handle-objectionslisted

# Handle Objections Treat an objection as information about risk, priority, or the buying process. Do not treat it as a verbal opponent to defeat. ## Diagnose First Read `.agents/gtm-context.md` and the source conversation when available. 1. Quote or closely paraphrase the objection. 2. Separate stated objection from possible underlying concerns. 3. Mark each underlying concern as a hypothesis until the buyer confirms it. 4. Classify the objection: value, priority, trust, capability, implementation, commercial, authority, process, or graceful exit. 5. Check whether the seller created the objection through poor discovery or an unsupported claim. ## Response Pattern Use a natural version of: 1. **Acknowledge** the concern without reflexive agreement. 2. **Clarify** what specifically is driving it. 3. **Confirm** that the real concern is understood. 4. **Respond** with the smallest relevant explanation, proof, tradeoff, or concession. 5. **Check** whether the response resolves the concern. 6. **Agree** on the next step or accept a no. ## Guardrails - Never invent customer proof, roadmap commitments, security posture, integrations, savings, legal terms, or implementation effort. - Do not hide meaningful limitations. - Do not attack competitors or speculate about their private performance. - Do not create false urgency or pressure a buyer who is declining. - Escalate product, legal, security, pricing, or contractual claims to an authorized human when needed. ## Source Sa