How to Overcome the Partner Objection In Sales

By Justin McGill•November 30, 2021•9 min read

How to Overcome the Partner Objection In Sales

It’s a question I get every time I do a Q&A. It also comes up in my Sales Talk With Sales Pros group often.

As you know, every sales situation is unique. What works in one scenario may not work in the next.

The sales profession is constantly evolving, but sales objections don’t seem to be. If you have been in sales for a while, you will have heard the ‘I need to talk to my partner objection’ more than a few times. But that does not make overcoming this sales objection any easier.

This common sales objection is usually used by people who either don’t want to make a decision or think your [sales pitch](/content/sales-pitch/ "Sales Pitch"/index.html) is too weak.

The sooner you start viewing all [sales objections](/content/sales-objections/ "Sales Objections"/index.html) as part of the process, the sooner your paycheck will start growing. Great salespeople know that eliminating as much emotion as possible from the sales process is the key to success.

If you can learn to respond to objections and stall tactics without emotionally investing, you’ll see your sales numbers increase.

If there’s only ONE thing I get the most objections on, it would probably be “let me speak to my manager.” It ranks right up there with being “friend-zoned” by a girl you like.

I’ve never heard of a sales professional who hasn’t had this (or something similar) said to them.

I Need to Speak to My Partner: The Undecided Answer

Sometimes, you reach a point where a decision must be made urgently, and full technical approval has not yet been granted. It sounds like you’re trying to stall for time, so you don’t have to make a decision right now. The best way to find out if someone favors your product is to ask them directly.

If they’re not in favor of it, then there’s no point in talking to their partner about it. However, if they favor it, you might suggest getting together with both parties so that everyone can talk about it together. Another option would be to write up an agreement stating the deal is void if their husband doesn’t approve it.

When selling B2B, I’ve often used this approach when a decision needs to be made urgently but full approval hasn’t been granted.

Key point 1: The “Stable” personality type use this excuse when feeling threatened.

In the 4-DIS Profile study, it was found that the “Spouse” Objection is often a “Smoke Screen.”

A “smoke screen” is used to disguise or hide something.

Over 45% of people are High Stable personalities. These people value safety and security and want to avoid conflicts.

This is one of the most common objections you’ll hear with this persona, so it’s important to know how to address it.

The “I need to discuss this with my partner” objection is up there with “I want to pray about this” regarding difficult sales situations.

Key point 2: This statement might not be an objection but could be a genuine concern.

Sometimes, your clients’ decisions may be influenced by their significant others, so it’s best to determine the situation before it becomes a conflict.

Key point 3: Understand when you should address this objection

You should address objections before they occur!

Use your judgment for this one.

If a client is a high conflict-avoider and constantly brings up their significant other, it means 2 things:

1. The client has not reached a comfortable level with you.
2. You will hear, “I need to discuss this with my SO.”

When two parties need to be present, use your experience and training to determine if this requires a meeting.

Key point 4: Determine if the “I need to speak to my partner” objection is a ploy or a genuine condition.

If a prospect is ignoring you, then they may be trying to hide their reasons for not purchasing from you.

When encountering objections or conditions, it’s important to take the proper steps to handle them. By looking at these sample responses, you can better understand how to do so.

Discover if it’s a ploy

Client: “I need to speak with my partner.”.

“That makes sense, Betty. I’m sure that he will have some questions about what we talked about. Let’s review it one more time so you feel confident that you can answer his questions.”

Ploying Response

This is an awkward situation.