It’s too expensive. We’ve never heard of you guys. We’re already set with our current system. No.

Objections are unavoidable in an entrepreneur’s life. Someone somewhere will not like what you’re selling. They will not like what you’re doing. Or they won’t care to give you the time to figure out how they feel either way. This type of rejection is inevitable.

Still, there is a way to handle it gracefully and strategically that could lead to a maintained relationship, credibility and maybe even an overturned objection.

Founders School expert and University of Chicago Booth School of Business professor Craig Wortmann describes the variety of objections an entrepreneur will hear, and elucidates a conversation template that, if followed, could put you at a better advantage when you encounter these protests.

“There is not a silver bullet to all objections,” Wortmann says. “But even if things don’t go my way, if I’ve followed my system, I’ve gained more credibility, confidence and potentially an opening down the road.”

In these videos, Wortmann takes us through five steps to handling objections and the one step that maintains your credibility with customers every time.

Craig Wortmann’s Guide: Examples for Handling Objections (PDF)

Handling the Varieties of No