In this article
Before you start
This page belongs to the sales interview guide, which covers the roles where this skill is tested.
A prospect is a person or company that might buy from the seller, and a sales call is a conversation in which a seller helps a buyer decide whether to buy. Nothing else is assumed. Every other term is explained where it first appears.
Why interviewers ask this
A candidate who meets a doubt with an instant counter-argument shows the habit that loses deals: answering before understanding. In a sales, account or customer-facing interview, the interviewer may play a hesitant buyer and watch what you do in the first few seconds after the pushback.
A weak answer defends the product at once, drops the price or recites a memorized line. A strong answer shows a sequence: a pause, a sentence that shows you heard the concern, a question that finds out what is really behind it, and only then a tailored reply. A senior-level answer adds how you would confirm the concern is gone and how you would turn the pattern into a repeatable plan for a team.
The same skill appears in account executive interview questions, in sales representative interview questions and, with renewals in place of new deals, in customer success manager interview questions.
Objection-handling scripts from first principles
- Sales objection
- A sales objection is a reason a prospect gives for not buying or not taking the next step, which tells the seller what still has to be resolved before a decision. It is a signal that something in the buying decision still needs work, not proof that the deal is dead.
- LAER
- LAER (Listen, Acknowledge, Explore, Respond) is a four-step sequence for handling an objection that Carew International teaches as its Bonding Process. The order is the point: the response comes only after the first three steps.
- Isolating question
- An isolating question is a question that asks whether anything else stands between the prospect and a yes, for example "Besides that, is anything else in the way?", so the seller learns whether the stated objection is the only one.
In plain words
Think of a doctor. A patient says "my stomach hurts." A bad doctor prescribes something right away. A good doctor listens, says the pain sounds unpleasant, asks where and since when, and only then treats it. The analogy breaks in one place: a doctor can run a test, but a seller has only the conversation to find the real cause.
An objection-handling script is that same habit written down. It is a plan for the order of moves, not a speech to recite.
HubSpot defines objection handling as the process of working through a prospect's concern so the sales conversation can move forward. It also reports that most objections trace back to a perceived lack of money, authority, need or trust.
Step 1: Pause and listen to the whole objection
The first move is to stop talking and let the prospect finish. The input is the objection as spoken; the output is a pause long enough that you do not react on reflex. During the pause, note the exact words the prospect used, because you will reuse them in the next two steps.
Gong reports that average talking speed in a typical sales conversation is 173 words per minute, and that a flustered, less successful rep speeds up to 188. A HubSpot and Gong guide reports that successful reps paused 5x longer than their counterparts and stayed calm, and gives 176 against 188 words per minute for top reps against others, so 173 is not the only pace figure.
You now know the first rule: a faster reply is not a more confident one. The next step turns the pause into a sentence.
Step 2: Acknowledge the concern without agreeing with it
Acknowledging means saying, in one sentence, that the concern is reasonable. The input is what you just heard; the output is a short statement that shows you heard it. It does not mean you agree the product is too expensive or too risky.
Carew International describes this step as validating the customer's concerns and showing empathy. Its own scenario has a contact say the chief financial officer (CFO) is worried about the investment, and the seller answers that it is understandable that an investment of this scope would need CFO review.
Notice what that sentence leaves out: no counter-argument and no discount. It lowers the temperature so the next step, a question, does not sound like a challenge.
Step 3: Explore the real concern before you respond
Exploring means asking open questions until you know what the objection is really about. The input is the stated objection; the output is the real concern.
The stated objection is often a smokescreen, an objection that is easier to say than the real one. A prospect who says "too expensive" may mean the timing is wrong, the risk is unclear or a colleague has not agreed. Answering the wrong objection wastes the reply.
Useful questions are open and calm: "Can you help me understand what is causing that concern?" Gong advises against asking "why?" because it can put the buyer on the defensive. Then ask an isolating question to find out whether anything else is in the way. Exploring finds the real concern behind the stated objection.
Step 4: Respond to the real concern, then confirm
Responding is the first moment you offer a solution, and it targets the concern you found. The input is the real concern; the output is a tailored reply plus a check that it landed.
Carew's scenario shows the pattern: once the seller learns that the CFO's worry is first-quarter cash flow, the seller proposes payments that begin in the second quarter, when the budget cycle resets. The reply fits the concern; a general discount would not.
To close, ask an open question such as "Which part of your concern is still open?" A yes-or-no closer such as "Does that resolve your concern?" can produce a false yes. Respond comes last, after listen, acknowledge and explore.
Step-by-step description
- Pause and let the prospect finish.
- Say the concern is reasonable.
- Ask open questions to find the real concern.
- Answer the real concern, then confirm.
- Respond comes last, after listen, acknowledge and explore.
- Exploring finds the real concern behind the stated objection.
Objection-handling script examples for common objections
Objection-handling script examples work best as a short table: the same four LAER moves, with the words changed to fit the concern. HubSpot reports that most objections trace back to money, authority, need or trust, so the table names the usual root of each one. The wording below is our own illustration, not a quote from any vendor.
| Objection | Usual root | Acknowledge | Explore question | Response direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "It is too expensive." | Money | "That is fair; price matters here." | "Too expensive compared to what?" | Fit the offer to the budget, for example a smaller start |
| "Now is not a good time." | Need or money | "Understood; timing is real." | "What would need to change for the timing to work?" | Agree a dated next step tied to that change |
| "I need to talk to my boss." | Authority | "That makes sense for a decision like this." | "What will your boss want to see?" | Offer to help prepare it or join the conversation |
| "We are happy with what we have." | Need | "Good to hear it is working." | "What would make it work even better?" | Show the gap only if the answer reveals one |
| "We use another vendor." | Trust or need | "Switching has real costs." | "What do you value most about them?" | Compare on that point, without disparaging the vendor |
| "Just send me some information." | Need or trust | "Happy to send it." | "So I send the right material, what are you hoping it answers?" | Send a short, targeted piece and set a follow-up time |
Before the response, ask the isolating question every time: "Besides that, is anything else in the way?" Adapt the table's words to the buyer's own phrasing: repeat the exact terms the prospect used, and keep the order of the four moves.
Knowing it is half the job. Saying it is the other half.
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Start Free Trial →Worked example
Here is an original dialogue, illustrative and not taken from any company, for a price objection. The labels name the step.
- Prospect: "This is too expensive."
- You (pause, then acknowledge): "That is fair; price matters on a decision like this."
- You (explore): "Can you help me understand what is behind that? Too expensive compared to what?"
- Prospect: "Honestly, we already spent this quarter's budget. A smaller start would be easier to approve."
- You (isolate): "Besides the timing of the budget, is anything else in the way?"
- Prospect: "No, that is it."
- You (respond): "Then we could start with one team now and expand when the next budget opens."
- You (confirm): "Which part of your concern is still open?"
The stated objection was price; the real one was budget timing. A rebuttal about value would have answered the wrong problem.
The numbers behind the method come from vendor data. Gong reports that the top reps ask questions 54.3% of the time when they hear an objection, compared with 31% for average reps. The arithmetic below follows from those two inputs and from the pace figures of 173 and 188 words per minute reported by Gong.
| Quantity | Value (computed from the cited inputs) |
|---|---|
| Top reps answering with a question | 54.3% of objections |
| Average reps answering with a question | 31.0% of objections |
| Gap | 23.3 percentage points |
| Ratio | 1.75 times |
| Normal pace | 173 words per minute (Gong, cited above) |
| Flustered pace | 188 words per minute (Gong, cited above) |
| Rise in pace | 15 words per minute, 8.7%, computed |
Top reps answer an objection with a question about 54% of the time. Average reps answer with a question about 31% of the time.
Text description of the diagram
- Top reps answer an objection with a question about 54% of the time.
- Average reps answer with a question about 31% of the time.
Trade-offs and edge cases
A diagnostic script trades a few seconds of speed for an answer to the real concern. A rebuttal script counters the stated objection straight away. A diagnostic script asks questions first and answers the real concern.
Text description of the diagram
- A rebuttal script counters the stated objection straight away.
- A diagnostic script asks questions first and answers the real concern.
Several sales-training frameworks teach versions of this order. LAER, from Carew International, is the one this page uses, and the others differ mainly in how many steps they name.
Edge cases. First, an objection can be a real no: if the isolating question shows the product does not fit, the honest move is to say so. Second, a script that is memorized word for word sounds scripted and cannot adapt to the answer you get; keep the order and improvise the words. Third, the evidence has limits. The Gong figures come from one vendor's call database, and Gong's data shows successful reps respond with a question; that is an association in one vendor's call data, not proof that questions cause wins. This page cites no independent academic study of whether scripts raise win rates, and the three vendors cited here teach selling methods of their own.
For the wider question of growing revenue, see how would you increase sales. For leading a team that uses a shared script, see sales manager interview questions.
How to answer it in an interview
How do you handle an objection from a prospect?
I handle an objection in four moves. First I pause and let the person finish, because a quick rebuttal usually answers the wrong worry. Then I acknowledge the concern in a sentence. Next I ask an open question, such as "Help me understand what is behind that," because price often hides timing or trust. Only then do I respond to the real issue, and I close by asking what part of the concern is still unaddressed. The trade-off is speed: this takes a few more seconds per objection, but it avoids arguing against a problem the buyer does not have.
The spoken structure: name the four moves, say why exploring comes before answering, give one example of a hidden concern, then state the trade-off.
Common mistakes
- "I give the best rebuttal right away." (wrong) A fast counter answers the stated objection and can put the buyer on the defensive. (right) "I pause, acknowledge, and ask what is behind the concern first."
- "Why do you feel it is too expensive?" (wrong) Gong advises against "why" because it can sound like a challenge. (right) "Can you help me understand what is causing that concern?"
- "Does that resolve your concern?" (wrong) It is a leading question that invites a false yes. (right) "Which part of your concern is still open?"
- "I offer a discount to keep the deal moving." (wrong) A discount before you know the concern may answer nothing, and it lowers the price of a deal that may not have been about price. (right) "I find the real concern, then fit the answer to it."
Follow-up questions
What is an objection in sales?
A sales objection is a reason a prospect gives for not buying or not taking the next step, and it tells the seller what still has to be resolved. HubSpot says most trace back to money, authority, need or trust. Treat it as a signal that the decision still needs work, not proof that the deal is dead.
What is the LAER model?
LAER stands for Listen, Acknowledge, Explore, Respond, and Carew International teaches it as a sequence in which you answer only after you have understood.
How do you handle a price objection?
Acknowledge the concern, then ask what the price is being compared with and whether anything else is in the way. Price can hide timing, risk or internal approval, and the reply should fit the one you find.
Why should you not ask why when a prospect objects?
Gong says "why" can put the buyer on the defensive. A softer open question, such as asking what is causing the concern, gets the same information.
Should you memorize word-for-word objection scripts?
No. The sourced practice is a structure that forces diagnosis before an answer; memorize the order and the kinds of question, and choose the words to fit the buyer.
What do you say when a prospect says send me some information?
Acknowledge the request, then ask what the prospect hopes the material will answer, so you send something targeted and agree a time to follow up. The request can be a polite way to end the call, so the question finds out whether real interest sits behind it. A similar pattern fits "I need to talk to my boss": ask what the boss will want to see, then offer to help prepare it.
- An objection-handling script is an ordered plan: listen, acknowledge, explore, then respond.
- The stated objection is often not the real one, so explore before you answer.
- Top reps answer objections with a question about 54% of the time, against 31% for average reps, but the data is vendor-reported correlation.
- Avoid "why" and avoid leading closers like "Does that resolve your concern?"
- Memorize the order, not the words.
Sources
- The 7 best objection handling techniques for sales reps — Gong, 6 Mar 2026
- Objection handling: 44 common sales objections and how to respond — HubSpot, 14 Aug 2026
- LAER: The Bonding Process is Essential for Effective Selling — Carew International, 26 Oct 2026
- How to Use LAER to Overcome Last-Minute Objections — Carew International, 26 Oct 2026
- 15 Effective Sales Tactics Examples — Gong, 26 Oct 2026
- Prospecting and objection handling guide — HubSpot and Gong, 26 Oct 2026
