and find out what truly bothers them.
Start the LAER Framework with questions like “Who do you need to bring into this conversation?” or “What is the typical buying process at your company?”.
We’re Already Working With Another Vendor
This could be a good sign. It means that your prospect has a need for solutions like yours. Besides, just because they are working with another vendor does not mean they are satisfied with the service.
Perhaps yours is a better fit for them than the competition. To figure out if that is true, you have to uncover how they feel about their current partnership.
Ask questions about it.
- How is everything going with vendor X?
- Is there any feature you wish they had?
- How long have you been using the service?
- What made you choose them in the first place?
This last question does the important job of kickstarting the prospect’s mind. They think back to the time of purchase and wonder if they made a rash decision.
A lot of the time, they will realize they never researched any other solutions in the niche, or that they paid too much, or just decided with emotion. If they come to any of these conclusions, they will feel it is a smart move to evaluate other available solutions.
And there’s your shot.
Can You Just Send Me Some Info?
This objection is most common during cold calls. Prospects usually use it to end the call politely.
If so, you can ask, “What type of information would you like?” or “What are you most interested in learning about?”.
If they choose a type of content (case study, video, a white paper on a specific feature/service), they will be more inclined to actually read it.
Why? Because of the psychological phenomenon of commitment and consistency, brought to light by Robert Cialdini in the classic book, “Influence”.
Cialdini writes that once people make a small commitment, they are more likely to make larger ones. That’s because people will do as much as possible to appear consistent about their words and actions.
Marketers know this well. That’s one reason why there are so many free trials out there. Get people to say yes to one, and next thing you know, they are buying every product offered.
With this logic, if a person shows they are interested enough to select a type of content, they will want to seem consistent. Therefore, they are more likely to really look it over.
To further heighten the chances of them doing so, try to set up a day in which to reconnect about what they discovered.
Here’s what to say: “Would you be open to a quick call in a couple of days to go over what you learned? I want to be a resource for you if you have any questions.”
Solution X Is Cheaper
This might seem like a tough win for you, but at least you have some information—you know which competitor they use.
If it is one from whom you have stolen customers in the past, you can tell the prospect some of those stories. Or, you can enlighten them on the differentiators that make your service more in line with their goals.
What you want to do here is make the conversation less about price and more about the value they will receive over the long-term from choosing you over the other brand.
It is also worth mentioning that a customer might just be using this objection as a price negotiation tactic.
Your Product Doesn’t Integrate With Our Tools
If you sell software, you probably get this one all the time. You glance over at your product team and think, “I thought we were supposed to integrate with them 3 months ago!” That type of thinking won’t get you anywhere.
So, instead of sulking, use your knowledge and problem-solving skills.
Since it’s so technical, you should learn which tools are usually used by your clients, and you should have a document of how your software works with each.
That way, you can discuss workarounds for how to use the two solutions together. Also, mention how other clients use the two kinds of software together with success.
And if the integration is on your product roadmap, give an accurate timeline.
We Just Don’t See the ROI
This objection means you are going to have to do a better job of showing them how to reduce costs, increase efficiency, or increase revenue with your solution.
Even if they see how it alleviates their pains, they might be numbers people, and therefore need some stats to back up your claims.

So, try your best to set another formal meeting with them to dig into the numbers and show them what they can expect in ROI. You can do this by showing them case studies from companies similar to theirs or by showing them an analysis based on their numbers.
Sometimes, just seeing the profit margins of a competitor who uses your product will be enough for them to buy.
We Do It Ourselves
A lot of managers at small businesses have their hands in every aspect of their department. A marketing manager writes the blog posts, does the SEO, and handles all the administrative work. Some even seem to take pride in it.
But, when they try to be everywhere at once, they often flounder in some areas. If you are a content marketing agency, you have seen evidence of this countless times when scrolling through a prospect’s company blog.
If you sell software, it is a little harder to spot these areas of neglect, but they exist. Maybe they are handling too much administrative work and would be better off spending more time doing the critical, difficult parts of their jobs.
When you get this objection, make it clear that you don’t want to take away from the important parts of their jobs. No software or service could do that.
However, you can still help them spend more time on the most important parts of their jobs, whether that is strategizing, managing their employees, or planning the next big feature.
Read more: 11 Sales Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs
I’ve Never Heard of Your Company Before
For you newer companies, this one will be quite common during prospecting. Take it as a request for more information about your solution, not an insult. It is now your chance to show them why they will remember your company’s name.
Make sure you have your value statement ready for this. And remember, the pitch should be a customer-centric story that focuses on problems you routinely solve for companies like theirs.
Like this:
“We are a RE tech company that helps developers just like {their company} maintain compliance with the government agencies. We know it’s a real pain for them to track their violations, so we make it easy.”
If you do this right, you will come across as a problem-solver, and they just might give you a chance.
Conclusion
Remember that objections are signs you are on your way to success. They are not something to be avoided.
Rather, you need to dive into each objection and form a conversation around them. You need to work through it with your prospect.
Before you sign off and take some names, take a note from those who meditate.
Expert meditators recommend a parallel strategy for overcoming negative emotions. Instead of neglecting sadness or anxiety, they recommend you sit with it and hold it close. Really examine the feeling.
After some time, the emotion will fade away, as will your objections. All you have to do is face them like a strong, brave sales rep that you are.