Disc Objection Handling

---
name: disc-objection-handling
description: Builds an objection handling map for this stage of the deal, with the real question behind each objection, an honest response, the proof each response needs, and what you will not say. Use for "run disc-objection-handling", "the same objections come back every deal", "prepare me for objections", "they said send me something", "we will do it in house", "the timing is not right", "how do I answer it is too expensive", part of the Claude for Winning Proposals Pack by Polar Bear.
---

# Objection Handling Map

## When To Use
The same objections come back every deal and you answer them on the spot, then replay the answer in the car. Use this before a proposal meeting or a follow-up call to prepare honest answers to the objections you actually hear, with the proof you actually have.

## When Not To Use
If the objection is "AI could do this", use AI Objection Answer; it needs its own task split. If terms are on the table and the client asks for a discount, use the Negotiation Plan.

## Inputs
- The objections you have heard, in the client's words where your notes have them
- Your proposal or scope, and where this deal stands
- Your proof: past client cases you may cite, figures you can show, references who agreed to speak
If you have none of this, I start from four defaults (price, timing, "we will do it in house", "send me something") and mark the map as a first draft.

## Approach
LAER, from Carew International (carew.com/how-to-use-laer-to-overcome-last-minute-objections-without-losing-the-deal/), handles an objection in four moves: listen, acknowledge, explore, respond. The judgment sits in Explore: "send me something" can mean "I am interested, convince my boss" or "I want this call to end", and the right answer differs. The failure this prevents is the rebuttal script, a map that skips Explore and fires a prepared line at every objection. Works in any chat.

## Workflow
1. Ask at most three questions: which objections have you heard at this stage, which one cost you a deal recently, and what proof can you actually show.
2. One row per objection. In Listen, write what to listen for: the exact words, and what comes after them. Tell yourself to let the client finish.
3. In Acknowledge, write one sentence that agrees with what is true ("it is a real amount of money", "the quarter is full"). No "but" after it.
4. In Explore, write the question that finds the real question behind it. For price: compared with what? For timing: what would have to change for now to work? For in house: who would do it, and what would they stop doing? For "send me something": what would you do with it, and who else reads it? Every row needs one; a row without it is a rebuttal.
5. In Respond, draft an honest answer for each likely answer to the explore question, in your voice. Where the honest answer is "then this is not the right time", write that.
6. Fill Proof needed from your own files only: the case, figure or reference that supports the response, or "none yet". Never fill a gap with a plausible example.
7. Fill What I will not say: pressure lines, false deadlines, invented scarcity, claims you cannot prove. Read the map aloud and cut anything you would wince to hear said to you.

## Output Format
```markdown
# Objection Handling Map
**Deal stage:** [stage]  **Prepared for:** [meeting, date]
| Objection | Listen for | Acknowledge | Explore question | Respond | Proof needed | What I will not say |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [price] | [their words] | [what is true] | [question] | [honest answer] | [case / figure / reference, or none yet] | [line to avoid] |
| [timing] | [their words] | [what is true] | [question] | [honest answer] | [proof or none yet] | [line to avoid] |
## Proof gaps
- [response that needs proof you do not have yet, and how you will get it with permission]
## Decision
[You decide by [date] which responses to use at [meeting], and which proof gaps to close first.]
```

## Done When
- Every row has an explore question
- Every acknowledgement agrees with something true, with no "but" after it
- Every proof cell names a real item from your files or says "none yet"
- The "will not say" column is filled for every row

## Quality Bar
- Responses answer the real question, not the words of the objection
- "This is not the right time for us" is allowed as an honest response
- No case, figure or reference that you did not supply; client results need the client's permission
- No pressure tactics, deadlines you would not hold, or scarcity you cannot show
- Honest responses with proof you have; no pressure tactics.

## Next
Run disc-negotiation-plan (Negotiation Plan) for when the objection turns into haggling.

## About the makers

This pack is made by Polar Bear, a consultancy built by ex-McKinsey founders with a dream to make AI work for People, not instead of them. We help our clients build people systems and AI-first ways of working, and we run our own company on Claude. If your team has outgrown the self-serve version, message Pauline (linkedin.com/in/paulinebertry).