Concept
Objection Handling
Objection handling is treating an objection as information about an unaddressed fear rather than as a rejection, and answering the fear with a label and a calibrated question instead of a discount or a rebuttal.
Chris Voss's approach in Never Split the Difference reframes the moment most people dread. An objection, too expensive, not now, we need to think, is rarely the end; it is the other side showing you which concern you have not yet handled. Rebutting it turns the conversation into a contest; discounting it teaches them that objections move the price. The alternative is to acknowledge the concern with a label, then ask a calibrated question that makes them describe what would resolve it. What people get wrong is answering the words of the objection rather than the fear beneath them. 'Too expensive' usually means 'I cannot see the value yet' or 'I cannot justify this to someone', and those are different conversations.
A real-life example
'It's too expensive.' The consultant does not lower the fee. 'It sounds like the number is hard to justify internally. What would your finance team need to see for this to make sense?' The answer is a phased payment and a written outcome, both of which she can give without touching the price.
How to use it
- 1Write the three objections you hear most, and for each one the fear it usually stands for.
- 2Answer an objection with a label first, then a 'how' or 'what' question; never with a rebuttal or an immediate discount.
- 3If you do move on price, trade it: 'I can do that if we…'