How do you overcome an objection without it feeling salesy?
That question keeps landing in my inbox. It’s coming up in sales training requests. It’s coming up in one-on-one coaching sessions, over and over.
So today, let’s get tactical. Five tips, one framework, zero ick.
Here’s the shift that changes everything:
An objection isn’t something to handle. It’s a belief.
- It’s Simply a Belief
Old-school sales training taught us to “handle” objections. But we don’t want to handle our clients and prospects. We want to have a conversation with them.
An objection is simply a belief. That it’s too expensive. That it’s too complicated. That they don’t have time.
When you reframe it that way, the whole conversation shifts. You’re not the pushy salesperson anymore. You’re getting curious about where that belief came from.
- Do You Defend or Do You Defeat?
Here’s the human behaviour bit. When an objection comes up, most of us default into fight or flight. I call this defend or defeat.
Defend looks like rushing in with every reason you’re right and they’re wrong. Stats, features, proof points. Subconsciously, you’re telling them their belief is wrong.
Defeat looks like backing off entirely. “Yep, no worries.” Changing the subject. Getting off the call.
Neither one works. And neither one is fair to your prospect, because it’s likely you’ve got something genuinely useful to offer them – their belief is just getting in the way of seeing it.
Which one do you default to? Worth sitting with that before you read any further.
- Find Your Patterns
I’m going to put it out there that you’re hearing the same handful of objections on repeat.
Across every industry, every product, every service, two come up more than any others: budget and time. Beyond that, you’ll have objections specific to your world – too complex, too big a commitment, not the right fit.
You can work with this! When you notice the patterns, you can pre-empt them coming up in conversation and be prepared – or even draw them out early with the right questions.
If you’re a sales leader, ask your team this week: “What are the objections you hear most?” Start naming the patterns. That’s the groundwork for tip four.
- Ask the Question Early
Traditional sales processes in the past saved objections for the end. But in practice, that’s too late.
The earlier you can draw an objection out, the earlier you can work through it – and the easier your close becomes.
One question I ask in almost every discovery call: “Have you ever invested in [service] before?”
If yes, you dig into what worked and what didn’t. If no, the follow-up question “What stopped you?” – will usually hand you their objection to you on a platter … well before you’ve even presented a solution.
Think about your own most common objection. And then get really clear on what’s the question that could draw it out early?
- The LAER Framework
LAER helps put it all together. It gives the space for the other person to feel heard and validated and also has you asking the right questions to explore.
It works for objections, and it also works for negotiation, conflict, even customer service credits and refunds.
L – Listen. You’re probably already doing this one.
A – Acknowledge. This is neutral. Not agreeing, not disagreeing. This is the step almost everyone skips.
E – Explore. Ask one more question.
R – Respond. Sometimes we just straight here after listening and skip the A and E. The gold is not Responding before at least one or two rounds of asking and exploring with more questions.
Listen or watch here to get real life examples of how LAER is brought to life.
🍏 Apple Podcast | 🎤 Spotify Podcast | 📺 YouTube channel
Two rules to remember for the acknowledge: never follow it with “but,” and never follow it with “however” – they’re the same word wearing different outfits, and both cancel out everything you just said. Instead pause after your acknowledgement and then ask your question.
Which One Are You Missing?
Run your last few objection conversations through this checklist:
- Did I treat it as a belief, not a problem to fix?
- Was I defending, or was I defeating?
- Do I know my most common objections?
- Did I ask a question early enough to draw the objection out?
- Did I acknowledge and ask one more question before I responded?
Wherever you got a no, that’s your starting point.
This week, pick one objection you hear often. Write your own acknowledgement line for it. Practice it once, out loud, before you need it.
Curious to hear more? Listen to the Smart Business Growth Podcast below.
🎤 Listen on Spotify Podcast
📺 Watch on my new YouTube channel
As always, take what’s useful and leave the rest.