Best Ways To Handle Client Pushback During Presentations

I heard it again last week. “Can you make it pop?” If you’ve worked in design for more than five minutes, you’ve probably heard at least one of these: ❌ “Can we make the logo bigger?” ❌ “I don’t like that color.” ❌ “Can you make it pop?” And if you’re like I used to be, your first reaction might be frustration. Why can’t they just trust the design? But here’s the thing. These comments aren’t really about logos, colors, or vague instructions to “pop.” They’re about confidence. Clients and stakeholders aren’t designers. They don’t see what you see. And when they don’t have the words to express what’s off, they default to what’s familiar. The key isn’t to push back. It’s to guide them toward a solution that works. Here’s how: 1️⃣ “Can we make the logo bigger?” 📌 What they’re really saying: “I’m worried people won’t recognize our brand.” ✅ How to respond: “I totally get that making your brand stand out is important. Instead of making the logo bigger though, what if we adjusted spacing, contrast, or placement so it stands out without overwhelming the design? Let me show you a few options.” 👉 Why this works: You’re addressing their concern while keeping the overall design intact and offering a strategic alternative. 2️⃣ “I don’t like that color.” 📌 What they’re really saying: “This doesn’t feel right to me.” ✅ How to respond: “Totally understand. Can you share what’s not working for you? Is it the tone? The contrast? Or how it fits with your brand? I want to make sure the color supports your goals, not just looks good.” 👉 Why this works: Instead of reacting, you’re making them articulate their reasoning, which leads to better conversations and decisions. 3️⃣ “Can you make it pop?” 📌 What they’re really saying: “Something feels flat, but I don’t know how to explain it.” ✅ How to respond: “Got it. When you say ‘pop,’ do you mean more contrast, a stronger focal point, or more visual depth? Let’s pinpoint what’s missing so we can refine the design without adding clutter.” 👉 Why this works: You’re turning vague feedback into actionable direction while maintaining design balance. ⸻ When clients push back, it shouldn’t be a battle. They aren’t the enemy. They’re your partner. These moments aren’t about proving them wrong. They’re opportunities to lead the conversation, educate, and show your value beyond just execution. Great designers don’t just create. They guide. ⸻ 💬 What’s the most common (or most frustrating 🙃) piece of client feedback you hear? #GraphicDesign #WebDesign #UXDesign #DesignStrategy #FreelanceDesign #CreativeProcess

Navigating difficult conversations…we know the terrain well in supply chain and sustainability —complex stakeholder relationships, competing priorities, and tough tradeoffs that demand honest dialogue. The first quarter of 2025 has been challenging for some clients and colleagues. Behind every successful initiative lies countless challenging conversations.I wanted to share this list that captures what I've learned (often the hard way) about handling challenging discussions: 1. Lead with empathy - acknowledge feelings before diving into issues 2. Stay calm - pause and breathe when tensions rise. Cooler heads prevail. 3. Prepare but remain flexible - rigid scripts rarely survive contact with reality 4. Ask genuine questions - "help me understand your perspective" 5. Give authentic appreciation - recognize effort before suggesting changes 6. Own your emotions - acknowledge feelings without manipulation 7. Respect others' viewpoints - validation doesn't require agreement. You can disagree and still find a happy path. 8. Be specific - vague criticisms like "you always" rarely help 9. Collaborate on solutions - problem-dumping without brainstorming fixes nothing 10. Set clear boundaries - know what you can and cannot commit to 11. Listen actively - not just waiting for your turn to speak. Read this again… 12. Apologize sincerely when needed - take responsibility, not half-measures. Accountability helps build trust. 13. End with concrete next steps - clarity prevents misunderstandings. Playing back throughout tough conversations with key points and actions shows active listening and understanding. 14. Reflect afterward - what worked? what could improve? In my experience leading global teams, the conversations I've handled poorly weren't failures of strategy—they were failures of approach and understanding context. For example, a recent negotiation with a supplier facing severe capacity constraints could have deteriorated into finger-pointing. Instead, by focusing on understanding their challenges first (point #4) and collaborating on creative solutions (point #9), we found a path forward and workable compromise. Staying calm helped too ;) What's your experience? Which of these principles has been most valuable in your leadership journey? Or is there a 15th point you'd add to this list? ___________ 👍🏽 Like this? ♻️ Repost to help someone ✅ Follow me Sheri R. Hinish 🔔 Click my name → Hit the bell → See my posts. #SupplyChain #leadership #sustainability

It takes 7 seconds to lose a client's trust. (Sometimes with words that seemed perfectly reasonable.) I've watched smart professionals lose deals they deserved to win. Strong relationships. Perfect fit solutions. Gone in seconds. Because here's what nobody tells you about client conversations: Your words can either open doors or close them. After training 50,000+ client-facing professionals… I've heard every phrase that makes clients pull back. The pushy questions. The tone-deaf assumptions. The pressure that breaks trust instantly. 10 phrases that push clients away: ❌ "Do you have a price range in mind?" ❌ "When can we close this deal?" ❌ "Let me tell you why we're the best." ❌ "Are you ready to buy today?" ❌ "Who else are you talking to?" ❌ "I just wanted to check in.” ❌ "You really need what we offer." ❌ "Let me know if you have any questions." ❌ "This is a limited-time offer." ❌ "Can you introduce me to your boss?" Each one risks sounding like: "I care more about my quota than your success." Now 10 that build partnerships instead: ✅ "What outcomes are most important to you?" ✅ "What would success look like for you?" ✅ "Would it help if I shared how we've helped others?" ✅ "What's your timeline for making progress?" ✅ "What's most important when choosing a partner?" ✅ "I had an idea about your goals. Want to hear it?" ✅ "What challenges are you facing that we might help with?" ✅ "Would it help if we scheduled time to dive deeper?" ✅ "What priorities are driving your timeline?" ✅ "Who else should be part of this conversation?" Notice the pattern? Every better phrase puts the client's agenda first. Not yours. Because when you stop selling and start solving, everything shifts. Clients lean in instead of pulling back. Conversations flow instead of stalling. Trust builds instead of breaking. You don't need a personality transplant. You don't need to become "salesy." You just need to change your questions. Because the truth is: Your next client conversation is either strengthening a partnership or weakening one. Your words decide which. ♻️ Valuable? Repost to help someone in your network. 📌 Follow Mo Bunnell for client-growth strategies that don’t feel like selling. Want the full cheat sheet? Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/e3qRVJRf

We all know people who can disagree in a way that has others listen, consider their perspective, and feel respected. We also all know people who disagree and blow up the room -- and their relationships. (I am usually coaching a few of those folks at any given time.) In my latest Psychology Today article, I explore how to become what I call a "respectful rebel"-- someone who knows how to voice dissent constructively, leading to successful outcomes and contributing to healthy relationships.. Here are five practices with examples of what to say (and what not to say): 1. Ground feedback in shared purpose Say: "Because I care about the client experience, I'm concerned about..." Not: "This approach completely ignores what our clients need." 2. Time your dissent wisely Say: "Before we finalize this decision, can I offer a different perspective?" Not: "I knew this wouldn't work." 3. Ask instead of attack Say: "How do you see this impacting our frontline team?" Not: "This will overwhelm our staff and they'll all quit." 4. Mind your tone Say: "I see it differently and would like to share my thinking" Not: "That approach makes no sense and won't work here." 5. Check your motive Ask yourself: "Am I speaking up to contribute—or to be right?" The difference between helpful disagreement and harmful pushback often comes down to intention, delivery, and timing. How do you know if you're a Respectful Rebel or a Rude one? Watch what happens after you speak. If people engage with your ideas, ask questions, and the conversation deepens, you're doing it right. If people get defensive, go silent, or the energy drains from the room, it's time to recalibrate. Link to article in the comments.

A couple of weeks ago one of the tech VPs I work with asked me to send him some articles on how to deal with "curve balls" in a presentation and/or larger meetings. We got to talk about it in more detail yesterday in our coaching session. Here's the list we came up with together that I refined a bit: 1) PRACTICE: Before a preso, we are usually trained to practice going through the PPT slides out loud. Keep doing that, and more importantly, practice "thinking on your feet" with hard questions. Ask your coach (or a teammate, or your boss, or your exec comms person) to pepper you with questions. Start with questions you come up with and then ask your conversation partner to riff a bit and make it hard, on purpose. 2) MINDSET: Come into the preso calm and your mind free. Usually, if you're prepared, it's easier to be calm; however, if you practice breathing before and during, it sure helps. 3) CREATE SPACE: Use transitional phrases to give you time and space to think. Here are a few: "Great question,” “Thanks for the question,” or "Please give me a bit more context regarding _____." 4) 1, 2, 3: The very best advice we have is to enumerate your response. This demonstrates clarity of thought and helps the audience focus. You can start with a transitional sentence: "I have two ideas on that...first...second..." 5) WIT: Respond to questions with wit/humor. You don't have to be "haha" funny. Instead, try to be "aha" funny with a quick response or even a self-deprecating quip...sometimes. 6) DON'T KNOW: Admit you don’t know the answer and say when you will get back to the questioner. That might be 5 minutes later if you have colleagues with you who know the answer or can look something up. Or it might be two days from now; it's ok to punt...sometimes. 7) DEBRIEF: Many Zoom meetings are recorded. Go back and look at the instances you had to be quick on your feet. How did you do? By no means is this an exhaustive list, but it's a good one. How do YOU best deal with "curve balls"? ----- Want to learn more about "thinking on your feet"? If you're a Director+, consider enrolling in “Cracking the C-suite,” March 8-9, with Ethan Evans and me. We would love for you to join us: https://buff.ly/4gvVQuQ ----- Want to chat more about a leadership dilemma you have or questions about the course? https://lnkd.in/gvaJrMVY

A friend has been helping me with one of the trickiest parts of running a business... when a prospect seems interested, then starts backpedaling. For the longest time, I assumed objections meant I’d said something dumb or successfully sold them on doing absolutely nothing. If a prospect pushed back on price, asked for more time, or questioned whether my approach would work for them — I figured all hope was lost. So I’d either: - Try to “explain harder” (never helps) - Take their hesitation as a polite no - Wrap up the call before things got awkward Then my friend dropped a little bomb on me: "Silence is the death knell, Jay. Objections mean they’re still considering it." That completely flipped my perspective. Instead of panicking from objections, I used them as a signal to dig deeper. Here are the 3 objections I hear most, and how I’ve been managing them: 1. “I'm too busy right now.” - Power question: “Totally get it. What's taking precedence over this?” - Why it works: It forces them to name what’s actually taking up their time — and whether it’s truly more important than solving the problem you've spent the entire conversation digging into. Aren't they delaying the inevitable? 2. “I need to think about it.” - Power question: “Totally understandable. What’s holding you back from deciding today?” - Why it works: Instead of accepting a vague delay, it prompts them to voice real concerns—so we can actually address them. 3. “I’m not sure this will work for me.” - Power question: “What specifically are you unsure of?” - Why it works: It gets them to define their own success criteria, so I can connect the dots between what they need and what I offer. Sure, I definitely win more deals these days. But I also feel a lot more comfortable when objections come up. No more panic and cold sweats. Now I treat objections as a natural part of the conversation. What’s an objection you hear during client discovery calls? How do you handle it?

PSA: You're probably framing yourself or your company the wrong way. Case in point: Client of mine shares that he's not finding a way to get his prospects (CEOs of mid-sized organizations) to open up. He's well-respected and well-regarded in his industry. He is dealing with a big problem that poses an existential risk for most CEOs. But they don't get it. --> Because he's not framing it correctly. He's been talking about how to solve for this major issue he deals with. --> But they're not there yet. They don't see what he's working on as a major problem. He's got to reframe his conversations. Instead of saying, "Here's what you can do..." he's got to say, "I work with CEOs of (insert industry type here) organizations who are concerned about (X problem here). They know it's an issue, and recognize they have to lead on that, and they can't just delegate it - too much is at stake for the company and their customers." The framework operates like this: - Whom he helps (CEOS of X companies) - Their emotional response... (who are concerned....) - To a specific and concise problem... (about Y...) - A little flourish and neutralizing of pushback ( they know it's an issue and they can't delegate it...) Now, he's in a position to have CEOs engage in that conversation... because he's not talking about solutions. He's talking about the problem... and how it impacts the company, and implicitly, the CEO. Is that enough to open up the conversation? Maybe. But we want to go a step further. So we "cattle chute" the conversation into one that's productive, while heading off objections at the pass. Here's how: His potential customers fall into one of 4 camps. 1. Those who bury their head in the sand and pretend it's not an issue. 2. Those who say, "Well, that's life. Nothing can be done. Hope it's not me." 3. Those who pass the buck: "I have someone for that." 4. Those who say, "This is an issue. What do we do about it?" (winner, winner) With his opening positioning statement, he's addressed #2. But he's got to address 1 and 3. How? He says, "Look, the CEOs I work with fall into 4 camps..." and lays out the above. He then asks, "Which are you?" He's going to hear 1 of a 3 things: - "I'm a 4, of course." - "Why is delegating this to the (insert title here) a problem?" - A question about 1 or 2. In any case, he's directed the conversation. Your mission, if you choose to accept it: - Work out your positioning statement using the framework above. - Then, thinking about the pushback you *may* get, craft a "cattle chute" statement to direct the conversation. Does this help?

Stop trying to "crush" objections. That aggressive mindset is why so many deals stall in your pipeline. Here's what changed everything for me - I stopped seeing objections as battles to win and started seeing them as opportunities to understand. The 3C Mindset Approach transformed how I handle pushback: - Curiosity first. When a prospect says "it's too expensive," my first move isn't to defend pricing. It's to ask: "Help me understand what you mean by that." - Continue the conversation. Success isn't overcoming the objection. It's asking one more question that keeps the dialogue going. - Reach a conclusion together. Sometimes that's a next step, sometimes it's learning this isn't the right fit. Both are wins. I've heard every objection in the book across 250,000+ cold calls. The ones that led to closed deals weren't the ones I "crushed." They were the ones where I got genuinely curious about what the prospect was really saying. When you shift from defending to understanding, everything changes. Prospects feel heard instead of sold to. Conversations deepen instead of ending. Trust builds instead of erodes. Your prospects aren't obstacles to overcome. They're people trying to solve real problems. 📌 What's one objection you hear constantly that you could approach with more curiosity? ✨ Enjoyed this post? Make sure to hit FOLLOW for daily posts about B2B sales, leadership, entrepreneurship and mindset.

Your challenger training may have taught your reps to start fights they can't finish. You spent $50K on a sales methodology. Flew in consultants. Ran workshops on "constructive confrontation." Then your AE challenges a buyer's assumption and gets hit with: "Actually, we've been doing this for 15 years and know our business better than you do." What happens next? They fold. Apologize. Start pitching features. Because you taught them to throw punches, not take them. The big thing about challenger selling is that it only works if your reps can handle the emotional backlash that comes with disagreeing with prospects. And many of them can't. Which, to be clear, isn't necessarily their fault. They just haven't been provided any psychological resilience training. Before you teach reps to challenge assumptions, teach them to: 1. Expect emotional resistance as validation rather than rejection. When a buyer gets defensive, that means you hit something real. Most reps interpret pushback as "I said something wrong" instead of "I said something that matters." Train them to lean in: "It sounds like this is something you've put a lot of thought into. Walk me through your current approach." 2. Master the "third question" technique. Most reps ask one question, get pushback, then retreat. Encourage your reps to have the confidence to dig deeper. - First push: "That's an interesting perspective. What's driving that approach?" - Second push: "And how long have you been using this process?" - Third push: "What metrics are you tracking to measure success?" Each question shows you're genuinely curious, not just challenging to challenge. 3. Practice the uncomfortable pause. When buyers push back hard, it's natural to try and fill silence with backpedaling. Just let the tension breathe, people! Count to three. Then ask: "What's working well about your current approach?" 4. Reframe resistance as qualification data. Every objection tells you something about their pain tolerance, decision-making process, or internal politics. If they can't handle being challenged in discovery, they DEFINITELY can't handle change management post-sale. To be clear, challenger selling works. It just works better when your reps can handle the emotional backlash that comes with disagreeing with prospects. Don't let your reps crumble at the first sign of friction. Train the psychology first. The methodology second. In a world where every rep has the same playbook, resilience is the real differentiator.

Insults hurt. Unless ... you know how to handle them. Your response changes everything. Picture this: You're presenting. Someone interrupts, "That's not realistic." Your face burns. Heart races. Everyone stares. The real power isn't in the insult. It's in the gap between feeling and responding. Master it, and you'll master any situation. Here are 8 powerful ways to turn insults into opportunities: 1. Ask Better Questions 💬 "They just called my idea stupid in front of everyone!" ➟ Pause, then ask "Could you help me understand why?" ➟ Let them explain their perspective fully ➟ Watch as defensiveness melts away 💡 Questions shift pressure back to the critic, making them reflect Try: Practice saying "Tell me more about that" in a mirror tonight 2. Rewrite Your Story 💬 "They must think I'm totally incompetent" ➟ Replace "They hate me" with "They might be stressed" ➟ Focus on facts, not assumptions ➟ Remember: It's rarely personal 💡 Our interpretation of events shapes our emotional response Try: Write down one negative thought and its positive alternative 3. Use Smart Humor 💬 "Someone mocked my presentation style" ➟ Respond with light self-deprecating humor ➟ Keep it gentle, never biting ➟ Smile genuinely while delivering 💡 Humor signals confidence and reduces tension instantly Try: Think of one friendly comeback for common criticism 4. Practice SOBER Response 💬 "I react too quickly when insulted" ➟ Stop ➟ Observe your body ➟ Breathe deeply ➟ Expand awareness ➟ Respond thoughtfully 💡 This method gives your rational brain time to catch up Try: Take three deep breaths before responding next time 5. Speak Diplomatically 💬 "I never know how to address disrespect" ➟ Describe the situation factually ➟ Express feelings calmly ➟ Assert needs clearly 💡 Structure provides confidence in tense moments Try: Write down one situation using this format 6. Create Mental Distance 💬 "Insults feel too personal" ➟ Imagine putting the insult in a "Not Personal" bucket ➟ Watch it dissolve ➟ Respond from clarity 💡 Physical visualization reduces emotional reactivity Try: Draw your "Not Personal" bucket and keep it visible 7. Prepare Your Blueprint 💬 "I freeze when criticized" ➟ Have two ready responses: - "Interesting point, tell me more" - "I see it differently because..." ➟ Practice them regularly 💡 Preparation eliminates panic in tough moments Try: Memorize one go-to response today 8. Welcome Challenges 💬 "I dread difficult interactions" ➟ See each insult as growth opportunity ➟ Think: "Great, I can practice staying calm" ➟ Focus on your response, not their words 💡 Mindset shifts transform threats into opportunities Try: Say "This is my chance to grow" next time you're challenged Insults are temporary. Your response is permanent. Which technique will you practice today? ♻️ Repost if this resonated with you! 🔖 Follow me Suren Samarchyan for more.