Bd Objection

Objection Handling Library

Build a reusable objection-handling library specific to your business and ICP. Stop improvising responses on the fly — have battle-tested reframes ready.

Input

Optional (better with these, works without):

• icp-profile.json (produced by /bd-icp)
• partner-candidates.json or competitor context
• Specific objection user wants to handle (if focused use case)

Process

1. Read context — pull persona, value prop, common pains from ICP
2. Categorize objections into 7 standard buckets (see below)
3. For each objection, produce:

• The objection (verbatim, in their words)
• The fear behind it (what they're really worried about)
• 2–3 reframe responses (matched to deal stage)
• Evidence / proof point to deploy
• Discovery question to validate the objection
• Follow-up move (email + call back-up)

1. Format as scannable library — rep can find the right response in 30 seconds

7 objection categories

1. Price / Budget

• "Too expensive"
• "We don't have budget"
• "Cheaper alternatives exist"
• "Need to cut costs, not add tools"

2. Timing

• "Not now / call me in 6 months"
• "We're in the middle of [other initiative]"
• "End of year / start of year freeze"

3. Status Quo

• "We use [competitor] already"
• "We built it in-house"
• "We use spreadsheets / Google Docs"

4. Authority / Process

• "I need to talk to my team"
• "Let me think about it"
• "Send me info, I'll get back"

5. Fit / Need

• "We don't have that problem"
• "Our team is too small for this"
• "We're not ready / mature enough"

6. Risk / Trust

• "Never heard of you"
• "What if you go out of business?"
• "Our security team won't approve"
• "Migration risk is too high"

7. Competitive

• "[Competitor X] does this for free"
• "[Competitor Y] has more features"
• "We're already evaluating [Competitor Z]"

Output: objection-library.md

For each objection:

## Objection: "We use [Competitor] already"

**Category:** Status Quo / Competitive
**Frequency:** Very common (top 3)
**Real fear behind it:** "Switching costs are real, and I don't want to look stupid for changing tools."

### Discovery questions (validate it first)
1. "When does your contract with [Competitor] renew?"
2. "What's working well with them — and what's the gap?"
3. "If you could redesign your stack from scratch, would [Competitor] still be the choice?"

### Reframes

**Reframe 1 — Acknowledge + reframe (use early)**
> "[Competitor] is a great fit for [their strength]. Most of our customers came from [Competitor] though — typically because of [specific gap]. Worth comparing the two on [specific dimension]?"

**Reframe 2 — The "and" not "or" play (use mid-funnel)**
> "We don't always replace [Competitor] — we usually run alongside for [specific use case]. Let me show you how [Customer X] uses both."

**Reframe 3 — The hard ask (late-stage, when champion is real)**
> "If [Competitor] were perfect for [specific use case], you wouldn't be on this call. What's the gap that brought you here?"

### Evidence to deploy
- Customer X switched from [Competitor] in 90 days → [outcome metric]
- Independent comparison: [G2 / analyst report] shows [our category] outperforms on [criterion]
- Mutual customer (you + Competitor) reduced [metric] by [%] using us in addition

### Follow-up moves

**Same call:**
- Map their renewal date → time the conversation
- Get their evaluation criteria → frame the rest of the cycle around it

**Email follow-up:**
[Subject: "Quick comparison — [Competitor] vs [Us] on [specific dimension]"]
> Hi [[FIRST_NAME]], promised to send the comparison we discussed. Highlights:
> - On [criterion 1]: [data]
> - On [criterion 2]: [data]
> - Where we lose: [honest gap]
> Worth a 20-min walkthrough with [Champion] before [renewal trigger]?

**Call-back script (Day 7):**
"[[FIRST_NAME]], thinking about our convo — wanted to share that [similar customer] just hit [milestone] using us. Quick question: how's your evaluation cycle progressing?"

### Red flags to watch
- ⚠️ Multi-year contract just signed → likely lost, move to nurture
- ⚠️ They can't articulate a gap → fit is weak, disqualify
- ⚠️ They mention "champion at [Competitor]" → hard to dislodge

### Win conditions
- ✅ Renewal in  opinion.** "Customer X did Y in Z time" beats "We're really good at this."
- **Lower the stakes.** Reframes that say "even if you don't buy, you'll get [value]" reduce defensiveness.
- **Don't argue.** Acknowledge first, then reframe. "Yes, and..." beats "No, but..."
- **Track which reframes work.** Add a section for the rep to log win/loss outcomes per reframe.

## Next steps to suggest

1. `/bd-battlecard` — for competitor-specific objections, build battle cards
2. `/bd-followup` — design email cadences for post-objection scenarios
3. `/bd-qualify` — re-qualify after objection — does the deal still move?

## Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [dongcs52](https://github.com/dongcs52)
- **Source:** [dongcs52/claude-bd-skills](https://github.com/dongcs52/claude-bd-skills)
- **License:** MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.