Why Should Sales Reps Ask Questions Before Answering an Objection?
Because answering too fast makes reps look like they aren't listening, or worse, like they're trying to manipulate the buyer. Sales trainer Craig Wortmann, drawing on Forum Corporation research on high-performing salespeople, says the first move is to encourage the objection and ask questions about it. That builds credibility and reveals what the buyer is actually worried about. Nayak helps reps make that move live, when the reflex is to defend.
Who It's For
For account executives and sales managers who see reps jump straight to ROI slides the moment a buyer pushes back.
- Reps who treat objections as something to win, not understand.
- Teams whose price objections turn into discount conversations.
- Managers coaching reps to slow down under pressure.
The Problem: The Instinct Is to Answer Right Away
A buyer says “This is too expensive.” Every trained rep knows the answer: the ROI case. So they give it, immediately.
In his article “A Counter Intuitive Process for Handling Any Objection,” Craig Wortmann, founder and CEO of Sales Engine and a professor at Kellogg and Chicago Booth, says that instinct “totally makes sense. But not yet. It's too soon.”
He also describes a worse version: reps who treat an objection as a personal affront and argue with it. He calls that a “when in a hole, stop digging” situation.
What Answering Too Fast Signals to the Buyer
Wortmann cites research from the Forum Corporation, a Boston consultancy that studied high-performing salespeople. According to that research, jumping straight to an answer means the rep is often perceived as not listening at best, or trying to manipulate the buyer at worst.
“Jumping to provide as opposed to listen too soon makes you look weak.”
Craig Wortmann, Founder & CEO, Sales Engine, in “A Counter Intuitive Process for Handling Any Objection”.
| Answer right away | Encourage and question first | |
|---|---|---|
| What the rep says | “Let's look at the big picture and talk about ROI.” | “Tell me more. Is your concern the outright expense, or the longer-term impact of the cost?” |
| How the rep comes across | Not listening, or pushing | Confident and unafraid |
| What the rep learns | Nothing new | The real concern behind the objection |
| What happens next | The buyer defends their position | The buyer explains their situation |
How to Encourage and Question an Objection
- Relax into it: Treat the objection as useful information, not an attack.
- Encourage it: Invite the buyer to say more, for example with “Tell me more.”
- Ask a sorting question: Offer two or more possible meanings so the buyer can name the real one, such as cost now versus cost over time.
- Keep asking until you understand: Let the conversation continue so you have more information if the deal moves forward.
Wortmann says this approach lets the rep look confident and unafraid, and helps them truly understand the objection and why the buyer is concerned.
Why It's Hard in the Moment
Asking questions feels slower and riskier than answering. When a buyer pushes back, the pressure to fix it right away is strong, and the prepared answer is right there. Wortmann notes that until reps practice, they won't realize how tempting it is to skip straight to the answer.
Newer Research Says the Same Thing
Wortmann wrote his article in 2015. More recent evidence points the same way.
Across 67,149 sales meetings, Gong found successful reps pause longer after an objection and use questions to handle it, while unsuccessful reps interrupt and “pounce on sales objections” with a “knee-jerk monologue.”
Source: Gong, updated March 2026.
Harvard researchers found “people who ask more questions, particularly follow-up questions, are better liked by their conversation partners.”
Source: Huang et al., Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2017.
That second finding matches Wortmann's credibility point: questioning an objection doesn't just surface information, it changes how the buyer sees the rep.
How Nayak Helps Reps Ask First
Nayak's real-time human judgment guidance recognizes when a buyer raises an objection and offers an optional hint toward a question instead of a defense. Nayak's EQ adds context from the buyer's signals, such as whether the concern has come up before or the buyer's energy dropped after pricing.
Price objection. Before the ROI case, ask whether the concern is the upfront cost or the longer-term impact.
Every suggestion is optional, and the rep always makes the call.
Questions about asking before answering
According to Forum Corporation research cited by Craig Wortmann, answering too soon makes reps seem like they aren't listening or are trying to manipulate the buyer.
Inviting the buyer to say more about it instead of pushing back, for example with “Tell me more,” so you can understand the real concern.
One that sorts the concern, such as “Is your concern the outright expense, or the longer-term impact of the cost?”
Nayak's live guidance offers an optional hint toward a clarifying question when an objection comes up, and its EQ adds context from the buyer's signals.
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References
- Craig Wortmann (2015-12-09). A Counter Intuitive Process for Handling Any Objection. LinkedIn. Link.
- (2026-03). Effective Objection Handling Techniques in Sales. Gong. Link.
- Huang et al. (2017). It Doesn't Hurt to Ask: Question-Asking Increases Liking. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Link.
Forum Corporation research as described by Craig Wortmann. Product capabilities sourced from nayak.ai and Nayak's existing use-case articles. Example hints are illustrative. Last verified: October 15, 2026.