Official skill · Sales
Objection handling
Drafts replies to price, timing, competitor, security and "send me info" objections: acknowledge, clarify, respond, confirm. Never discounts first. Use it when A prospect pushes back on price, timing, or a competitor.
Works in Claude, ChatGPT, and coding agents. On Team and Business, the official skill in your pod updates itself when we improve it.
When to use it
- A prospect pushes back on price, timing, or a competitor
- You're preparing for a call where you expect a known objection
What you give it
- The objection in the buyer's words
- Deal context and stated needs
- Channel: call or email
What you get
Call lines for each step, branches for likely answers, an email reply, and a concession rule.
How it works
- Classify it Price, timing, competitor, "send me info" (brush-off), security/risk, authority ("I need to ask my boss"), or status quo ("we'll build it" / "we're fine"). If it fits two, answer the one underneath first.
- Pause, then acknowledge Pause before speaking; Gong found top reps pause longer after an objection, not shorter. Then one sentence that shows you heard it, without agreeing or arguing. "That's fair to raise" or "Makes sense, it's a real number." Never "I understand, but".
- Clarify with one question Ask what's behind it before answering; Gong found average reps who skip this end up addressing the wrong issue. Price: "Too much compared to what: budget, another quote, or the value?" Timing: "What would need to be true for this to be the right time?" Competitor: "What do you like about them?" Info: "Happy to. So I send the right thing, what would you check first?" Security: "Which requirements does your team review?"
- Respond to the real objection Tie the answer to something the buyer said they need. Price: restate the cost of the problem in their numbers, then offer to change scope (fewer seats, phased start) before price. Timing: name what waiting costs. Competitor: give 1 honest difference that matters to them; never trash the competitor. Security: offer the doc or a call with the right person.
- Confirm Close the loop with a check: "Does that answer it, or is there something else behind it?" Gong found top reps use a check like "Does that make sense?" more often during objections than elsewhere in the call. Then propose one next step with a date.
- Apply the discount rule (our default) A price concession comes last, only if the buyer has confirmed value and still can't fit budget, and always in exchange for something: a longer term, a case study, a faster signature, a smaller scope. Write the trade explicitly.
- Write for the channel Call: 4 short lines the rep can say, one per step, each under 20 seconds spoken. Email: under 120 words (our default), ends with one question.
The SKILL.md
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---
name: objection-handling
description: Drafts responses to a buyer's sales objection - price, timing, competitor, "send me info", security, or "we'll build it ourselves" - using acknowledge, clarify, respond, confirm, and never leading with a discount. Use when a prospect pushes back, says it's too expensive, not now, they're going with a competitor, or asks you to just send information, and you need what to say on a call or in an email.
---
# Objection handling
An objection is a question the buyer hasn't asked yet. Find the real one before answering it: most "too expensive" means "I don't see enough value" or "I can't get this approved". Gong's analysis of 67,149 demo recordings found top reps pause longer after an objection and answer it with questions, while average reps speed up and launch into a knee-jerk monologue of about 21 seconds. Our rule on top: never offer a discount first; it suggests the price was padded and trains the buyer to push.
## When to use
- A prospect pushes back on a call or in an email and you need a reply.
- Preparing for a call where you expect a known objection.
- Building a team's objection list for a product or segment.
- Not for a real "no" after evaluation: thank them and use win-loss-analysis to learn from it.
## What you need
- The objection, in the buyer's exact words. If paraphrased, ask once for the wording.
- Context: deal stage, what the buyer said they need, price quoted, competitor named. If missing, proceed and mark gaps "[assumption]".
- The channel: live call or email. If not said, write both.
- Optional: approved proof (customer results, security docs, pricing rules). Use only proof that's given; otherwise write "[proof to add: ...]".
## Steps
1. **Classify it.** Price, timing, competitor, "send me info" (brush-off), security/risk, authority ("I need to ask my boss"), or status quo ("we'll build it" / "we're fine"). If it fits two, answer the one underneath first.
2. **Pause, then acknowledge.** Pause before speaking; Gong found top reps pause longer after an objection, not shorter. Then one sentence that shows you heard it, without agreeing or arguing. "That's fair to raise" or "Makes sense, it's a real number." Never "I understand, but".
3. **Clarify with one question.** Ask what's behind it before answering; Gong found average reps who skip this end up addressing the wrong issue. Price: "Too much compared to what: budget, another quote, or the value?" Timing: "What would need to be true for this to be the right time?" Competitor: "What do you like about them?" Info: "Happy to. So I send the right thing, what would you check first?" Security: "Which requirements does your team review?"
4. **Respond to the real objection.** Tie the answer to something the buyer said they need. Price: restate the cost of the problem in their numbers, then offer to change scope (fewer seats, phased start) before price. Timing: name what waiting costs. Competitor: give 1 honest difference that matters to them; never trash the competitor. Security: offer the doc or a call with the right person.
5. **Confirm.** Close the loop with a check: "Does that answer it, or is there something else behind it?" Gong found top reps use a check like "Does that make sense?" more often during objections than elsewhere in the call. Then propose one next step with a date.
6. **Apply the discount rule (our default).** A price concession comes last, only if the buyer has confirmed value and still can't fit budget, and always in exchange for something: a longer term, a case study, a faster signature, a smaller scope. Write the trade explicitly.
7. **Write for the channel.** Call: 4 short lines the rep can say, one per step, each under 20 seconds spoken. Email: under 120 words (our default), ends with one question.
## Output format
```markdown
**Objection:** "[buyer's words]"
**Type:** [type] — **Likely real concern:** [one line]
### On a call
1. Acknowledge: "[line]"
2. Clarify: "[question]"
3. Respond: "[line, tied to their stated need]"
4. Confirm: "[check + next step with date]"
### If they answer the clarify question with...
- [Answer A] → "[response]"
- [Answer B] → "[response]"
### By email
Subject: [subject or "reply in thread"]
[Under 120 words, ends with one question]
### If a concession is needed
[What to trade for it, or "Not yet: value isn't confirmed."]
```
## Example
**Input:** "Honestly, 18,000 a year is more than we budgeted. Fieldnote is half that." Buyer: Leah Park, Ops Director at Trellis Home Services, 60 technicians. On discovery she said missed job notes cause about 40 repeat visits a month, each costing around 150 in labor. Rep's notes: Fieldnote's job notes work on desktop only; Trellis's technicians work from their phones. Rep: Sam. Channel: call.
**Output:**
```markdown
**Objection:** "18,000 a year is more than we budgeted. Fieldnote is half that."
**Type:** Price + competitor — **Likely real concern:** budget fit, and whether the extra 9,000 buys anything she needs.
### On a call
1. Acknowledge: "That's a real gap, and it's fair to compare."
2. Clarify: "Is the issue the budget line itself, or whether we're worth the difference over Fieldnote?"
3. Respond: "You told me missed notes cause about 40 repeat visits a month at roughly 150 each. That's around 72,000 a year. Fieldnote's notes work on desktop only, and your techs are on phones. Our job is to stop those repeat visits."
4. Confirm: "Does that change how the difference looks? If it helps, I can walk your finance lead through the math. Would [confirm: date] work?"
### If they answer the clarify question with...
- "The budget is fixed at 12,000." → "Then let's look at starting with the 40 technicians who do the most repeat visits, and add the rest next budget year."
- "I'm not sure the difference is worth it." → "Fair. Want to run 10 technicians on it for a month and count repeat visits?"
### By email
Subject: reply in thread
Hi Leah,
Fair to compare, and 18,000 is a real number. Quick math from what you told me: 40 repeat visits a month at about 150 each is around 72,000 a year. The difference with Fieldnote is mobile notes your techs can use on the job, which is where the misses happen.
If the budget line is fixed, we can start with the 40 technicians who have the most repeat visits.
Is it the budget itself, or whether the difference is worth it?
Sam
### If a concession is needed
Not yet: she hasn't confirmed the repeat-visit math. If she does and budget is still capped, trade a lower first-year price for a 2-year term.
```
## Checks before you send
- [ ] The clarifying question comes before any answer.
- [ ] The response uses a number or need the buyer stated, not a generic benefit.
- [ ] No discount appears before value is confirmed, and any concession names what it's traded for.
- [ ] The competitor is described accurately and without insult; unverified claims are marked "[check]".
- [ ] It ends with one question or a dated next step.
- [ ] Email is under 120 words.
## Common mistakes
- Answering the stated objection instead of asking what's behind it.
- Sending a deck when they say "send me info". Ask what they'd check first, then send that one thing.
- Arguing. If the buyer is right (it is more expensive), say so, then show why it's worth it.
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Changelog
- v1.0.1 · · Example: the input now gives the rep's name and notes that Fieldnote's notes are desktop-only and the technicians use phones; the unsourced Thursday is now a date to confirm, so the call still ends on a dated next step.
- v1.0.0 · · First release. Stats and platform rules checked against the cited sources on 2026-11-04.
Sources
- Expert Data Driven Tips on Handling Sales Objections (read 2026-11-04)
- Mastering the art of handling sales objections (read 2026-11-04)