Defensive action places you in a confrontational position with the prospect, and the prospect will win. As a result, the prospect may end the conversation, and you may have lost the sale.

If a salesperson reacts to a prospect's objection by defending their pitch, unfortunately the prospect will interpret this action as an attempt to undermine or make wrong his or her feelings.

Whether the prospect expresses a need to think about it, a worry over the cost of your product or their budget, or a satisfaction with their current supplier, what they say may not be what they mean. In other words, if their first objection isn't the real objection, it may still sound like a viable one that should be treated with respect and attention.

However, to ensure that you uncover and respond to the true objection rather than to an excuse or a smokescreen, you need to patiently explore the objections and ask two or three questions. There may be an additional and more important meaning behind the prospect's initial concern. A sales professional must dig deeper and look behind the words that the prospect uses to voice his or her concerns or feelings.