Key takeaways
- Start from objections you have heard, in replies, calls and lost deals.
- Most objections fall into a handful of groups: price, timing, an existing tool, authority and doubt.
- A good answer acknowledges, asks and only then explains.
- An objection library needs an owner, or it stops matching what buyers say.
What are the common objections and answers
Most sales objections fall into five groups, and each has a typical shape of answer. The lines below are illustrative; write yours in your own words.
- Price: ask what they are comparing it with before defending the figure.
- Timing: ask what would need to change for it to become a priority.
- An existing tool: ask what works well today and what they work around.
- Authority: ask who else would weigh in and what they would want to see.
- Doubt it will work: offer a small proof, such as a short trial run on their own data.
How do you prepare for objections you have not heard yet
Prepare for unheard objections by reading what nearly stopped your customers and what did stop your lost deals. Ask recent customers what almost made them say no; their answers are the objections the next buyer will raise.
Rivals' messaging helps too. Whatever they stress as your weakness will reach buyers before you do.
What makes a good objection handling script
A good objection handling script is a short shape rather than a speech: acknowledge the concern, ask a question that clarifies it, answer briefly and check the answer landed. The question matters most, because an objection is often a request for information in disguise.
Keep each answer to two sentences. If the reply needs a paragraph, the buyer has raised something worth a proper conversation, not a line.
How do you keep an objection library up to date
Keep an objection library current by naming one owner, adding new objections the week they appear and reviewing the whole list when your product or pricing changes. Old answers that no longer hold are worse than none.
Call recordings, with the buyer's consent, are a rich source. Transcribe them and pull out the moments a buyer hesitated, in their own words.
How to prepare answers to sales objections, step by step
Build the first version from evidence you already have.
- Collect objections from email replies, call notes and lost deals over the last few months.
- Group them by type, such as price, timing, an existing tool, authority and doubt.
- For each group, write a one or two sentence answer and a question that moves the conversation on.
- Try the answers on real calls and replies, and keep the wording that works.
- Store the library where your team and your assistants draft from, and review it as new objections appear.
Where Pebbles Ai fits
- FoundationCompany IntelAdmins can add the objection answers to Company Intel as pasted text, so the assistants draft from the same wording.
- CapabilitySmartboxSearch your connected Gmail or Outlook mailbox for past replies to collect objections, then draft answers with Write with AI from the thread and your brand voice.
- FoundationAgent memoryTell an assistant a short rule in plain words, such as always ask what a price is being compared with, and Company memory carries it into colleagues' chats.
Common questions
Should you memorise objection handling scripts?
Know the shape, not the words. Buyers can tell when an answer is recited, so practise saying it your own way.
What if an objection is true?
Say so. If your product does not do what they need, agreeing early earns more trust than a clever reply.
Can AI transcribe sales calls to find objections?
In Pebbles Ai you can upload an audio recording of up to 25 MB and ask an assistant to transcribe it. Record calls only with the other side's consent.
About this page. Written by the Pebbles Ai team for people who run sales, marketing and growth. Last updated .
