How to handle objections in B2B sales: the ten most frequent and a consultative answer for each
An objection is not a "no": it is information about what is still unresolved. In B2B sales almost every objection repeats, so a team can prepare for them. These are the ten we hear most with sales teams in services, technology, manufacturing and government suppliers, with the consultative answer that works and the one that makes things worse.
In this article
- Before answering: the method
- 1. "It is too expensive"
- 2. "We will think about it"
- 3. "We already have a supplier"
- 4. "It is not the right time"
- 5. "We have no budget"
- 6. "Send me the information by email"
- 7. "I have to check with my boss"
- 8. "Your competitor offers it cheaper"
- 9. "I do not see the difference from what we already do"
- 10. "We tried something like this and it did not work"
- Summary: objection, question, answer
- Want to bring this to your team?
Before answering: the method
Three steps, always: (1) listen fully and acknowledge ("I understand, that is a valid concern"); (2) ask to understand what is behind it ("expensive compared to what?", "what would have to happen for it to be the right time?"); (3) answer with data from your own diagnosis and agree the next step. What does not work is replying immediately with a prepared argument: it sounds scripted and does not solve what the customer really has in mind.
1. "It is too expensive"
It is almost never about price: it is about value that was not made clear. Ask "expensive compared to what?" (another proposal, the budget, doing nothing) and go back to the cost of the problem the customer gave in the diagnosis. If the problem costs 40 hours a month and the solution pays for itself in three, price stops being the topic. Never cut price without changing scope.
2. "We will think about it"
It is the empty objection: it hides another. Calmly ask what they would like to review and with whom, and propose a concrete next step with a date ("shall we review it Thursday with the finance person?"). Without a dated next step, the opportunity goes cold.
3. "We already have a supplier"
Acknowledge and ask what works well with the current supplier and what they would like to be different. Do not attack the competitor: look for the gap (response time, coverage, evidence, support) and propose a limited trial in that gap.
4. "It is not the right time"
Ask what would have to happen for it to be the right time and when. If there is a fiscal close, a management change or a project under way, agree the date to resume and, meanwhile, quantify what waiting costs. Sometimes "not the right time" means "I did not get the value"; go back to the diagnosis.
5. "We have no budget"
Distinguish between does not exist and is not allocated. Ask how and when budgets are allocated, who decides and whether the current cost of the problem already sits in some line. Offer a minimum scope that fits what is available and a phased plan.
6. "Send me the information by email"
Usually a polite way to end. Ask for two minutes to ask two diagnostic questions so you can send something useful instead of a catalog; and schedule the follow-up call before hanging up.
7. "I have to check with my boss"
It is information, not an objection: there is another decision-maker. Ask what matters to that person and offer to join the presentation or prepare a one-page summary with the numbers the boss will want to see.
8. "Your competitor offers it cheaper"
Ask whether they are comparing the same scope (support, evidence, timing, guarantees). It almost never is. Show the difference in a table and let the customer decide on value, not price.
9. "I do not see the difference from what we already do"
The diagnosis failed. Go back to it: ask for a recent case where the current process failed and quantify the cost. Without a problem the customer recognizes, no consultative sale is possible.
10. "We tried something like this and it did not work"
Ask what happened and why, with real interest. The cause was almost always implementation (no adoption, no follow-up, no measurement). Show how your process covers exactly that cause and propose a measurable pilot.
Summary: objection, question, answer
| Objection | Key question | Consultative answer |
|---|---|---|
| Too expensive | Compared to what? | Cost of the problem vs. investment |
| We will think about it | What would you review and with whom? | Next step with a date |
| We already have a supplier | What would you like to be different? | Limited trial in the gap |
| Not the right time | What would have to happen? | Date to resume + cost of waiting |
| No budget | How and when is it allocated? | Minimum scope in phases |
An objection playbook with these answers, built with the team's real cases, is one of the deliverables of the B2B consultative selling course; concessions and limits are worked in depth in the negotiation module and in the negotiation course.
Want to bring this to your team?
The objection playbook is built in the course with the objections your team hears every week, not with a generic list. Message us on WhatsApp, fill out the contact form or open this site's live chat: we send a proposal with three scope options and a closed price in under 24 business hours, with the DC-3 certificate and Geedle Bot included. The full program is at the B2B consultative selling and negotiation course and the catalog at training courses for companies.
