Objection response

Objection Response

Read a prospect's reply, classify the objection type, and draft a response that keeps the conversation open without pitching harder. Load voice.md for tone-matching.

When this skill triggers

• User pastes a prospect reply and asks how to respond
• User says something like "they said X — what do I write back?"
• User mentions handling pushback, objections, or a difficult reply
• User asks for a response draft to a specific reply

The 6 objection types

Every outbound reply that isn't "yes let's talk" falls into one of these buckets. Classify first, then draft.

1. Pricing / Budget

Signals:

• "Too expensive"
• "Not in the budget"
• "Can't justify the cost right now"
• "What's the pricing?" (early in the conversation — usually a screen, not real interest)

Response goal: Uncover if it's real (no budget) or a proxy (no perceived value). Never lead with a discount. Never justify the price.

Response template pattern:

Acknowledge → Ask what they're comparing to → Offer to compare framing

Example:

"Fair — pricing is the wrong first conversation to have. Curious what tools you're weighing this against, and I'll tell you honestly where we're stronger and where we're not. That'll tell us both whether it's worth going further."

2. Timing / Not Now

Signals:

• "Not the right time"
• "Circle back in Q2"
• "We're focused on X right now"
• "Ask me again in 6 months"

Response goal: Get a specific date to re-engage OR find a smaller, lower-friction ask that works now. Never accept a vague "later."

Response template pattern:

Respect the timing → Set a specific re-engagement date → Optional: offer a low-friction alternative

Example:

"Totally fair. I'll drop a note back in early April — that'll be past your current push. In the meantime, if it helps, I wrote up a [specific resource] you might find useful when you do get to this. Want me to send it?"

3. Competitor / Already Using

Signals:

• "We already use [Tool]"
• "We just implemented [Competitor]"
• "Happy with what we have"

Response goal: Do NOT trash the competitor. Ask what's working. Position yourself as a peer, not a replacement.

Response template pattern:

Acknowledge without insulting the competitor → Ask a specific question about the setup → Offer expertise, not replacement

Example:

"Good tool — a lot of teams are happy with it. Curious how they're doing on [specific area where you're differentiated but not competing head-on]. Happy to compare notes as a peer, not as a vendor. Sometimes the answer is 'stay with what you have and add X.'"

4. Not the Decision-Maker

Signals:

• "You should talk to [name]"
• "That's [colleague]'s area"
• "I'm not the right person"

Response goal: Get the intro. Don't just ask for the name and cold outreach separately.

Response template pattern:

Thank for the redirect → Ask for a specific intro → Give them easy language to use

Example:

"Appreciate the redirect. Would you be up for a quick intro forward to [name]? Happy to draft the intro copy so you just have to forward — takes you 5 seconds."

5. Not a Fit / Wrong Company

Signals:

• "We don't need this"
• "Not what we're solving for"
• "Different problem than what you're pitching"

Response goal: Understand IF they're right (maybe you targeted wrong) or if they've misunderstood. Handle without defensiveness.

Response template pattern:

Zero defensiveness → Genuine curiosity about their actual situation → Graceful exit if it's really not a fit

Example:

"Fair enough — probably means I read the situation wrong. Just so I don't waste your time again: are you closer to [scenario A] or [scenario B]? If neither, no worries and I'll take you off the list."

6. Tired of Being Pitched

Signals:

• "I get 40 of these a day"
• "Please remove me"
• "Not interested" (with hostility)
• Curt one-line rejection

Response goal: Either recover the relationship gracefully OR exit clean. Never argue. Never one more pitch.

Response template pattern:

Acknowledge the noise → Take the exit path → Leave a door open without pressing

Example:

"Completely fair — the inbox pollution is real. Taking you off the list. If your situation changes down the road and something we make becomes actually useful, my DMs are open. Good luck with the push."

Rules

Never do these:

• Defend your product ("But actually we're different because...")
• Get another pitch in ("Well, we also do X...")
• Argue with the objection
• Use "I understand" (feels canned)
• Ask "why?" as your only response (comes across as pushy)
• Send more than one follow-up after a hard rejection
• Pretend you didn't hear their objection

Always do:

• Acknowledge specifically what they said
• Match their energy — if they were short, be short; if they gave you a paragraph, respond in kind
• Give them an actual exit if that's what they need
• If you offer a resource in the response, make it a real one — don't fake

Output format

Return in this structure:

OBJECTION ANALYSIS

Original reply: [quote it back]

Classified as: [type]
Reasoning: [1-2 sentences on why you classified it this way]

DRAFT RESPONSE
"[the response draft]"

Alternative angle (if applicable):
"[optional second version if the objection is ambiguous]"

CRM TAG SUGGESTION
Suggested tag: [Not_Now_Q2 / Competitor_HubSpot / Wrong_Person / etc.]
Next action: [Follow up on [date] / Move to nurture / Close as not-a-fit / etc.]

Examples

Example 1 — timing objection

Input: "Reply from Sarah at Acme: 'Thanks but not the right time — we're deep in a Q4 push and won't be looking at new tools until Feb at earliest.'"

Output:

OBJECTION ANALYSIS

Original reply: "Thanks but not the right time — we're deep in a Q4 push and won't be looking at new tools until Feb at earliest."

Classified as: Timing / Not Now
Reasoning: Specific timing anchor (Feb) is a genuine timing objection, not a soft brush-off. She named a real constraint (Q4 push).

DRAFT RESPONSE
"Makes sense — Q4 push is the wrong moment to be evaluating anything new. I'll drop back in the first week of Feb. If you want something useful in the meantime that doesn't require any bandwidth, I wrote up a Q4-to-Q1 outbound audit checklist — happy to send it so you have it when you switch modes. Just say the word."

CRM TAG SUGGESTION
Suggested tag: Timing_Feb / Q4-Push-2025
Next action: Set reminder for Feb 3. Send Q4→Q1 checklist if she asks. No touches between now and then except one warm engagement on her LinkedIn content.

Example 2 — competitor already in place

Input: "'We just rolled out Outreach 3 months ago and honestly it's been working well for us.'"

Output:

OBJECTION ANALYSIS

Original reply: "We just rolled out Outreach 3 months ago and honestly it's been working well for us."

Classified as: Competitor / Already Using
Reasoning: Specific competitor named + specific implementation window + genuine positive sentiment. This isn't a brush-off — she likes Outreach right now.

DRAFT RESPONSE
"Good — Outreach done well is genuinely useful, especially at 3 months in when the workflows start clicking. Curious how you're handling [specific gap where you're differentiated, e.g., 'the signal-to-first-touch delay on inbound replies'] — that's where I usually see teams add a second tool alongside, not replace. Happy to compare notes as a peer if you're ever curious. Otherwise no need to reply."

CRM TAG SUGGESTION
Suggested tag: Competitor_Outreach / Recently_Implemented
Next action: Move to 6-month nurture. Add her LinkedIn to the engagement watchlist. Re-engage if you see churn signals (job change, review site activity, hiring changes at the SDR level).

Example 3 — hard rejection

Input: "'Please stop emailing me. I get 40 of these a day and none of them are relevant.'"

Output:

OBJECTION ANALYSIS

Original reply: "Please stop emailing me. I get 40 of these a day and none of them are relevant."

Classified as: Tired of Being Pitched (hostile end)
Reasoning: Hostile tone + explicit "stop" request. Do not push. Exit clean.

DRAFT RESPONSE
"Done — you're off the list. Sorry for adding to the noise. Good luck out there."

Nothing more. No secondary pitch. No "just one more thing." Real exit.

CRM TAG SUGGESTION
Suggested tag: DNC / Hostile-Exit
Next action: Add to Do-Not-Contact list permanently. Do not attempt re-engagement even if new signal fires. Note the account so no other team member reaches out to this person.

Common failure modes

Failure: response ignores the specific objection language and gives a generic answer. Fix: Quote back the specific words they used in the response. "You mentioned [X specific thing]" — makes them feel heard.

Failure: response tries to overturn the objection with cleverness. Fix: The best response is often shorter than the pitch. Especially for rejections — one graceful sentence beats three paragraphs.

Failure: exits when there's actually a path to continue. Fix: Timing objections aren't rejections — they're deferred yeses. Don't accept the exit if there's a specific date.

Failure: response includes a hidden pitch inside a "graceful" reply. Fix: Read the response back — if you feel like you're still selling, delete the selling part.

Related skills

• After you set a re-engagement date, use follow-up-sequence when the date arrives
• If they redirected you to another person, use linkedin-opener for that person