It All Starts with Asking Why?

By John Harvey

We all dream about mastery. The mastery to handle objections without fear. The mastery to connect instead of convince. The mastery to turn hesitation into momentum.

But here’s the truth no one tells you, you don’t stumble into that kind of skill. You earn it, and you earn it in the hard conversations. The ones that don’t go as planned. The ones that shake your confidence. The ones that reveal the gap between your pitch and their truth.

If you've ever hung up the phone frustrated, questioned what went wrong, or wished you could rewind the moment, they already taught you the most important lesson in sales.

Great selling doesn’t come from pressure. It comes from presence.

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Let Me Take You Back

I had a sales professional called me right after a pitch she was confident would close.

“It went really well,” she said. “He liked the service. It made sense to him. But then… he said it was too expensive.”

So I asked her a simple question: “What did you say when he said that?”

She paused. “I told him I’d speak to my manager. See if we could offer a discount.”

I get it. That’s a natural reaction, especially when you want to save the deal. But what I told her next is something I wish every salesperson heard early in their career.

“Did you ask him why he felt it was too expensive?”

Silence.

“…No. I didn’t.”

And that’s the moment everything changed.

Because here’s what most reps don’t realize, when a customer gives you an objection, they’re not rejecting you. They’re inviting you. Inviting you to understand what’s really going on. Inviting you to stop talking and start listening.

The problem isn’t the objection. The problem is how fast we rush to fix something, we haven’t even taken the time to fully understand.

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I Taught Her This Phrase

It’s simple. It’s powerful. And it works: “I’m curious—Why do you feel that way?"

No pressure. No defense. Just permission. Permission for them to tell the truth behind the price tag. Because “it’s too expensive” isn’t always about money. Sometimes it’s about, trust that hasn’t been built. The value that hasn’t been seen. A bad experience they haven’t told you about. Or a problem they’re still unsure they actually want to solve.

But you only find that out when you get curious. And you only get there when you stop reacting and start connecting.

Discounts don’t close deals. Understanding does.

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What I Know Now

Discounting Isn’t a shortcut it’s often a sign we skipped the real conversation.

Curiosity unlocks the clos. The rep who asks "why" always outsells the one who just tries to win.

Objections aren’t walls, they’re windows. You can defend your way into tension… or ask your way into trust.

Presence = Persuasion. People don’t buy from the person with the best pitch. They buy from the person who actually listens.

Your First Instinct Shapes the Outcome Rush to respond? You lose. Pause and ask? You win.

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7 Days to Mastering Objections

Day 1: Write down the last 3 objections you received. Now rewrite your response using “I’m curious…”

Day 2: Listen to a recorded call. Notice where the customer hesitated—and how you responded.

Day 3: Practice asking follow-up questions that uncover deeper concerns.

Day 4: Journal about a time you offered a discount—was it necessary or reactionary?

Day 5: Shadow a top rep. Study their tone, pacing, and how they stay calm under pressure.

Day 6: Record yourself practicing “I’m curious…” responses to tough objections.

Day 7: Write down 5 curiosity-based questions you can use on your next sales call.

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Final Thought: The Close Happens After the Objection

Not because you lowered the price. But because you raised the level of trust.

Because you didn’t rush to fill the silence. You honored it.

Because you didn’t throw a discount at the problem. You leaned into the truth behind it.

That version of you, the one who pauses instead of panics? The one who listens instead of defends? The one who gets curious instead of desperate?

They’re already in the room. They’re already building momentum. And they’re proud of how far you’ve come.

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Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

♻️ Share this article with an entrepreneur or sales manager who’s ready to turn failure into fuel. And if you’re not already following me on LinkedIn—now is the time.

Click here: Follow me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/comm/mynetwork/discovery-see-all?usecase=PEOPLE_FOLLOWS&followMember=johnrobertharvey

We’re not just building businesses. We’re building legacies.

The only question is: Will your legacy be built by design—or destroyed by default?

Choose wisely and thanks for reading.