The 5 Moments Where Most Sales Calls Go Wrong

KANIKA ENERGY COACH > PODCAST AND MEDIA APPEARANCES

Every coach I know can probably quote their most common sales objection word for word.

“I need to think about it.”

“Now isn’t the right time.”

“It’s a little more than I was planning to spend.”

And the moment we hear it, something happens.

We start explaining.

We defend the price. We remind them of everything included. We add another reason why the offer is valuable. Sometimes we even start mentally negotiating against ourselves before the prospect has actually said no.

But after working with business owners around their sales conversations, I’ve noticed something important.

The objection is rarely where the sale actually went wrong.

As a business growth coach, I’m much more interested in what happened before those words were spoken.

Because sales is not really about becoming brilliant at “overcoming objections.” It’s about understanding what is sitting underneath them.

Here are five places I see sales conversations going off track.

1. You Take the Objection Literally

Someone says, “It’s too expensive.”

So naturally, you assume the problem is money.

But is it?

Price, budget, timing and ROI can sound like four completely different objections. Often, though, they point back to one bigger issue: the prospect hasn’t connected the value of solving the problem with the investment you’re asking them to make.

Think about your own buying behaviour.

If your roof started leaking into your bedroom tonight, you probably wouldn’t say, “Let me think about whether fixing the roof is a priority this quarter.”

The urgency is obvious.

This is something a good business consultant or business growth advisor should help you look at. Before changing your price, ask whether your sales conversation is making the cost of not solving the problem clear enough.

2. You Defend Instead of Getting Curious

I saw this with one of my clients.

Her calls were good. She had rapport. She explained her offer confidently.

Then came the objection.

Suddenly she would start giving the prospect more information.

More benefits. More justification. More proof.

And you could almost feel the prospect moving backwards.

This is where I encouraged her to stop defending and start getting curious.

If somebody says, “I need to think about it,” instead of immediately explaining why they should buy, try:

“When you say you need to think about it, what feels uncertain for you right now?”

Then stop talking.

That pause can tell you more than another five minutes of pitching ever will.

3. You Wait Until the End to Notice Resistance

Objections rarely appear out of nowhere.

Your prospect has usually been giving you clues throughout the conversation.

They might casually mention that they’re overwhelmed. That they’ve bought programs before and nothing changed. That their partner is involved in financial decisions. Or that they simply don’t have much time.

Those aren't random comments.

They are telling you how they make decisions.

One thing I encourage clients to do in my work as a business strategy coach is to listen to the whole conversation, rather than suddenly switching into “objection handling mode” when the price comes out.

If they tell you early that time is a problem, explore it early.

4. You Ask Surface-Level Questions

There is a big difference between collecting information and creating clarity.

You can ask:

“What’s your revenue?”

“How many clients do you have?”

“What have you tried?”

Useful information. But it doesn’t necessarily change anything for the person sitting opposite you.

A stronger conversation goes deeper.

“What is this problem costing you right now?”

“What happens if nothing changes over the next 12 months?”

“What have you already tried, and why do you think it hasn’t worked?”

This is where a business coach and mentor becomes very different from someone simply trying to close a deal.

The prospect starts understanding their own problem differently.

And sometimes they say something they hadn’t even fully admitted to themselves before the call.

That is where clarity happens.

5. You Let Your Own Beliefs Enter the Conversation

This one can be uncomfortable.

A prospect says, “That’s expensive.”

And somewhere inside you, you agree.

Now your energy changes.

You start explaining. Maybe you offer a payment plan too quickly. Maybe you add bonuses. Maybe you shrink a little around your own price.

I see this particularly with heart-led entrepreneurs who genuinely care about helping people. It can affect female business coaches, consultants and service providers who don't want sales to feel pushy.

But curiosity is not pressure.

Your job isn’t to decide for the prospect that they cannot afford something. Your job is to understand what they actually mean.

That distinction matters.

Great Sales Calls Create Clarity

Whether you’re working with an online business coach, small business consultant, business growth consultant, or exploring different business coaches for entrepreneurs, I believe good sales should feel surprisingly human.

You don’t need clever objection scripts.

You need better conversations.

Listen longer. Ask the uncomfortable question. Don't rush to fill every silence.

Most importantly, stop treating the final objection as the moment the sale was lost.

Often, it was simply the moment the real problem finally became visible.

And once you learn to hear what is underneath the words, your sales calls start feeling less like convincing someone and much more like helping them make a clear decision.

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KANIKA ENERGY COACH > PODCAST AND MEDIA APPEARANCES