Pushback
Objection handling
By Pitchgrit · Updated November 10, 2026
Handle an objection by naming it, asking one question, and making a smaller ask they can refuse. Do not discount, send a pile of files, or agree to January without a date and a person. The buyer can still say no. Practice doesn't guarantee a result on the real call.
What to do
- Name the concern. Repeat the objection in plain words so they know you heard it. Do not argue with the first sentence.
- Ask one clarifying question. What “higher” is compared with, which page they actually want, or whether January is a real date.
- Make a smaller ask. A day or window, a length, and who else should be there. Huthwaite describes obtaining commitment as securing a next step. The buyer can refuse it.
- If they still say no, stop. Do not trade a discount for a maybe. Ask who owns the next look, or end it.
Avery Chen, Priya Shah, Sam Okonkwo, Brightlane Freight, Northline, and Harbor Desk are fictional. These lines are for practice. They are not a recording and not a result.
“Your price is too high”
Do not open with a discount. The full drill, the sample exchange, and the rubric are on Practice a price objection. A shorter reply, for when you need one line:
Illustrative. Not the exchange on the price-objection page, and not a result.
Priya
You’re higher than Northline. I’m not taking that upstairs.
Avery
Higher than Northline is a fair thing to say. What would have to be true before a higher number was even worth a look?
Priya
I don’t know. Just send the pricing.
Avery
I can send one page. The useful version is a 20-minute look on Thursday at 10 with you and the person who can say yes. Is that a no, or should I send the page with that time on it?
“Just send me some info”
A file with no question is how a deal goes quiet.
Priya
Just send me some info.
Avery
I will. If I send the whole deck, it will sit there. Should the note answer how this differs from Northline, or what you would see in 20 minutes?
Priya
Email is fine. Don’t book anything.
Avery
Understood. I’ll send the one page and I will not put a meeting on your calendar. If you want the 20 minutes after you read it, reply with a day. If you don’t, I won’t follow up this month.
“Let’s circle back in January”
January without a date is a no that sounds polite. More lines for a budget year are on year-end and Q4 closing.
Put a person and a window on it, or accept the wait.
Priya
Let’s circle back in January.
Avery
If January is the real window, let’s name it now: 20 minutes on a Tuesday in the week of January 4, with you and whoever has to sign. If that week is wrong, tell me the one that isn’t.
Priya
We don’t book that far out.
Avery
Then I won’t pretend we have a meeting. I’ll write once in the week of January 4 and ask if a 20-minute look is a no. If it is, I’ll stop.
Common questions
How do I handle a price objection?
Acknowledge it, ask what the higher number is being compared with, and ask what would have to be true before a higher price was worth a look. Do not lead with a discount. Then ask for one next step they can refuse. The full drill is on the price-objection page.
What do I say to “just send me some info”?
Agree to send one thing, and ask which question it should answer. Offer a time they can refuse. If they do not want a meeting, say you will not book one, and say when you will stop following up.
Sources
- Huthwaite International, The SPIN Methodology Describes Neil Rackham's SPIN model as four question types: situation, problem, implication, and need-payoff. The same page calls a later stage obtaining commitment, and describes it as securing a next step. We use those names for the method. We do not repeat the research claims on that page.
Keep going
Practice the lines
Practice one of these lines in the free preview. Say the ask, and let the buyer answer.
The free preview needs no account and runs up to 20 minutes. A browser can start 3 previews a day. The buyer's spoken replies use the same voice time as yours. On a busy day, voice time can run out sooner. Typing continues until the 20-minute clock ends.
Practice doesn't guarantee a result on the real call.