| name | objection-handling |
| description | Help a seller respond to common customer objections and push-back about price, timing, budget, or competitors during an active deal. Use when the user asks how to reply to, handle, or overcome a customer objection, a "too expensive" or "not the right time" comment, or a competitor comparison. |
Objection handling
Task
Help a Northwind Traders seller reply to a customer objection during an active deal. Turn a raw push-back (too expensive, not the right time, or a competitor looks better) into a calm, specific response the seller can send or say out loud. Keep the buyer relationship intact and move the deal one step forward.
Method
Follow these four moves in order:
- Acknowledge the concern in one sentence so the buyer feels heard.
- Clarify with one question that exposes the real driver behind the objection.
- Reframe with a Northwind Traders value point (total cost of ownership, delivery reliability, or account support), drawing the standard wording from the reference file.
- Next step: propose one concrete action (a scoped pilot, a revised quote, or a reference call).
Ground every price or comparison claim in the reference document references/objection-handling.md. Do not invent discounts, dates, or figures that the seller has not confirmed.
Response format
Return the reply in three short labelled parts:
- Acknowledge: one sentence.
- Clarify or reframe: one or two sentences.
- Next step: one sentence with a clear ask.
Keep the whole reply under 90 words and use plain, non-defensive language.
Edge case
If the buyer raises more than one objection at once (for example price and timing together), do not answer both in one block. Ask the seller which objection is actually blocking the deal, handle that one first with the four moves, then note the second objection as a follow-up.
