Quick Start

Reads a deal's history and prepares you for the objections you are most likely to hear, with honest responses and one next move. Keeps pricing in AUD with GST stated and avoids pressure tactics.

Complete Guide

Sales Objection Prep

What it does

Looks at where a deal is, what happened last and what the customer has said so far, then gives you a short prep sheet: an honest read on deal health, the top three objections ranked by likelihood, a response to each, one recommended next move, and any warning signs that the deal is going cold.

When to use it

Before a second or third call when the customer has started to hesitate.
When a quote has gone quiet and you want to know what is really in the way.
Before a price or contract negotiation, or a renewal.

What you need

Required: the deal history in any form: your call notes, the email thread, or a copy of the CRM timeline. Include the quoted price and whether it includes GST.
Helpful: stage, date the deal was opened, expected close date, and who else is involved in the decision.
Optional connectors, if you already use them: HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, Zoho CRM, Gmail or Microsoft 365 Outlook. None is required.

Steps for Claude

Read the full history before forming a view. Note the date of the last two-way contact.
Decide whether the deal is moving, stalled or going backwards, and say why in one sentence.
Find the most recent unresolved concern and the last thing the customer said or did that shows their current thinking.
Rank three likely objections. Base each on something in the history where possible, and say when you are inferring from the industry or stage instead.
For each objection, name the real concern underneath (budget, timing, risk, internal approval, unclear value, a competitor) and write a response of two or three sentences: acknowledge, reframe, then ask a question.
Keep responses truthful. Do not suggest inventing urgency, discounts that do not exist, or results the user cannot show. Do not suggest telling a customer they have no rights if something goes wrong.
If a price is discussed, state amounts in AUD and say whether they include GST, so the numbers match the quote.

Output format

Keep the whole sheet under 350 words.

Deal status: stage, time in stage, health (Strong, At risk, Stalled, Unknown) and why.
What happened last: two or three sentences.
Objections, ranked 1 to 3: objection in the customer's words, root cause, response.
Recommended next move: one specific action, what to say or send, and why it fits now.
Warning signs: only if present, such as unanswered emails, a less senior contact, or missed dates.
Missing information: anything that would change this advice.

Australian rules and sources

Honest claims. The ACCC says businesses must not make false claims about price, savings, availability or delivery times, or about a customer's rights, warranties or remedies, and must be able to back up claims: https://www.accc.gov.au/business/advertising-and-promotions/false-or-misleading-claims
Consumer guarantees. If you sell to consumers, the consumer guarantees apply and a contract cannot take them away. When a customer asks "what if it fails?", answer with your warranty and their guarantee rights, not instead of them. See https://business.gov.au/legal/fair-trading/australian-consumer-law-and-your-business and https://www.accc.gov.au/business/selling-products-and-services/contracts
Pressure tactics. Pressuring or harassing customers is listed as an unfair sales practice on business.gov.au (link above).
Customer data in AI tools. Remove sensitive personal details before pasting notes. OAIC guidance: https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-guidance-for-organisations-and-government-agencies/guidance-on-privacy-and-the-use-of-commercially-available-ai-products

Limits

This is coaching based on the notes you provide. If the notes are thin, the read on the deal will be too. It is not legal advice about contract terms or refunds.

Example requests

"Here's the email thread with Coastal Joinery. They've gone quiet since we sent the $18,400 plus GST quote. What objections should I expect on Thursday?"
"Pull the Harbour Freight deal from Pipedrive and prep me for the renewal call."
"The client keeps saying 'we'll think about it'. Here are my call notes. What is really going on and what should I do next?"

Usage Examples

→Here's the email thread with Coastal Joinery. They've gone quiet since we sent the $18,400 plus GST quote. What objections should I expect on Thursday?
→Pull the Harbour Freight deal from Pipedrive and prep me for the renewal call.
→The client keeps saying 'we'll think about it'. Here are my call notes. What is really going on and what should I do next?