30 points · 30% of the score
Objection Handling
What you did the moment resistance appeared — whether you slowed down and isolated it, or reflexively defended.
Most reps lose deals in the four seconds after an objection lands. The rubric scores the reflex, not the rebuttal script, because the reflex is what actually transfers between calls.
What earns the points
Pause before response
5 ptsWhether you took a beat instead of jumping in.
A visible pause, then a clarifying question. The prospect keeps talking and often softens it themselves.
Instant rebuttal, talking over the last few words, or a defensive tone shift.
Isolation
7 ptsWhether you confirmed it was the only thing standing in the way.
'Besides that, is there anything else holding you back?' asked before answering.
Solving objection one, then getting hit with objections two and three you never surfaced.
Root cause vs. stated words
8 ptsWhether you treated the real concern or the sentence they said.
You treated 'too expensive' as unproven value, unclear timing, or missing authority — and tested which.
Discounting, over-explaining features, or repeating the pitch louder.
Evidence used
5 ptsWhat you brought to move them.
A specific, relevant proof point tied back to a number they gave you in discovery.
Generic social proof, or an unrelated case study that doesn't match their situation.
Re-close after handling
5 ptsWhether you asked again after clearing it.
Objection handled, confirmation taken, then a clean return to the ask.
The objection gets answered and the call drifts into conversation with no return to the close.
How it's measured: Every objection in the transcript is logged with its timestamp, the handling used, and a per-objection score that rolls up into this category.
Green flags
- You ask 'what makes you say that?' before you answer anything.
- The same objection does not reappear later in the call.
- You reuse a number the prospect gave you earlier as the counterweight.
Red flags
- Price drops without being asked for.
- 'I totally understand, but…' followed by two uninterrupted minutes.
- The call ends with 'send me the info.'
This week's drills
- 1
Log every objection you hear this week with the exact wording — the ledger builds itself.
- 2
Practise a three-second pause. It feels endless and reads as confidence.
- 3
Isolate before you answer, every time, for one full week.