In Lesson 1, you learned how to greet a client. In Lesson 2, you asked questions to find their problems. In Lesson 3, you explained your services and connected the problem to the solution.
Now comes the hardest part of the sales conversation: the client is not sure. They say things like:
This is normal. Every salesperson hears objections. The difference between a good salesperson and a great one is: a great salesperson handles objections in a calm, professional way — and then closes the deal.
In this lesson, you will learn how to:
An objection is not a rejection. When a client says "It's too expensive," they are actually saying: "I am not yet sure this is worth the money." Your job is to show them proof that it is. And for that, you need to talk about past results — what you did for other clients.
Before new learning, let's strengthen what you already know. Cover the answers and say these out loud first.
Read each sentence. Say out loud which tense it is, and why.
Research shows that forgetting and then recalling information makes it stick in your long-term memory. If revision feels hard, that is good — it means your brain is working. See: British Council Grammar Practice
Why do you need a new tense? Because to handle objections, you need to share proof. And proof is about things that already happened:
"I helped a restaurant get 50 more customers."
"One client got 200 more Google searches after I optimized his profile."
"Last month, I built a website for a hotel — they received 30 bookings in the first week."
All these actions are finished. They happened in the past. For this, we use the Simple Past tense.
Subject + past form of verb
I helped a clinic get more patients.
He called me yesterday.
We built three websites last month.
The client got more customers after the SEO work.
This is where English gets tricky. There are two types of verbs:
Regular verbs: Just add -ed to the base verb.
help → helped | call → called | work → worked | optimize → optimized
Irregular verbs: The form changes completely. You must memorize these.
get → got | build → built | make → made | give → gave | come → came | see → saw
Good news: for he/she/it, the past form is the same — no -s or -es needed!
"I helped" / "He helped" / "She helped" / "They helped" — all the same.
Subject + did not (didn't) + base verb
I did not charge extra.
He didn't have a website before.
They didn't get any customers from Google.
Wrong: "He didn't helped." ← After "did," use the BASE verb, not the past form!
Right: "He didn't help."
Wrong: "I not helped him." ← You need "did not" — English needs this helping verb.
Right: "I did not help him."
Think of it like this: "did" already carries the past meaning. The main verb stays in base form. Same rule as "do/does" in Simple Present questions!
Did + subject + base verb + …?
Did you see the results? (NOT: Did you saw?)
Did the customer call back?
Did the website help your business?
WH-Questions:
What did you do before?
How did you find new customers?
When did you start your business?
Remember how in Simple Present questions, you need "do/does" + base verb?
"What do you sell?" (not: What do you sells?)
Simple Past questions work the same way — but with "did":
"What did you sell?" (not: What did you sold?)
The pattern is identical. If you remember do/does, you already understand "did."
These words tell you that Simple Past is needed:
Yesterday | Last week / last month / last year | Two days ago | In 2025 | When I started | Before
Compare with Simple Present signals: always, every day, usually, sometimes
Compare with Present Continuous signals: right now, at this moment, currently, today
| Tense | When to Use | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | Always true, habits, facts | Subject + base verb (+s/es) | "I sell websites." |
| Present Continuous | Happening now, planned future | Subject + am/is/are + verb-ing | "I am building a website." |
| Simple Past | Finished actions in the past | Subject + past form of verb | "I helped a restaurant." |
A client asks you about your past work. Which sentence is correct?
"Last month, I _____ a website for a hotel." (build)
You want to ask: "How _____ you _____ new customers before?" (find)
Score: 0 / 0
Now that you can speak in the past tense, you have a powerful new weapon: you can share proof. Let's learn three formulas for handling the most common objections.
| What the Client Says | What They Really Mean |
|---|---|
| "It is too expensive." | "I am not sure this is worth the money." |
| "I will think about it." | "I need more information, or I am not convinced yet." |
| "I don't need a website / SEO / etc." | "I don't understand what it will do for me." |
This is the most powerful tool against objections. It connects the client's doubt to a real result you achieved for another client.
"I understand your concern. Actually, I worked with a [type of business] [time ago]. They also [had the same concern]. After I [what you did], they [result they got]."
Count the Simple Past verbs in Altamash's reply: worked, thought, optimized, got, made, spent — six past tense verbs in one reply! When you share proof, almost every verb will be in the Simple Past. This is why you needed this tense.
This is a classic sales technique that works in any language. It shows empathy (you understand the client) before giving proof.
"I understand how you feel. Many of my clients felt the same way. But what they found was that [positive result]."
These are all irregular verbs:
feel → felt (past) | find → found (past)
But in this formula, "feel" stays in the present — because it's about how the client feels right now.
"Felt" and "found" are past — because they describe what other clients experienced before.
After handling the objection, you need to close — ask the client to take action. But don't be pushy. Use a gentle question:
If the client says "too expensive," don't argue about the full price. Instead, offer something small to build trust: a free profile check, a basic package, or "just the Google Business Profile first." Once the client sees results, they will come back for more. In sales, this is called a foot-in-the-door strategy.
Here is a full conversation putting together all four lessons. Read it carefully. Notice how Altamash uses greetings (Lesson 1), questions (Lesson 2), benefit language (Lesson 3), and objection handling + closing (this lesson).
Notice the flow: Greeting → Questions → Benefit Bridge → Proof Bridge → Gentle Close. This is not random — it is a structure. Every great sales conversation follows a similar path. Practice saying Altamash's lines out loud until they feel natural.
A client says: "This is too expensive for me." What is the best first response?
After handling an objection, which closing phrase is most professional?
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Learn these 10 words. For each word, notice the type, synonyms (similar words), and antonyms (opposite words).
| Word | Type | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Objection ob-JEK-shun |
Noun | A reason someone gives against an idea | concern, doubt | agreement, approval | "The client had one objection about the price." |
| Convince kun-VINS |
Verb | To make someone believe or agree | persuade, assure | discourage, deter | "I convinced him that a website is worth it." |
| Proof PROOF |
Noun | Evidence that something is true | evidence, result | doubt, guess | "I showed him proof of the results." |
| Afford uh-FORD |
Verb | To have enough money for something | manage, bear | — | "Most small businesses can afford our basic plan." |
| Concern kun-SURN |
Noun | A worry or problem someone has | worry, issue | confidence, ease | "I understand your concern about the cost." |
| Guarantee gah-run-TEE |
Noun / Verb | A promise that something will happen | promise, assurance | risk, uncertainty | "I cannot guarantee exact numbers, but results are consistent." |
| Proposal pruh-POH-zul |
Noun | A plan or offer presented for consideration | offer, plan | rejection, refusal | "Can I send you a proposal by tonight?" |
| Invest in-VEST |
Verb | To put money into something to get benefit later | spend (wisely), put in | waste, save | "When you invest in SEO, you get long-term results." |
| Sample SAM-pul |
Noun | A small example to show what the full thing is like | example, demo | — | "Would you like to see a sample website?" |
| Schedule SKED-yool |
Noun / Verb | A planned time for something; to arrange a time | plan, arrange | cancel | "Can we schedule a meeting for tomorrow?" |
"Schedule" is pronounced differently in British English (SHED-yool) and American English (SKED-yool). Both are correct. In Indian business English, either is fine — just be consistent.
"Guarantee" has the stress on the last syllable: gah-run-TEE. The first "g" is hard (like "go"), not soft.
Memorize these — you will use them constantly when sharing proof with clients:
| Base (Present) | Past | Sales Example (Past) |
|---|---|---|
| get | got | "He got 40 more customers." |
| build | built | "I built a website for a hotel." |
| make | made | "She made back the investment." |
| give | gave | "I gave him a free demo." |
| come | came | "New customers came from Google." |
| see | saw | "He saw the results in one week." |
| think | thought | "He thought it was expensive." |
| tell | told | "He told me the website helped." |
| find | found | "They found more customers online." |
| spend | spent | "He spent ₹15,000 on the website." |
Read the scenario below. Then say your response out loud. Use the Proof Bridge formula, the Simple Past tense, and a gentle closing phrase. Write your answer down if you can.
You are meeting the owner of a dental clinic. You have already greeted him and asked questions. You explained that a Google Business Profile will help patients find his clinic on Google Maps.
The clinic owner says:
"I don't think this will work. People come to my clinic because of referrals, not Google. And it sounds expensive."
Your task:
Notice: Feel → Felt → Found + Proof Bridge + Gentle Close — all three formulas combined!
Read Units 5–6 of English Grammar in Use (Raymond Murphy) — these cover the Simple Past tense with practice exercises. If you don't have the book, practice with British Council — Past Simple.
You can now handle a complete sales conversation in English: greet → ask questions → explain services → handle objections → close. In the next lesson, we will work on writing professional emails and WhatsApp messages to clients — a key skill from your study plan.
If anything in this lesson was confusing, or if you want to practice more objection scenarios, ask me! I can create custom roleplay situations based on your real clients. Just type /teach and tell me what you want to practice.