Quote from James A.Hart on July 16, 2025, 10:18 pm

One of the biggest mistakes salespeople make—especially in high-ticket sales—is trying to handle objections too early. It usually comes from good intentions. You hear a concern, you want to address it right away. But in doing so, you often interrupt the buying process and miss the most important part: understanding what the client truly cares about.

Objections Are Not the Problem—Timing Is

Most objections are symptoms, not root causes. When a prospect says, “It’s too expensive,” that might not be the real issue. It could be:

• They don’t fully understand the value yet.
• They’re comparing you to a cheaper alternative.
• They’re unsure if this is really the right time.

If you jump in too early to explain or defend your price, you’re treating the symptom before diagnosing the problem. That rarely leads to a close.

Let Them Deconstruct Their Own Objections

A smarter approach is to let the prospect speak—fully. Ask open-ended questions. Give them room to explain their thinking, even if it sounds like a weak excuse. The goal is not to overpower them with logic, but to create space for them to see the flaws in their own reasoning.

Example:

Prospect: “We’re thinking of advertising on the back of supermarket receipts.”
Sales rep: “Interesting—do you think your best-fit clients are reading the back of receipts and saving them on their fridge?”
(Pause. Let them realize the answer themselves.)

This is how you turn the sales call into a discovery session. When they realize on their own that their current plan isn’t enough, it opens the door for you to offer a real solution—without forcing anything.

Pull, Don’t Push

Trying to convince someone too early often backfires. They’ll feel like you’re pushing, and resistance goes up. But when you pull, by asking thoughtful questions and listening deeply, you’re guiding them toward clarity.

When the prospect says something like, “I’ve been thinking about doing this for three years,” don’t say, “That’s exactly why you should sign up today.”
Instead, ask:

“What do you think has held you back until now?”
“What would it mean for your business if this continues for another three years?”

These questions help them articulate the problem in their own words. And once they do that, your solution becomes the natural next step.

Ask First. Handle Later.

You’ll have time to handle objections—but it should come after:

1. You’ve collected enough information.
2. The prospect has voiced their concerns clearly.
3. They’ve acknowledged the cost of inaction.

When objections are handled too soon, they feel like debate. When handled later, after proper diagnosis, they feel like clarity.

Bottom line:
Objections are not hurdles to jump over—they’re windows into what your prospect values. But you’ll never see through those windows if you keep closing the curtains too early.

Let them speak. Let them think. Then guide them, not push them.