20 Sales Objection Examples and Responses
Hearing objections is part of every sales conversation. The difference between reps who stall and reps who close is having practiced responses ready for each one. These sales objection examples and responses give you word-for-word scripts organized by category, so you can handle anything a prospect throws at you.
How to Use These Scripts
Each response below follows the Acknowledge → Clarify → Respond → Advance framework from our complete objection handling guide. Don't memorize these word-for-word — adapt the structure and tone to your style and situation.
Price Objections
1. "It's too expensive."
Response: "I hear you — price is always an important factor. Can I ask what you're comparing it to? I want to make sure we're looking at apples to apples, especially when you factor in [specific value your product delivers]."
For a deep dive on this specific objection, see what to say when a prospect says too expensive.
2. "We don't have budget for this right now."
Response: "Totally understand. Out of curiosity, is this a matter of budget not being allocated, or budget being spent elsewhere? Sometimes we can help teams make a business case for reallocating based on the ROI other customers see."
3. "Your competitor is cheaper."
Response: "That's fair — [Competitor] offers a solid product at a lower price. The reason our customers choose us over them is [specific differentiator]. Would it help to see a comparison of total cost of ownership over 12 months?"
4. "We need a discount to make this work."
Response: "I want to find a way to make this work for you. Before we talk numbers, can you walk me through what's driving the need for a lower price? Sometimes we can adjust scope or terms rather than price."
Timing Objections
5. "Now isn't a good time."
Response: "No problem at all. When you say now isn't a good time, is it because of competing priorities, or because this problem isn't urgent enough yet?"
6. "Call me next quarter."
Response: "Happy to. Let's put something on the calendar for [specific date] so it doesn't fall through the cracks. In the meantime, would it be helpful if I sent you the case study from [similar company] so you have context before we reconnect?"
7. "We just signed with another vendor."
Response: "Congratulations on making a decision — I know those evaluations take time. When does that contract come up for renewal? I'd love to check in before then to share what's changed on our end."
8. "We're in the middle of another project."
Response: "Makes sense — you don't want to pile on. When do you expect that project to wrap? I can follow up then with some benchmarks that might be useful for your next planning cycle."
Authority Objections
9. "I need to run this by my boss."
Response: "Of course — that's a smart move for a decision like this. What questions do you think they'll have? I can put together a brief summary that addresses their priorities so you go in prepared."
10. "I'm not the right person for this."
Response: "Appreciate you being upfront. Who on your team typically handles decisions around [problem area]? I'd love an intro, and I'm happy to position it as something you flagged as relevant."
11. "Our team needs to discuss this internally."
Response: "Absolutely. Would it be helpful to schedule a group call where I can answer questions from the full team? That way everyone hears the same information and you can make a faster decision."
Need Objections
12. "We don't have that problem."
Response: "Good to hear — it sounds like your team is in a strong position. I'm curious though: when you look at [specific metric], are you seeing the numbers you want, or is there room to improve?"
13. "We're happy with our current solution."
Response: "That's great — it's always better to hear you're satisfied than struggling. If I could show you one area where companies like yours typically leave performance on the table — even with a solid solution in place — would that be worth a 15-minute look?"
14. "I don't see how this applies to us."
Response: "Fair point — let me make sure I'm connecting the dots. [Company in their industry] was in a similar situation and saw [specific result] after implementing. Does that use case feel relevant, or is your situation different?"
15. "We tried something similar and it didn't work."
Response: "That's really helpful context. Can you share what specifically didn't work? We've learned a lot from customers who came to us after a failed implementation, and the root cause is usually [common issue your product addresses]."
Trust and Credibility Objections
16. "I've never heard of your company."
Response: "That's fair — we're growing fast but we're not a household name yet. We work with [notable customer 1], [notable customer 2], and [notable customer 3]. Here's a quick stat: [specific result metric]. Would seeing a case study be useful?"
17. "How do I know this actually works?"
Response: "Great question. The best proof I can offer is [specific customer result with numbers]. I can also connect you with [customer name] who was in a similar situation — they're happy to share their experience."
18. "We've been burned by vendors before."
Response: "I hear that a lot, honestly. What specifically went wrong? I want to be transparent about where we're strong and where we might not be the right fit, so you can make a fully informed decision."
Brush-Off Objections
19. "Just send me an email."
Response: "Happy to — so I send you something relevant instead of a generic overview, can I ask one quick question? [Insert qualifying question.] Great. I'll send that over today. Is Thursday a good day to reconnect briefly?"
20. "I'm not interested."
Response: "Totally fair — I caught you cold. Most of our customers weren't interested until they saw how [specific result] impacted their [metric]. Can I have 20 seconds to share one quick number?"
Turn Scripts Into Skills With Practice
Reading scripts builds awareness. Practicing them builds skill. The gap between the two is where deals are won or lost.
Vozah's AI role-play lets you:
- Face each of these 20 objections in realistic simulated conversations
- Practice your response until the framework feels natural
- Get scored on acknowledgment speed, clarification quality, and conversation advancement
- Track improvement over time
The reps who handle objections best aren't born with it — they've practiced more. Start free objection practice →