The six objections, and what to say instead of arguing
An objection is information, not rejection. Argue with it and the call is over. Answer the thing underneath it and it usually is not.
Aaron Vihersola · Co-founder · Growth & marketingUpdated 2 Sep 2026The technique
Nearly every objection you hear is one of six: no time, no money, already have it, do not trust you, need to ask someone, or not interested. Each has a real question hiding inside it. “I already have broadband” means “why would I change?”. “I need to ask my partner” usually means “I am not convinced enough to defend this to someone else”. Answer the hidden question in one sentence and return to the beat you were on. Never repeat the offer louder.
How it sounds on the line
“Of course. What will she want to know that I have not covered? … Right, so it is the contract length. It is 18 months and you can cancel in the first 14 days for any reason. Is there anything else she would ask?”
The objection is treated as a real question, answered specifically, and handed back. No pressure, no second pitch.
The six, and the question hiding in each
“No time” asks: is this worth stopping for? “No money” asks: is this worth moving money around for? “I already have it” asks: why would I change? “I don’t trust this” asks: who am I actually dealing with? “I need to ask someone” asks: arm me well enough to defend this to another person. And “not interested”, the emptiest of the six, mostly means: you have not yet given me anything to be interested in. Answer the question, not the sentence it hid in.
Acknowledge, answer, return
The shape is always the same three moves. Acknowledge in a clause, not a paragraph, agreement costs nothing and buys honesty. Answer the hidden question in one sentence, with a fact, not an adjective. Then return to the beat you were on before the objection, rather than starting the pitch again from the top, which is what most sellers do and what makes objections feel like resets. If the same objection comes back a second time, it is a no. Take it gracefully, because the list is long and the next call does not carry this one’s argument.
What goes wrong here
Tally which of the six you get
Questions this lesson owns
What are the most common sales objections?
Six cover nearly everything: no time, no money, I already have it, I don’t trust this, I need to ask someone, and not interested. Each hides a real question, and the work of objection handling is answering that question in one sentence rather than arguing with the sentence that carried it. Keep a tally for twenty calls and you will find one of the six accounts for more than half of what you hear.
How do you respond to “not interested” on a call?
Not with more features, they have not heard enough to be uninterested in. Ask one short sorting question, “is it the product generally, or just not tonight?”, to separate a reflex from a real objection. A reflex opens back up. A real one deserves agreement and a graceful end. Arguing with “not interested” converts almost never and burns the list.
What is the difference between a real objection and a brush-off?
Timing and specificity. A brush-off arrives in the first few seconds, before the customer knows what you are offering, and it is vague. A real objection arrives after they understand the offer and it names something: the price, the timing, an existing supplier. A brush-off is stepped past once. A real objection is acknowledged and answered.
How many times should you handle the same objection?
Once, properly. Answering the same objection twice tells the customer you did not believe them the first time, and the second answer rarely lands because they have stopped listening to the content and started managing the call. If it returns after a genuine answer, it is a no, and the honest move is to end politely and keep the number usable.
What do you say when someone needs to ask their partner?
Treat it as real, because it usually is. Ask what they think the other person will want to know, answer that, and agree a specific time to call back rather than leaving it open. Treating it as a stall and pushing turns a genuine consultation into a reason to say no. A call back with a time on it converts. A vague one does not.