How to Overcome Objections in Cold Calls

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬? Here's how coaching turns roadblocks into opportunities to close deals with confidence. Sales objections are inevitable. Whether it’s concerns about price, timing, or product fit, they can feel like a full stop in your sales process. But here’s the truth: objections aren’t rejections—they’re opportunities to build trust and demonstrate value. The key lies in mastering how to address them effectively. After years of coaching sales professionals, I’ve found that the most successful reps don’t avoid objections; they embrace them with confidence. Here’s how targeted coaching can transform common objections into closing moments: 𝟏. 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐎𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 When a prospect says, “This is too expensive,” what they’re really asking is, “How will this provide value?” Coaching helps you reframe objections as an opportunity to educate and highlight benefits. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲: Practice responding with clarifying questions like, “What would make this investment feel worthwhile for you?” This approach deepens understanding and keeps the conversation collaborative. 𝟐. 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝟑 𝐎𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 Every industry has its recurring objections. Identifying the most common ones equips you to handle them with confidence. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲: If timing is a common issue, develop a proactive script: “I understand timing might feel tight, but what specific milestones are you aiming to achieve this year? Let’s explore how we can align.” With coaching, you’ll build a library of responses tailored to your market. 𝟑. 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 Objections often arise from uncertainty. Coaching teaches you how to dig deeper into your prospect’s pain points and needs, so your responses feel tailored and relevant. 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐩: Use role-playing scenarios to practice active listening and empathy. This ensures you’re addressing the root of the concern, not just the surface-level objection. Objections aren’t the enemy—they’re the bridge to better communication and stronger relationships. With the right coaching and strategies, you’ll approach every objection with confidence and leave your prospects feeling heard and understood. What’s your go-to technique for handling objections? Share below! #SalesCoaching #OvercomingObjections #ClosingDeals #SalesSuccess

“Send me an email.” Over the past 5 years, I have trained 3,500+ reps across dozens of teams (from companies like Zoom, Gong, Rippling, and more) on how to handle this objection like a boss. And I use the same this simple 3-step framework every time: - But first—a quick reality check. Once you hang up the phone, the success rate of landing a meeting goes down dramatically. There’s literally a <1% success rate of sending an email that blows the socks off your prospect so much they respond with: “KILLER email! Yes, let’s talk. Are you available right now?” Play the odds. You’re better off asking for the meeting again. ✅ Step 1: Greet the objection Prospect: “Can you send me an email?” Rep: “Sure thing, happy to.” Doing so disarms the prospect. And that’s all you can ask for when objection handling during a cold call. Genuine conversation. That’s the goal. ✅ Step 2: Get more info Now it’s time to dig in. Your goal is to anchor back to a legitimate reason for the prospect to meet with you. Prospect: “Can you send me an email.” Rep: “Sure thing, happy to. Before I send you that email, I'm curious—every contact center leader I talk to says the #1 thing they want is to do reduce cost to serve. Too many people are calling into the contact center. And they don't know why. How does that resonate with what you're seeing right now?” Then dig in for as much as the prospect is willing: - Find out their current solution - See if they have similar problems that your clients have ✅ Step 3: Ask for the meeting Now it’s time to anchor what you just learned to the reason for meeting. Rep: “Great. That's actually what I hear from a lot of contact center leaders. How about this—I could send you an email that you're probably not going to read that's gonna have a lot of different use cases and stuff. Or it could just share with you how we've helped Nordstrom and several similar companies with the same exact problem. If nothing else, you'll get some insights, you're free to steal from that conversation. Do you have your calendar handy?" This usually does the trick Bonus: How to handle resistance Still getting resistance? Try this: Rep: “Okay, no worries. How about we put 5 minutes on the calendar for tomorrow when you’ve had a chance to look over the email? If you like what you see, we keep the meeting. If you don’t, you can cancel. Sound fair?” ============== And that’s how you handle the “send me an email” objection. Want more tips like this? Join me Will Aitken 💙, Jack Wauson from Mixmax, and Abdulla Jarrod Casino from ZoomInfo for a free objection handling training next Wed 3/6/24. Register here: https://hubs.ly/Q02lg9040 #sales #outbound #prospecting

Your cold calling strategy is fundamentally broken if you're folding after the first "I'm not interested." After teaching thousands of reps and closing over $700M in deals myself, I've identified the ONE framework that separates six figure earners from everyone else: The 3 Part Objection Framework That Converts 80% of Cold Calls When I first started in sales, I was terrible. 8 weeks in with ZERO results, my boss threatened to put me on a PIP. What changed? I developed a system for handling objections that transformed my results: 1️⃣ POWER INTERRUPT When they say, "I'm not interested" or "We already have a vendor," your default response is: "That's exactly why we need to meet. How's Thursday at 8?" 2️⃣ SOCIAL PROOF When they object again, respond with: "XYZ in your industry said the exact same thing at first, but check out what we showed them and they switched right over. How's Thursday at 8?" 3️⃣ SPEAK FROM THE HEART For the third objection, shift your tonality and speak with conviction: "I believe in our solution. I promise not to waste your time - if you don't like what we discuss in 30 seconds, you can end the call immediately. How's Thursday at 8?" Here's what this looks like in action: Me: "Hi Sarah, it’s Marcus with Venli. You're not expecting my call. Do you have a moment? I promise to be brief.” Prospect: “Uh sure, I only have a sec” Me: “The reason I’m reaching out specifically is because I saw your sales org headcount has grown by over 50% in the last year and you currently have 10 new AE roles open. Typically when orgs are growing this rapidly, most sales VPs are struggling to get them to ramp quickly to perform. Does that seem to resonate?" Prospect: “It does but what is it that you do exactly?” Me: “We train teams like X, Y, and Z to help 2-3X win rates and ramp up faster. We may be able to help your org. How’s Thursday at 8 AM? Prospect: "I'm not interested, thanks." Me: "That's exactly why we need to meet. How's Thursday at 8am?" Prospect: "Look, we already have a sales training program we're using." Me: "Totally get it. Lisa at X, said the exact same thing at first, but after seeing our system, we started working with them immediately and they saw their win-rate 5X with mid-market deals. How's Thursday at 8am?" Prospect: "There's no budget." Me: "Sarah, I hear you. I truly believe our solution can help your team hit targets. I promise not to waste your time. If you don't like what we discuss in 30 seconds, you can end the call immediately. How's Thursday at 8am?" Prospect: "Fine, send me a calendar invite." This framework works because it expects rejection and has multiple responses ready. Elite performers know most prospects need 3 NOs before they'll say yes. The most successful cold callers approach calls like athletes, not robots. Preparing mentally, practicing consistently, and developing frameworks that allow them to stay confident under pressure. Most importantly? They are pleasantly persistent.

🎯One of the top questions I get from clients and during sales training seminars is... "How do I handle objections?" The #1 mistake I see sales professionals make is they deliver statements and lists of features and benefits—instead, ask more questions. In sales, we often focus on presenting what we think is important, but sometimes the key to gaining the business lies in getting the prospect to tell us what they need. Dig deep and get them talking about their real hesitations. Here are some thought-provoking questions that help uncover hidden objections: 💡 "What are 3 challenges you're facing right now with your current product?" 💡 "How does this solution compare to others you’ve considered?" 💡 "What would have to change for this to be a perfect solution for you?" 💡 "What specific concerns or reservations do you have about moving forward with this solution?" 💡 "How do you envision rolling this solution out to your staff and patients?" These open-ended and quantifiable questions encourage prospects to share what’s really holding them back. Once you know the objection, you can address it head-on. Sometimes, it’s not the price or product—it’s a hidden worry about implementation, timing, or approval. Asking the right questions shows your prospects that you’re listening and that you’re invested in finding the best solution for them. The next time you’re in a conversation, try to get curious. You’ll be surprised at the insights you uncover when you let the customer do the talking! What’s your go-to question for uncovering hidden objections? Drop it in the comments!👇 -------- Like this post? Want to see more? 🔔 Ring My Profile Bell & Follow 👋🏼 Hi, I’m Danielle. I work with medical and aesthetic sales professionals to attract their dream job, boost their sales, and accelerate their career 👉 Click on my profile to book an appointment and take your career to the next level. #salesadvice #medicalsales #salestips #medicalsales #sales101

How I handle these top 4 sales objections (that EVERYONE hears): Objections are a hesitation. And every founder, salesperson, and consultant hears the same four, over and over: 1. “It’s too expensive.” Price is never the real issue, value perception is. Instead of defending the cost, I reframe the ROI: • “If this solution gets you one extra deal a month, does it pay for itself?” • “What’s the cost of not solving this problem?” If the pain is real enough, price stops being the obstacle. 2. “I need to think about it.” This usually means: “I don’t fully see the value yet.” Instead of pressuring, I diagnose the hesitation: • “What specifically do you need to think through?” • “Is there something that’s not clear about how this would work for you?” Clarity turns hesitation into confidence. 3. “The timing isn’t right.” When someone says this, they usually mean: “It’s not urgent enough.” I shift the focus to the cost of waiting: • “What happens if you don’t fix this now?” • “If we talk again in six months, what will have changed?” If the problem is painful enough, they’ll find the budget. 4. “We’re already working with someone.” Loyalty is great but only if they’re getting results. I ask: • “What’s working well with your current provider?” • “What’s one thing you’d change if you could?” If there’s a gap, that’s my opening. Objections aren’t dealbreakers. They’re just buying signals. Handle them right, and you don’t just close more deals but you close them faster.

I responded to a cold email: “This isn’t my priority. Best of luck with your outreach!” Got hit with an objection handle: “Just to confirm - closing more deals faster isn’t a priority?” I get the approach: The idea is to “trap” the prospect into a question they can’t say no to. “What sales leader wouldn’t want more deals, faster?” Here’s the problem: I’m not objecting to the proposed outcome. Closing more deals faster is ALWAYS a priority for me. I’m just already working on my top priorities to help my teams close more deals faster. We’ve identified tools supporting those priorities and are in execution mode. My objection wasn’t to the outcome. It was the approach this solution takes to drive that outcome. The problems they solve to drive that outcome are not painful for me. When you get a no, don’t fall back to the high-level outcome: - “Oh, you don’t want to save money on your HR solutions?” - “Really, you don’t want to reduce the risk of getting hacked?” - “Huh, you don’t want your developers to be happy and productive?” Of course your buyers want those outcomes. If they are objecting, they likely either: - Don’t believe you can drive that outcome - Believe a different approach will work better Find out which of those your objection falls under and address that for better success. Here’s what that follow-up might look like: “Makes perfect sense you’ve already got a handle on this. Usually this means you’ve got a similar solution in place and I didn’t do a good job sharing how we are different, or you are attacking this priority through a completely different approach. Can I ask where you fall?” Next time you hear “this isn’t a priority” to something that you know should be a priority, give this a shot!

Sales isn’t about handling objections. Nobody wants to be handled. It’s about understanding why the objection exists in the first place. Take this conversation I had last week: Chris: “Josh, I can get cheaper speakers for our event.” Me: (Pause) “Cheaper?” Chris: “Yes, like 30% less.” Me: “Sounds like there’s a reason you’re still shopping.” Chris: “Well…“ At first, Chris was focused on price. The instinct might be to push back: “Well, cheaper isn’t always better.” Or “You get what you pay for.” But instead of resisting, I leaned in. Let the silence do the work. And what happened? Chris kept talking. Because price wasn’t really the issue, uncertainty was. The lesson? Don’t fight resistance. Join it. People don’t buy when they feel convinced. They buy when they feel understood.

This is going to be hard pill to swallow, but "I'm not interested" isn't an objection you need to 'handle'... Worst off, it's the #1 cold call killer... So what should you do to avoid it? First off, realize your cold call script is just like a movie script: The idea is to get the audience (your buyer) to want to see the movie (have a conversation and take a meeting). If the movie trailer is boring, you ain't going to the movie. Similarly if your opening 14-23 seconds of a cold call are boring, they'll say "not interested". So change the opener! You've got to get the person on the other end of the call leaning in and talking. Don't waste it on a monologue about your product. Ditch the pitch! Instead, frame a relevant problem you know your buyer cares about because: -) You've analyzed dozens of job descriptions for their role -) You've talked to their peers across multiple companies -) You're well read, knowing the industry trends and landscape Then, ask a "what" or "how" question about that problem, turning the mic over to them to speak. I call this the Mic Drop Method for cold calling. - Permission - Problem - Provoke - Promise And when done correctly, "I'm not interested" fades away and talk time shoots up. Because people start embracing the problem statement instead of objecting to a pitch. Don't treat "I'm not interested" as an objection. Otherwise you're constantly fighting a losing battle. #sales #mindset #deathtofluff ☠️

I believe sales is a craft. I believe sales is a worthy profession. I believe widely accepted certification is important. This is one of the reasons that I donate my time to Sales Assembly to support their certification programs. It's definitely not because Matt Green is funny and nice. I'm back again later this month with a session on Overcoming the Status Quo - Objection Handling edition. Not in the certification program but still want to level up? Here are 3 key ideas to incorporate into your sales approach: 1. Urgency vs sales pressure Sales reps default to sales pressure too often. Sales pressure sounds like offering a discount to get the deal done or perhaps adding value like 15 months for the price of 12 if they can sign by quarter close. I'm not saying to never use sales pressure, but let's acknowledge that it is FAR less effective than urgency. Urgency is felt from within by the prospect. Uncovering urgency requires understanding your prospect's internal deadlines and what happens when they achieve them (gains) + what happens if they miss those deadlines (pains). 💡 What is one more question you can ask during your discovery process to better understand and align with your prospect's deadlines? 2. 3C objection handling approach You can view my full 50+ page Objection Workbook here: https://lnkd.in/ghTryZhb The TL:DR is that the single most important thing you can do after you hear an objection is continue the conversation. If you can learn one more thing, it's a W. Stop putting pressure on yourself to overcome or "crush" objections. Your prospect doesn't like it so they put up a wall. That mentality hurts more than it helps. 💡 Get curious and aim to continue the conversation. 3. Frictionless value add Stop making it difficult for your prospect to get the value you are trying to deliver. There are a ton of ways to remove friction from your sales process like creating simpler proposals, supporting your champions, or owning the next steps. Here is one you can easily try this week: Instead of sending a link to a full whitepaper, case-study, report, etc pull out a relevant snippet. 💡 Share only the easy-to-digest, relevant insight with your prospect in the body of the email. If you want to share the full resources, ask them if they want it or leave it as a non-hyperlinked URL in a P.S. What is one way you overcome the status quo to stop losing deals to no decision? #objectionhandling #salestraining

Objections are a given when cold calling. There are two types: Brush-offs – These come fast and are meant to end the call: “I’m in the middle of something…” “Not interested…” “Send me an email…” Let’s set those aside. Genuine objections – These show up after some real conversation about their current setup. For these, try a tactic I call the Back Pocket. First, the basics: Your reaction matters more than your response—at least at first. Jumping in to solve the objection too fast can make the prospect feel like you’re saying they’re wrong. That builds resistance. So instead, react with empathy: - Stay calm, slow down. - Say something like, “Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.” - Avoid “I” statements like “I understand.” Keep it about them. - Label what you heard with a “sounds like…” “That makes sense. Sounds like you've got a system that works right now.” Now, here’s where the Back Pocket move comes in: change the subject. Ask a low-pressure, unrelated process question that doesn’t challenge their current approach. “Before I let you go, just curious if you’ve seen that Google Appointment feature online? … Ever used it?” You’re putting the objection in your back pocket. It lowers the tension and keeps the convo going. Later, you circle back to the objection—armed with more context and trust. Here’s a real example from a client selling meeting management software to banks: Prospect: “Our customers don’t like to book online ahead of time. We’re all set for now.” Rep: “That makes sense. Sounds like you’ve got a system that works.” Prospect: “Yup.” Rep: “Before I let you go, have you seen Google Appointment?” Prospect: “Yeah.” Rep: “Used it personally?” Prospect: “No.” Rep: “I haven’t either, except for demos. But here’s why I ask—we’re hearing from banks that they’ve got two types of customers: walk-ins and those who book online. The online folks are often shopping. You said yours walk in—do you track how shoppers, like new accounts, prefer to engage?” Prospect: “I’m not sure.” Sales Rep: “If you’re open to it, I can share some data from other banks. It’s often tied to competitive advantage in new account growth. Also, we’re the only platform that integrates directly with Google Appointment.” Rep: “Happy to show you. Would Thursday work to share more?” ------ Try the Back Pocket method on your next call. Instead of fighting the objection, tuck it away and revisit it later when the timing’s better. Let me know how it goes! #sales #objectionhandling #coldcalling #sdr #bdr