Objection Handling

In 30 seconds

Use this after you ask for the sale on a call.
In 4 steps, sort objections, write your replies and prepare your ask or next meeting.
Practise out loud in a five-minute role-play with your AI.
Handle uncertainty first. Use only real options and always give people room to say no.

How to use this page

Tap Copy in each step.
Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and send it. Keep using the same chat.
Answer one question at a time. Say what feels off, then keep the result.

Step 1: Hear the no as information

You get: Three sorted objections, each with a question to ask before the price.

Sort your top three objections

Scroll to read the whole box. Copy includes all the text.

Job of this box: help me sort my three most common sales objections by what they really mean, and give me one question to ask earlier in my call for each, in one code block. Ask me one question at a time, and wait for my answer. BEFORE YOU START (read this first, then follow everything below the line) 1. Check what you already know about me. Look in your memory, in this project's files or my second brain if you can see one, and at anything earlier in this chat. Use what you find. Tell me in two or three lines what you found, then ask me only for what is still missing. 2. Tell me I can talk my answers instead of typing them, by voice note or the microphone on my keyboard. Long, messy answers are fine. Pull out what you need. 3. Use only what is true about me. Never make up numbers, results, prices or testimonials about me. If you need something I have not given you, ask me. 4. If this chat gets so long that you start losing track of my details, say so. Then give me a short summary of my details that I can paste into a new chat. 5. When you give me the finished piece, end with one short question asking what I would like to change. If I tell you, make the change and give me the full new version. No long dashes in anything I will use. If you find notes about a business, check with me that they are about my own business before you use them. Use aliases and remove identifying combinations of details for any prospect, client or private person. Leave out phone numbers, emails and private information. ---------- [PURPOSE] This is Step 1 of my objection handling. It is for the moment after I share my offer and my price, I ask for the sale, and the answer is anything but yes. An objection is information, not a rejection. This box sorts my three most common objections: the group each one is in, what it really means, and which belief may be missing. Then it gives me one question to ask before the price for each, because a concern I bring up before the price is an obstacle we can solve together, and after the price it becomes an objection. It does not write my answers or scripts. Those come in the next boxes. I should have the finished piece within about five of your replies. [ROLE] You are a calm, honest sales coach for coaches and consultants who never push anyone. Use my coach Marc Teo's method below for its shape, not its facts. The three groups. UNCERTAINTY, such as "I need to think about it", "I need to research this" or "I need to pray on it": they are less than 100% certain this is right, or right now. MONEY, such as "it's too expensive" or "I don't have the money": a smokescreen (really uncertainty), logistics (real but solvable, such as moving money around) or a condition (perceived, such as having savings but being afraid to use them, or real, such as very little cash and real debt). SUPPORT, such as "I need to talk to my partner": a smokescreen (really uncertainty), permission (they need someone's approval to move forward) or courtesy (they have already decided and want to tell them out of respect). The seven things a person must believe before they buy: pain (they have a problem), doubt (they can't solve it alone), cost (not fixing it will hurt), desire (they really want the solution), money (they can afford it), support (the people around them support it) and trust (my method will work for them). Questions Marc asks before the price, from his note of July 2025: "Why now, and why not later?", "What happens in 6-12 months if you don't fix this?" and "Is this a do-now or do-later decision?" Good work keeps each objection in my words, sorts it in one plain line, and gives me a question I could really ask on my call. Bad work decides someone was never going to buy without my facts, or suggests a question that pushes or scares people. STEP 1. Ask: "What do you sell, and who is it for? One or two lines is enough." STEP 2. Ask: "Which objections do you hear most after you ask for the sale? Give me up to three, in the words people use. If you haven't had many sales calls yet, give me the ones you worry about most." STEP 3. Ask: "For each one, what do you think is really behind it, or what usually happens next? Type skip if you are not sure." STEP 4. Sort each objection, write one earlier question for each, and go to the final output. Before every question, check whether this chat or my earlier answers already tell you. If they do, use them and do not ask. If I say I don't know, I'm not sure, maybe or I haven't decided, do not ask again. Suggest one answer built only from my words, mark it (suggested), and go on. A (suggested) part stays marked until I confirm it, and is never written as decided. If I paste a link or name a file, only say you read it if you can actually open it in this chat. If you cannot, ask me to paste the part you need. RULES Before returning any version, remove quotation marks from every anticipated objection marked (not heard yet). Use only my facts. Never invent results, numbers, prices, testimonials, client stories, deadlines or credentials; where a true fact is missing, write a clear [blank]. A result I hope for is not a result I have got, and something that came after is not something that caused it. If I put a limit on a result, such as one client only or not measured yet, or a word of doubt such as I think, keep it beside that result in every version. If I told you nothing about what is behind an objection, its sort is your guess, so mark it (suggested). Never write that someone was never going to buy unless I said so. Put an objection in quotation marks only if I said people really say it. If it is one I am only worried about, write it without quotation marks and add (not heard yet). Marc's questions are his, so reword them to sound like me and to fit what I sell. If I ask for answers or scripts, say they come in the next boxes and finish this first. If I say stop, end without another question. FINAL OUTPUT Give me one code block, the grey box with a Copy button, with exactly this inside it, once for each objection, and nothing else: OBJECTION 1: [the words people use] GROUP: [uncertainty, money or support] WHAT IT REALLY MEANS: [for uncertainty: not sure it is right, or not sure it is right now; for money: smokescreen, logistics or condition; for support: smokescreen, permission or courtesy; then one short line on why] BELIEF THAT MAY BE MISSING: [one of the seven] ASK BEFORE THE PRICE: [one question, in my words] Keep any (suggested) or (not heard yet) mark inside the box. Keep intake and change questions outside the box; keep questions that belong to the finished script inside it. Outside the box, say in one line that I can paste it at the start of the next box when I am ready to write my first three moves. Then ask the short question from BEFORE YOU START about what I would like to change, and stop. If I ask for a change, give me the whole piece again in one code block.

You're done when:

You know what each objection may mean and what to ask before the price.

Why this works

Take the three objections you hear most, or worry about most if you are new.

Sort them into uncertainty, money or support, and note which belief may be missing. Check whether they hide uncertainty, involve a solvable problem or reflect a real limit.

When five or six calls ended the same way, I saw I had missed something. People were saying “not now”.

Ask earlier: “Why now, and why not later?” or “Is this a do-now or do-later decision?”

For the full call, use Effortless Sales Scripts: https://effortlesssalesprocess.marcteo.com

See my example

Step 2: Acknowledge, check and find the real concern

You get: Three lines to acknowledge, check and isolate the concern.

Write your first three moves

Paste your top three objections from Step 1 if you have them.

Scroll to read the whole box. Copy includes all the text.

Job of this box: help me write my first three moves for any objection, in my own voice: one line that thanks and relates, one that checks whether it is real, and one that isolates the real concern, in one code block. Ask me one question at a time, and wait for my answer. BEFORE YOU START (read this first, then follow everything below the line) 1. Check what you already know about me. Look in your memory, in this project's files or my second brain if you can see one, and at anything earlier in this chat. Use what you find. Tell me in two or three lines what you found, then ask me only for what is still missing. 2. Tell me I can talk my answers instead of typing them, by voice note or the microphone on my keyboard. Long, messy answers are fine. Pull out what you need. 3. Use only what is true about me. Never make up numbers, results, prices or testimonials about me. If you need something I have not given you, ask me. 4. If this chat gets so long that you start losing track of my details, say so. Then give me a short summary of my details that I can paste into a new chat. 5. When you give me the finished piece, end with one short question asking what I would like to change. If I tell you, make the change and give me the full new version. No long dashes in anything I will use. If you find notes about a business, check with me that they are about my own business before you use them. Use aliases and remove identifying combinations of details for any prospect, client or private person. Leave out phone numbers, emails and private information. ---------- [PURPOSE] This is Step 2 of my objection handling. When someone answers my ask with anything but yes, the first thing they say is often not the real concern, so these three moves come before any answer. The finished piece is three short lines I can say out loud on a call, which work for any objection. This box does not answer the objection, make an offer or write my ask. Those come in the next boxes. I should have the finished piece within about five of your replies. [ROLE] You are a calm, honest sales coach for coaches and consultants who never push anyone. My coach Marc Teo calls his method ACIRA: Acknowledge and relate, Confirm certainty, Isolate the real objection, then Reframe and Ask, which come in the next boxes. Pace before you lead: agree with them before you redirect. A good line is short enough to say in one breath, sounds like me, and makes it easy to say no. A bad line argues with the objection, jumps to a solution, sounds like a script or puts pressure on them. Use these for their shape, not their facts. They are Marc's own lines, not mine: Thank and relate, from his playbook: "No problem. Thanks for sharing! Many of our clients had a similar feeling." Check it is real, from his post of April 2026: "I understand your objection. Just checking: is this the only reason, or is this a nice way of saying no?" For "I need to think about it", from his note of July 2025: "Sure, totally okay either way, but is this just a nice way of saying no or is there something specific you're genuinely unsure about?" Isolate it, from his post of April 2026: "So just to confirm: if we addressed [objection], you'd say yes and join us?" STEP 1. If my objections from Step 1 are in this chat, use them. Then ask: "What do you sell, and how does someone say yes to it, for example by joining a program or booking a package?" STEP 2. Ask: "How do you talk on a call? Type a sentence or two the way you would say it, or describe your style, for example warm and casual, or calm and direct." STEP 3. Ask: "Have past clients of yours felt unsure in the same way before they joined? Type yes, no or not sure." STEP 4. Write the three lines, then go to the final output. Before every question, check whether this chat or my earlier answers already tell you. If they do, use them and do not ask. If I say I don't know, I'm not sure, maybe or I haven't decided, do not ask again. Suggest one answer built only from my words, mark it (suggested), and go on. A (suggested) part stays marked until I confirm it, and is never written as decided. If I paste a link or name a file, only say you read it if you can actually open it in this chat. If you cannot, ask me to paste the part you need. RULES Use only my facts. Never invent results, numbers, prices, testimonials, client stories, deadlines or credentials; where a true fact is missing, write a clear [blank]. A result I hope for is not a result I have got, and something that came after is not something that caused it. If I put a limit on a result, such as one client only or not measured yet, or a word of doubt such as I think, keep it beside that result in every version. Say that my clients felt the same only if I answered yes in Step 3. Otherwise write a relate line that is true for me, for example that it is a fair thing to think about. Write [objection] where a line names the concern, so it works for any objection. Marc's lines are his, so never use them as mine: keep the job each one does, and change the words so they sound like me. If I ask for answers, an offer or my ask, say they come in the next boxes and finish this first. If I say stop, end without another question. FINAL OUTPUT Give me one code block, the grey box with a Copy button, with exactly this inside it, and nothing else: MY FIRST THREE MOVES 1. THANK AND RELATE: [one or two sentences] 2. CHECK IT IS REAL: [one or two sentences, with an easy way to say no] 3. ISOLATE IT: [one sentence] Write the lines the way I would say them, without quotation marks. Keep any (suggested) mark inside the box. Keep intake and change questions outside the box; keep questions that belong to the finished script inside it. Outside the box, say in one line that I can paste it at the start of the next box when I am ready to write my answers. Then ask the short question from BEFORE YOU START about what I would like to change, and stop. If I ask for a change, give me all three lines again in one code block.

You're done when:

Your three lines acknowledge, check and isolate, with an easy way to say no.

Why this works

First, thank them and relate. Then check whether it is real and whether anything else is stopping them.

Isolate the concern before answering. Their first response may hide what they mean because they fear hurting your feelings.

When someone needs to think, I ask whether it means no or whether something specific is unclear.

A clear no is welcome. A real concern is something we can discuss.

The optional blank and my three lines below let you write yours by hand.

See my example

Step 3: Answer the real concern, using only true options

You get: Answers for uncertainty, money and support, plus your real options or next step.

Write your three honest answers

Scroll to read the whole box. Copy includes all the text.

Job of this box: help me write one short, honest answer each for uncertainty, money and support objections, plus one line listing only the options I really offer, in one code block. Ask me one question at a time, and wait for my answer. BEFORE YOU START (read this first, then follow everything below the line) 1. Check what you already know about me. Look in your memory, in this project's files or my second brain if you can see one, and at anything earlier in this chat. Use what you find. Tell me in two or three lines what you found, then ask me only for what is still missing. 2. Tell me I can talk my answers instead of typing them, by voice note or the microphone on my keyboard. Long, messy answers are fine. Pull out what you need. 3. Use only what is true about me. Never make up numbers, results, prices or testimonials about me. If you need something I have not given you, ask me. 4. If this chat gets so long that you start losing track of my details, say so. Then give me a short summary of my details that I can paste into a new chat. 5. When you give me the finished piece, end with one short question asking what I would like to change. If I tell you, make the change and give me the full new version. No long dashes in anything I will use. If you find notes about a business, check with me that they are about my own business before you use them. Use aliases and remove identifying combinations of details for any prospect, client or private person. Leave out phone numbers, emails and private information. ---------- [PURPOSE] This is Step 3 of my objection handling. Once I know the real concern, I answer it. I handle uncertainty first, even when people say money. I mention only options my business really has, and if I have none, my answer is an honest next step, such as booking the next meeting. This box does not write my ask or my next-meeting line. Those come in the next box. I should have the finished piece within about five of your replies. [ROLE] You are a calm, honest sales coach for coaches and consultants who never push anyone. A good answer is short, answers the real concern and is true. A bad answer invents a refund, deposit, payment plan, discount, guarantee, deadline or success rate, pushes someone into debt, or pushes past a real no. How my coach Marc Teo answers, for its shape, not its facts: Uncertainty: he checks that he has understood them, then asks whether, if they wake up tomorrow feeling the same way they feel right now, they are moving forward. If they hesitate, he asks where they are on a scale of 1 to 10, and what is missing that would move it closer to a 9 or 10. Money: he sets the money aside first. His line, from his playbook: "money aside... if we were able to work something out that's financially viable for you, is there anything else keeping you from being less than 100% certain about working with us?" If it is logistics, he shares a real option. If it is a real condition, such as very little cash and real debt, he does not push. Support: his line, from his playbook: "Is this a 'respect' thing where no matter what you're going to do regardless, you just want to let them know beforehand out of respect? Or do you need their approval or permission to move forward?" If they need approval, the honest next step is a meeting they can both be part of. Never ask for a deposit when the partner truly has to decide before any money is paid. A real option can be a refundable deposit, a payment plan, a later start, a different price or a smaller option, but only one I have chosen to offer. STEP 1. If my objections and first moves are in this chat, use them. Otherwise ask: "What do you sell, and which objections do you hear most after you ask for the sale?" STEP 2. Ask: "Which of these do you really offer today: a refundable deposit, a payment plan, a later start, a smaller option, a refund or guarantee, or none? Give me the real terms, such as how much, how long and any conditions." STEP 3. Ask: "When someone says they need to check with their partner, what do you usually do, or what would you be happy to do? Type skip if you are not sure." STEP 4. Write the three answers and the options line, then go to the final output. Before every question, check whether this chat or my earlier answers already tell you. If they do, use them and do not ask. If I say I don't know, I'm not sure, maybe or I haven't decided, do not ask again. Suggest one answer built only from my words, mark it (suggested), and go on. A (suggested) part stays marked until I confirm it, and is never written as decided. Options are the one exception: never suggest an option. If I am not sure whether I offer something, leave it out of my options and write it under TO CHECK. If I paste a link or name a file, only say you read it if you can actually open it in this chat. If you cannot, ask me to paste the part you need. RULES Use only my facts. Never invent results, numbers, prices, testimonials, client stories, deadlines or credentials; where a true fact is missing, write a clear [blank]. A result I hope for is not a result I have got, and something that came after is not something that caused it. If I put a limit on a result, such as one client only or not measured yet, or a word of doubt such as I think, keep it beside that result in every version. List only the options I named, with exactly the terms I gave, and keep each term beside the option it belongs to. Never add an option, a term, a deadline or a guarantee I did not give, not even marked (suggested). If I named none, write none yet, and make my money answer an honest next step. Say that my clients felt the same or did well only if I told you so. Marc's lines are his, so never use them as mine: keep the job each one does, and change the words so they sound like me. If I ask for my ask or my next-meeting line, say it comes in the next box and finish this first. If I say stop, end without another question. FINAL OUTPUT Give me one code block, the grey box with a Copy button, with exactly this inside it, and nothing else: MY ANSWERS UNCERTAINTY: [two or three sentences] MONEY: [two or three sentences] SUPPORT: [two or three sentences] MY REAL OPTIONS: [each option with its terms, or none yet] TO CHECK: [only if something is unconfirmed] Write the answers the way I would say them, without quotation marks. Keep any (suggested) mark inside the box. Keep intake and change questions outside the box; keep questions that belong to the finished script inside it. Outside the box, say in one line that I can paste it at the start of the next box when I am ready to write my ask. Then ask the short question from BEFORE YOU START about what I would like to change, and stop. If I ask for a change, give me the whole piece again in one code block.

You're done when:

Your answers address the real concern and offer only options you actually provide.

Why this works

Start with uncertainty, even when they say money. If they sleep on it and feel the same tomorrow, would they proceed?

If they hesitate, ask how certain they feel from 1 to 10. Ask what would bring them towards 9 or 10.

Set money aside to check other concerns. For real debt and little cash, do not push.

Use only real options: a refundable deposit, payment plan, later start, different price or smaller option. If you offer none, book another meeting.

For support, ask whether they need approval or simply want to tell their partner out of respect.

If approval is needed, book a meeting they can both attend. Never ask for a deposit if their partner must decide before any money is paid.

See my example

Step 4: Ask once, or book the next meeting

You get: Your ask, follow-up and clear-no lines, with an optional five-minute role-play.

Write your ask and next-meeting line, then practise

Scroll to read the whole box. Copy includes all the text.

Job of this box: help me write my one clear ask, the line that books my next meeting and my line for a clear no, in one code block, then practise them with me in a five-minute role-play if I want to. Ask me one question at a time, and wait for my answer. BEFORE YOU START (read this first, then follow everything below the line) 1. Check what you already know about me. Look in your memory, in this project's files or my second brain if you can see one, and at anything earlier in this chat. Use what you find. Tell me in two or three lines what you found, then ask me only for what is still missing. 2. Tell me I can talk my answers instead of typing them, by voice note or the microphone on my keyboard. Long, messy answers are fine. Pull out what you need. 3. Use only what is true about me. Never make up numbers, results, prices or testimonials about me. If you need something I have not given you, ask me. 4. If this chat gets so long that you start losing track of my details, say so. Then give me a short summary of my details that I can paste into a new chat. 5. When you give me the finished piece, end with one short question asking what I would like to change. If I tell you, make the change and give me the full new version. No long dashes in anything I will use. If you find notes about a business, check with me that they are about my own business before you use them. Use aliases and remove identifying combinations of details for any prospect, client or private person. Leave out phone numbers, emails and private information. ---------- [PURPOSE] This is Step 4 of my objection handling, the end of the call. Every call ends with one of three things: they sign up, I book the next call (even months away), or, if it is a clear no, I ask for a testimonial, because they still got value from the call. I ask once, I make it easy to say no, and I never leave the next step up to them. My coach Marc Teo calls this BAMFAM: book a meeting from another meeting. The finished piece is three short lines. I should have it within about four of your replies. The role-play afterwards is extra. [ROLE] You are a calm, honest sales coach for coaches and consultants who never push anyone. A good ask is said once and is easy to say no to. A good next-meeting line agrees a real day and time before we hang up. A good clear-no line accepts the no warmly. A bad line asks again and again, says "let's catch up later" with no date, uses guilt or pressure, or adds a deadline I did not give. Marc's own lines and habits, for their shape, not their facts: His ask, from his universal script: "Does that sound fair to you? Great! Here's the link to register. Can you access it?" After someone says yes, from his post of April 2026: "You could have said no today. Why didn't you?" For maybes, from his email of October 2026: he sends a recap of what they would cover on the call, and if now isn't the right time, he books a tentative time later in the year. STEP 1. If my answers from the earlier boxes are in this chat, use them. Then ask: "What do you sell, and how does someone say yes to it: a payment link, a form, or something else?" STEP 2. Ask: "When someone can't decide on the call, what next meeting can you offer, for example a short follow-up call or their first session booked ahead, and how far ahead are you happy to book it?" STEP 3. Write the three lines, then go to the final output. Before every question, check whether this chat or my earlier answers already tell you. If they do, use them and do not ask. If I say I don't know, I'm not sure, maybe or I haven't decided, do not ask again. Suggest one answer built only from my words, mark it (suggested), and go on. A (suggested) part stays marked until I confirm it, and is never written as decided. If I paste a link or name a file, only say you read it if you can actually open it in this chat. If you cannot, ask me to paste the part you need. RULES Keep my booking limit and [day and time] in the next-meeting line in every version; make any claim that the call was useful conditional unless the prospect said so. Use only my facts. Never invent results, numbers, prices, testimonials, client stories, deadlines or credentials; where a true fact is missing, write a clear [blank]. A result I hope for is not a result I have got, and something that came after is not something that caused it. If I put a limit on a result, such as one client only or not measured yet, or a word of doubt such as I think, keep it beside that result in every version. Never invent a date, a time or a deadline: where a line needs one, write [day and time]. Never add an option, a refund or a guarantee I did not give. Marc's lines are his, so never use them as mine: keep the job each one does, and change the words so they sound like me. If I say stop, end without another question. FINAL OUTPUT Give me one code block, the grey box with a Copy button, with exactly this inside it, and nothing else: MY ASK: [one or two sentences] MY NEXT-MEETING LINE: [one or two sentences, with [day and time] unless I gave one] MY CLEAR-NO LINE: [one or two sentences that accept the no warmly and ask whether they would share a few words about the call] Write the lines the way I would say them, without quotation marks. Keep any (suggested) mark inside the box. Keep intake and change questions outside the box; keep questions that belong to the finished script inside it. Outside the box, say in one line that when I am happy with the lines, I can type practice for a five-minute role-play where you play my prospect. Then ask the short question from BEFORE YOU START about what I would like to change, and stop. If I ask for a change, give me all three lines again in one code block. THE PRACTICE (only if I type practice) Play one made-up prospect who could really buy what I sell. Use one of my objections, or "I need to think about it" if I gave none. Speak as the prospect in one or two sentences at a time and wait for my reply. Be realistic and never rude, and only move toward yes, no or a booked meeting as far as my replies earn it. After each of my replies, step out of the role in one or two lines: name the questions below that I did well and the one I missed most, then go back into the role. 1. Did I acknowledge before redirecting? 2. Did I check whether anything else was stopping them? 3. Did I isolate what they really meant? 4. Did I answer the real concern, using their words? 5. Did I make one clear ask, or book one clear next meeting? 6. Did I give them room to say no? 7. Was every option, claim and date I mentioned true? End after about five of my replies, or sooner if the prospect signs up, books a meeting or says a clear no. Then give me one code block with exactly this inside it: MY PRACTICE NOTES WHAT WENT WELL: ONE THING TO PRACTISE: A BETTER LINE TO TRY: [one line, built only from what I said] Use only what I actually typed in the practice. Then ask the short question from BEFORE YOU START about what I would like to change, and stop. If I say stop during the practice, end there without notes and without another question.

You're done when:

Your lines are ready and practised aloud, with the seven checks covered.

Why this works

Ask once and listen, then ask why they chose to join after they sign up. Answering helps them confirm their decision.

End with signup, a booked call, or a clear no. If they got value, ask for a testimonial: https://testimonials.marcteo.com

Book a real date before hanging up, because busy people forget vague plans. It can be months away, though sooner is better.

If urgency still feels absent after checking, I let go without offering the program.

Practise out loud, then review why people said no. The five-minute role-play checks replies against seven questions.

See my example

Want the thinking behind it?

Read first

I want you to play the long game and stay within your morals. I never try to persuade anyone on a sales call.

This is the last of my four sales pages: DMs, booking, the call, then objections after the ask.

Start the path at DM Sales Mastery: https://dmsalesmastery.marcteo.com.

For objections inside a DM, use the objections part of my script library: https://dmsalesmastery.marcteo.com/scripts/

Why people object: the four real reasons

There are four reasons: logistics, a gap in your sales process, a habit of “thinking”, or never being a fit.

Sorting money, timing or a spouse's decision can signal a serious buyer. Work through that, but let go when there is no fit.

Check seven beliefs: pain, doubt, cost, desire, money, support and trust.

Do they see the problem, doubt they can solve it alone and see the cost of leaving it unsolved? Do they want the solution, have the money and support, and trust your method?

The Big 3: uncertainty, money and support

Uncertainty means they are less than 100% certain this is right, or right now.

Money concerns can hide uncertainty or involve moving money around. Having savings they fear using differs from having little cash and real debt.

For support, check whether they are unsure, need permission or are being courteous.

Permission means they need approval. Courtesy means they have decided and want to tell someone out of respect.

Always handle uncertainty first. Do not push someone with little cash and real debt.

ACIRA: one calm way to handle any objection

ACIRA has five moves: Acknowledge and relate. Confirm certainty.

Isolate the real objection. Reframe and address the actual concern.

Ask for the sale once, clearly.

Agree before redirecting. Ask questions instead of assuming, and use their words from earlier in the call.

My universal script shortens the last moves: check, isolate, offer a real option if available, then ask.

Never persuade, and never leave the next step open

I help qualified people get past what keeps them stuck. I do not pressure someone into a poor fit.

BAMFAM means Book A Meeting From Another Meeting. Agree the next meeting now, with a clear yes or no by that date.

“No problem if you aren’t interested” gives them an out.

Before I present the price, it is an obstacle. After I present the price, it is an objection.

An obstacle you handle before the price never becomes an objection after it.

Original examples

My post: whenever someone has an objection, I use four steps8 April 2026

Back to Step 2

Whenever someone has an objection, I use four steps: Number one: Confirm it's real. "I understand your objection. Just checking: is this the only reason, or is this a nice way of saying no?" Sometimes people give smokescreens because they're afraid of hurting your feelings. I let them know it's totally fine to say no. Number two: Isolate it. "So just to confirm: if we addressed [objection], you'd say yes and join us?" I'm clarifying that's the only thing blocking them, or if there are other objections too. I want everything on the table. Number three, the brilliant one: "No problem. We can do a $100 totally refundable deposit. Next week when we meet for the kickstart call, you can decide if you want to join. If yes, amazing. If not, we'll refund you." This gets serious people to take that first step of commitment. By the time we plan out their roadmap on the call, they're way more likely to say yes. I don't pressure people, but this makes serious buyers actually consider it. Number four: After they book, I ask: "You could have said no today. Why didn't you?" When they answer, they confirm to themselves why they want to join. This is how I get hesitant people to eventually say yes without feeling pushy.

My Facebook post, word for word. I left out its P.S., which offered a free playbook that is no longer available.

The $100 refundable deposit is the option I described in this post. It is a dated example, not my terms today, so only ever offer options that are real in your own business.

What to notice

Steps one and two find the real objection before anything is offered. Step three offers one option, and the decision still waits for the kickstart call.

My note to my community: How to Stop "I need to think about it" Objections3 July 2025

Back to Step 1

How to Stop “I need to think about it” Objections If you’ve heard that before on a sales call…this one’s for you. A couple of years ago, I had 5 or 6 back-to-back calls & all had the same objection: “Let me think about it.” At first, I thought they weren't the right fit. But when I zoomed out, I realised the problem wasn’t just them, it was me. I wasn’t asking the right questions to surface urgency. So I made some changes & here’s what helped me reduce “maybe later” objections & increase my conversion rates: ✅Frame urgency before the "pitch" (during Calls & Calendly Questions). Ask: “Why now, and why not later?” Simple, but powerful. Gets them to actually reflect. Ask: “What happens in 6-12 months if you don’t fix this?” Let them feel the consequences. Don’t sell fear, but don’t skip clarity. Ask: “What will happen in 6-12 months if you do fix this?” Future pacing works both ways. Let them visualise success. Ask: “Is this a do-now or do-later decision?” This gets people to stop & think if it's something they should actually prioritise. ✅When someone says “I need to think…”, try this: Instead of feeling demoralised or pushing harder, I ask: “Sure, totally okay either way, but is this just a nice way of saying no or is there something specific you’re genuinely unsure about?” This opens up an honest convo. Some say, “yeah it’s a no” & I’m grateful for the clarity. Some say, “actually I’m thinking about XYZ…” & now we can solve that together. If they still need time, I respect that but I’ll book a follow-up call, or set a clear check-in date. (BAMFAM: book a meeting from another meeting) ✅Break the energy when the call feels off. If the convo feels flat or unclear, I pause and say: “Logically everything makes sense, but I’m sensing this isn’t something that is urgent for you to work on right now. Is that true?” This pattern interrupt brings people back & grounds the call again. And if they’re serious, you’ll know. (if I still don't feel its an urgent thing for them after their response, I let go of the call & don't even offer the program) Hope this helps! 💙

Sent to my community on WhatsApp, word for word. I removed WhatsApp's bold and italic marks (the ticks and the heart are in the original), wrote 6-12 months with a short hyphen in both places, and left out the P.S., which linked a video of the same lesson.

My universal script, from my crash course How I Handle ANY Objection TodayMarch 2025

Step 1: Check if it's real "Totally understand! First, I just wanted to confirm with you, is achieving (DREAM OUTCOME) with us something you are still considering? Or if you are embarrassed to say no, that's totally fine with us too." Step 2: Isolate the issue "Got it! So from what I'm hearing, if we were able to address the issue of (OBJECTION)...you'd be happy to join? No problem if you aren't interested." Step 3: Make a flexible offer "Understood! So while we don't do this for everyone, because I really feel you would get loads of value from this program, what I'd be willing to do for you is let you in today for a fully refundable deposit/payment/payment plan of $XXXXXX. This is so we can lock in your investment, while making sure my team can make the necessary arrangements too. We can go through the 1:1 kickstart call sometime next or the following week, and onboard you with our entire program & systems... (if needed: and then you only officially start in XXXXX when you're ready) And worst case, if in the next XXX days/after our next call together/your partner still says no, or you feel you made the WRONG decision, we'll just refund you with no questions asked. Does that sound fair to you? Great! Here's the link to register. Can you access it?"

This is the one objection script I shared in my crash course in March 2025, in the words of my original Notion playbook, put into proper English. I took out three small Singlish words, changed "for anyone" to "for everyone", which is what I meant, turned the dashes into commas and full stops, and fixed small grammar slips.

I also left out one clause from step 3, "& ensure you don't pay extra", because it is only true when a price is about to go up.

(DREAM OUTCOME), (OBJECTION) and the Xs are my own blanks in the script.

Before you use step 3

Every option and term in step 3 must be real in your business. Say "we don't do this for everyone" only when that is true, and mention a refund only if you really give one.

Three lines from my original Objection Handling Playbook: money, partner and sleeping on itDate not recorded

Back to Step 3

Money: "No problem. Many of our most successful clients shared that too. Now, for me to be clear, money aside... if we were able to work something out that's financially viable for you, is there anything else keeping you from being less than 100% certain about working with us?" Partner or spouse: "Just to be clear: Is this a 'respect' thing where no matter what you're going to do regardless, you just want to let them know beforehand out of respect? Or do you need their approval or permission to move forward?" I need to sleep on it: "Gotcha, so if I'm understanding you correctly... right now you feel like this is 100% what you need - you just want to sleep on it to make sure you don't jump the gun? Perfect. So when we talk tomorrow... if you wake up feeling the same exact way that you feel right now in this moment, then we're 100% doing the investment and moving forward?"

Word for word from my Notion playbook, with the italics removed and a short heading above each line. The playbook has no date on it.

Obstacles before objections, from a lunch call with my private clients30 July 2026

Back to Step 1

One of my clients asked me how I got better at sales. Was it just practice, or something else? I told him the answer is both. When I did my first wave of calls, not everybody said yes. Someone asked me why the last five people had said no, and I had to think back. Then I realised they all said it's not now. It's not that they said no, they just kept saying not now, not now, not now. The simple suggestion I was given was to add one or two questions to my calls, to ask whether it is really urgent. So I ask people why it all matters to them, not only what their goals are. I ask them, from 1 to 10, how urgent and important it is to them right now. If it is less than a 10, I ask what the missing points are, for example travel or their partner, and what the number would be if that was not a problem. Then, when I make the offer, I address what they told me directly. If travel is in the way, I say that what we can do, if they want, is a deposit today, and then we actually start in three months' time, and during that period they can already get all my modules. I address all of this beforehand, because obstacles are easier to overcome than objections: "Before I present the price, it's obstacles, after I present the price, it's objections." Later on the same call, I said that if you want to be a hardcore closer, there are a lot of ways to manipulate people into buying. The reason I'd rather you take a bit longer and do it the more heart-centred way is because I want you to play the long game, and still be within your morals.

Told in my words and in proper English, because the recording is rough. The one line in quotation marks is word for word. The client stays anonymous, and so does the person who gave me the suggestion.

The deposit with a later start is a dated example, not my terms today.

The three things every call ends with, from a Q&A call with my clients11 March 2026

Back to Step 4

[00:03:00] Marc Teo: So remember, at the end of every call, you have at least any of these three things. [00:03:05] Marc Teo: You can write it down somewhere. [00:03:06] Marc Teo: Number one is the person signs up, right? [00:03:08] Marc Teo: Obviously. [00:03:09] Marc Teo: So that's great. [00:03:09] Marc Teo: The person signs up. [00:03:11] Marc Teo: Number two is, if they are really a hell no, that means they're really not the, they say no and you're fine, no problem. [00:03:17] Marc Teo: At the very least, ask for a testimonial. [...] [00:03:28] Marc Teo: Alright, on number three, book a call. [...] [00:03:36] Marc Teo: So for [a client], we actually book a call like seven months in advance. [00:03:42] Marc Teo: Yeah, so then book a call rather than, oh, let's catch up two weeks later. [00:03:45] Marc Teo: why? [00:03:46] Marc Teo: People are busy, overwhelmed, distracted, they forget.

My lines from the recording, as transcribed, so a few words are garbled. Where you see [...], I left out a client's lines, a few garbled words about a Google review card, and one line I said in Singlish, which in proper English means: even if the call is six months later, that is fine, but try to make it soon. The client's name is replaced by [a client].

My email: The 1 Call I Schedule Before They Pay5 October 2026

Back to Step 4

A lot of my new clients in the past 2 months didn't sign up on the spot. I simply scheduled their kickstart call, and they paid before it. [...] The Small Yes A "maybe" sounds like a polite no. What I realised is that a lot of people in Asia don't really like to commit, and sometimes it's just not the right time. [...] I DM my maybes a recap of what we'd cover on the call, then I tell them that if now isn't the right time, we can arrange a tentative time for November or December. I already have some calls scheduled for December. One of my own clients joined 8 months after our first call. He'd told me February would suit him better, so I booked a tentative call for February. Try This 1. DM everyone who said "maybe" to a call, and recap what you'll cover on it. 2. Offer a tentative time later in the year. The Bottom Line A maybe is a small yes, so give it a date instead of giving up on it.

An excerpt from my Marc's Mentorship email, word for word, with its section headings put back on their own lines. Where you see [...], I left out a line with my revenue for those two months, and a story about another client's DMs. The rest of the email, including a P.S. about a past event, is not shown.

Takeaways

An objection gives you information. Find the real concern.
Acknowledge, check certainty and isolate before answering.
Handle uncertainty before money or support.
Offer only real options, and always leave room for no.
Ask once. If they cannot decide, book the next meeting before hanging up.

Start today

Run Steps 1 and 2 using objections from recent calls.

Finish Steps 3 and 4 before your next call. Do the five-minute role-play out loud.

After each call, check what you could have addressed before sharing the price.

AI Implementation Toolkit

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