🚀 TL;DR
- Having a strong offer means objections (price, timing, fit, risk, budget) often don’t even surface because the value is obvious and irresistible.
- When objections *do* come up, they’re signals—use them to ask questions, uncover underlying concerns, and lead the conversation rather than just reacting with scripts.
- Five of the most common objections: “Too expensive,” “Not the right time,” “Not sure it’s right for me,” “What if it doesn’t work?,” and “We don’t have budget right now.”
- Each objection requires a different response: shift from cost to ROI, quantify cost of inaction, ask about fit or readiness, remove risk through guarantees, or explore alternative structures for budget constraints.
- The ultimate leverage lies in designing your offer so cleanly and powerfully that you spend less time fighting objections and more time closing and delivering high‐value work.
When I grew my agency to $5M/year, I closed six-figure deals regularly. Now as a solopreneur growing without hiring—and with no overhead—I close $105,216.70 in a single month without endless objection-handling calls.
Not because I memorized perfect scripts. In fact, I tell my clients this: no scripts allowed. Instead, it’s because I built an offer so strong that most objections never came up.
When your offer is weak, you invite objections. When it's “shut up and take my money,” you eliminate objections before they're spoken. That's the part most sales trainers won't tell you—they're too busy peddling scripts.
The highest-earning founders don't spend time wrestling with objections. They spend time building leverage into their offer so the objections don't matter.
But objections still happen, even with strong offers. And when they do, you need to know what to say.
In over 20 years of building businesses, I've heard every pushback you can imagine.
In this article, I’ll explain the most common objections you can expect when selling a new offer, and how to overcome them.
Objection #1: "It's too expensive."
Price objections are rarely about the number.
They're about perceived value. When someone says your offer costs too much, they're saying, "I don't see how this investment pays for itself."
The worst response? Justifying your pricing or immediately offering a discount. Both signal that you're not confident in your value.
What to say instead:
"I understand the investment feels significant. Let me ask—what's this problem currently costing you in terms of lost revenue, wasted time, or missed opportunities?"
Let them answer. Most prospects haven't quantified the cost of inaction.
Then connect the dots:
"So if we're conservative and say this is costing you $10,000 per month in lost opportunity, that's $120,000 annually. My fee of $20,000 pays for itself in the first two months—and you keep the benefits for years."
When prospects focus on price, they're operating in a scarcity mindset. Your job is to shift them into an investment mindset. Show them the math and make the invisible costs visible.
Strong offers eliminate most price objections before they surface because the ROI is obvious. If you're constantly hearing "too expensive," your positioning needs work before your objection handling does.
Objection #2: "Now's not the right time"
Timing objections signal a lack of urgency.
The prospect sees the value but doesn't feel pressure to act. This is dangerous because "not now" usually becomes "not ever." Deals die in delay.
Most consultants respond by accepting the objection: "No problem, let's circle back in a few months." Then they wonder why the prospect never returns their calls.
What to say instead:
"I appreciate you being direct about timing. Can I ask—what needs to change before it becomes the right time?"
Listen carefully. Their answer reveals the real objection.
Often, timing concerns mask other issues: budget approval, competing priorities, or uncertainty about the solution. Address the actual concern, not the stated one.
If timing is genuinely the issue, create urgency by highlighting the cost of delay:
"I understand wanting to wait until next quarter. Let me walk you through what that decision actually costs you."
Then quantify it. If they're losing $5,000 monthly to inefficiency, waiting three months costs $15,000 in addition to your fee. Suddenly, "waiting until we're ready" looks expensive.
"Every month you delay implementing this system, you're operating at current capacity. That's three more months of bottlenecks, three more months of frustrated clients, three more months of you working 60-hour weeks. Is that worth saving on the upfront investment?"
Frame inaction as the risky choice and make waiting feel more expensive than acting.
Objection #3: "I'm not sure this is right for me"
When prospects question whether your offer suits them, one of two things is happening: your marketing attracted the wrong people, or you haven't shown them why your solution fits their specific situation.
The lazy response? Trying to convince them they're a perfect fit when they're not. This leads to bad client relationships and poor results.
What to say instead:
"Let's figure that out together. What specifically makes you uncertain about fit?"
The goal is to get them talking. Their concerns tell you whether they're genuinely misaligned or need more clarity.
For legitimate fit issues, be direct:
"Based on what you've shared, I don't think we're the right match. Here's why..."
Then refer them elsewhere if possible.
This counterintuitive move builds trust. Prospects remember consultants who turned them away honestly. When their situation changes or they need different services, they come back—and they refer others.
For perceived fit issues where alignment actually exists, address the specific concern:
"You mentioned worrying about whether this works for companies your size. Three of my current clients started at similar revenue levels. The frameworks scale because they're built on principles, not tactics. Let me show you how this applies to your situation specifically."
Objection #4: "What if it doesn't work?"
In this case, the prospect isn't sure you can deliver what you promise. Maybe they've been burned before. Maybe your offer sounds too good to be true. Maybe they don't know you well enough yet.
But you shouldn’t take it personally. Trust is earned, not assumed.
The weak response? Getting defensive or making bigger promises to overcome their skepticism. This backfires because it reinforces their doubts.
What to say instead:
"That's a fair concern, and I respect you asking it directly. Let me address the risk piece."
Then shift the risk from their shoulders to yours:
"I structure engagements so you see progress quickly. Within the first 30 days, you'll have [specific deliverable] and [measurable result]. If you're not seeing the value we discussed, we can pause and reassess."
Notice what this does. You're not promising perfect outcomes or guaranteed results. You're showing them how you'll de-risk the engagement through transparency, deliverables, and checkpoints.
"I've worked with [number] clients in similar situations. Here's what [specific client] achieved in [timeframe]. I can connect you with them if you'd like to hear their experience directly."
It helps you build trust and overcome that barrier during the sales process.
Objection #5: "We don't have budget for this right now."
Budget objections are priority objections in disguise.
Nobody is out of budget for the thing that unlocks revenue or eliminates a critical bottleneck. When prospects say they lack budget, they're really saying: "This isn't high enough on our priority list."
Your job is to figure out where your solution sits in their current priorities—and whether it should move up.
What to say instead:
"I understand budget constraints. Can I ask—where does [the problem you solve] rank among your team's priorities right now?"
Their answer tells you everything. If solving this problem ranks low, either the problem isn't painful enough, or you haven't shown the real impact.
For genuine budget constraints, explore creative options:
"I hear that the full investment is challenging right now. Let's talk about structuring this differently. We could start with [smaller scope] at [lower price point], or we could spread the investment across [payment terms]."
You're adapting your delivery model to match their reality while capturing the business.
Turn objections into opportunities
Every sales objection is information. For example, price concerns reveal positioning gaps and timing pushback shows a lack of urgency.
The consultants who close premium deals consistently don't have fewer objections. They have better offers and know how to guide prospects through doubt without sounding defensive or desperate.
Your words matter in those critical moments.
Scripts help, but only if they're rooted in understanding the psychology behind each objection.
Start with your offer. Make it strong enough that objections shrink before prospects voice them. Then you'll know exactly what to say when objections surface.
