Objections: Dig for the Root Cause

"Whenever you hear an objection, probe for its root cause." 

In my career, I have spoken in front of thousands of people, most were eager to listen to what I had to say, but there were of course some who were skeptical, all arms crossed, waiting for me to say something they hadn’t already heard before. The moment I mentioned objections, someone in the back muttered, "Oh great, another ‘handle it like a pro’ speech." I had to laugh—because that’s exactly the problem. We’re so busy handling objections that we forget to understand them.

The Truth About Objections: They Aren’t What They Seem

Objections are like iceberg tips. What the customer says is just the surface-level excuse; the real issue is lurking beneath. It’s rarely about the price, the timeline, or the “I need to think about it.” More often, it’s about fear, uncertainty, or a hidden concern they don’t want to say outright.

A client once told me, "Your services are too expensive." Instead of launching into a price justification monologue (which sometimes is the tempting thing to do), I paused and asked, "Compared to what?" Turns out, they weren’t concerned about the price but whether the value matched their expectations. That small probe turned a rejection into a deeper conversation, and eventually, a sale.

Probing: Dig Like You’re Looking for Gold

When you hear an objection, don’t just accept it at face value. Ask questions, get curious, and most importantly, shut up long enough for the real truth to surface. Some of my favorite probing questions include:

• "Tell me more about that—what’s your biggest concern?"

• "What’s holding you back from making a decision today?"

• "If price (or timeline, or approval) wasn’t an issue, would you go ahead?"

Each of these questions peels back a layer until you find the core issue. And once you get there, that’s where the real selling begins.

Humor Works Wonders

Let’s not forget that objections, at their heart, are just concerns wrapped in hesitation. And nothing diffuses hesitation like humor. One time, a prospect hit me with, "I don’t think this is the right time." Instead of arguing, I replied, "Oh, so you're saying that if I come back exactly 47 days from now, you'd say yes?" They laughed, we talked, and a week later, they signed.

The Bottom Line

Objections aren’t the end of the conversation—they’re the beginning of the real one. Instead of getting defensive or rolling out a pre-packaged response, take a beat, ask a question, and dig deeper. Because when you uncover the true hesitation, you don’t just close deals—you build trust.

And if all else fails, there’s always humor. After all, if you can’t make a sale, at least leave them smiling.