"We can't close deals because prospects keep asking about [feature we don't have]."
Every product marketer has heard this from sales. Usually it's delivered with frustration, as if PMM's job is to write better battle cards so sales can overcome objections.
But here's the thing: if sales is hearing the same objection on 30% of calls, that's not an objection handling problem. That's a product positioning, messaging, or roadmap problem.
Great product marketing doesn't help sales overcome objections—it eliminates objections before they come up. And when objections do arise, PMM provides sales with the context, proof points, and positioning to address them confidently.
After analyzing hundreds of sales calls and win/loss interviews, here are the 10 most common objections in B2B SaaS and how product marketing should actually address them.
Objection 1: "You don't have [feature]"
What sales says: "Prospects want [integration / reporting feature / specific workflow] we don't have."
Band-aid solution: Battle card explaining workarounds or why feature doesn't matter.
Real PMM solution: Figure out if this is a real gap or a positioning problem.
Diagnosis questions:
- Is this feature table stakes in your category? (If yes, escalate to product)
- Are competitors leading with this feature? (If yes, you need differentiation strategy)
- Are prospects asking because they think they need it, or because competitors mentioned it? (If latter, it's positioning)
PMM response:
If feature is actually important: Work with product to prioritize or find strategic partnership. Don't send sales into deals with missing table-stakes capabilities.
If feature is nice-to-have: Reframe the conversation around outcomes, not features.
Example: "Prospects say we need Salesforce integration."
Bad battle card: "We're building it Q3. Here's a workaround using Zapier."
Good PMM response:
- Research: Do we lose deals over this? (Win/loss data)
- If yes: Work with product to prioritize
- If no: Change discovery to focus on outcomes, not feature checklists
Sales messaging: "Instead of integrating with your CRM, we take a different approach: we export launch assets in any format so you can use them anywhere. That gives you more flexibility than being locked into Salesforce."
Objection 2: "You're too expensive"
What sales says: "We're losing deals on price. Competitors are 30% cheaper."
Band-aid solution: Discount authority or ROI calculator.
Real PMM solution: Fix value communication or target different buyers.
Diagnosis questions:
- What are we comparing to? (Are we selling against cheaper alternatives in different category?)
- Are we selling to buyers with budget? (Or targeting prospects who can't afford us?)
- Can we prove ROI? (If not, pricing feels arbitrary)
PMM response:
If we're selling to wrong buyers: Tighten ICP. Stop targeting companies that can't afford us.
If we can't prove value: Build ROI tools, case studies, and value calculators that justify price.
If competitors are truly cheaper and equivalent: Either lower price or differentiate on value (not features).
Sales enablement:
- ROI one-pager: "Average customer saves $120K annually, our cost is $24K"
- Case study with metrics: "TechCorp reduced launch time by 50%, shipped 3 extra products, generated $2M in new revenue"
- Comparison guide: Shows what enterprise features we include that cheaper alternatives lack
Positioning shift: Don't compete on price if you can't win there. Compete on outcomes.
Objection 3: "We're already using [competitor]"
What sales says: "They're happy with incumbent. No reason to switch."
Band-aid solution: Competitive battle card showing why we're better.
Real PMM solution: Understand why they're not unhappy enough to switch.
The reality: Switching costs are high. If incumbent is "good enough," you won't displace them with "we're 10% better."
PMM response:
Identify what would make them switch:
- Feature gap incumbent can't fill
- Workflow pain incumbent causes
- Strategic shift (PLG, new market) incumbent can't support
Then position around that wedge.
Example: "We're already using Asana for project management."
Bad response: "We have better reporting than Asana."
Good response: "Asana is great for generic project management. Where we're different: we're built specifically for product launches. We have launch-specific templates, GTM workflows, and sales enablement asset creation. If you're happy with Asana for general PM, stick with it. If product launches are painful and need specialized workflows, we can help."
Sales messaging: Position as complementary (wedge in), not replacement (compete directly).
Objection 4: "We need to see [social proof / customer like us]"
What sales says: "They want a reference customer in their industry/size."
Band-aid solution: Generic case study deck.
Real PMM solution: Build case study library segmented by industry, company size, and use case.
What you need:
- 10-15 case studies with quantifiable results
- Segmented by: industry, company size, use case
- Mix of logos (recognizable brands) and metrics (clear ROI)
PMM action plan:
Month 1: Identify 15 customers with great results
Month 2: Conduct case study interviews (record metrics)
Month 3: Write and publish case studies
Month 4: Create segment-specific one-pagers
Sales enablement:
- Searchable case study database (sales can filter by industry/size/use case)
- Reference customer list (who's willing to speak to prospects)
- One-pager case studies (send during eval process)
Objection 5: "We need to think about it / get back to you"
What sales says: "They went dark after demo."
Band-aid solution: Follow-up email template.
Real PMM solution: Figure out what's making them hesitate.
Common reasons:
- Didn't establish urgency (no compelling event)
- Didn't identify all stakeholders (someone you haven't met has concerns)
- Didn't address a hidden objection (they're being polite, not honest)
PMM response:
Create assets that address common hesitations:
- FAQ doc: Addresses unstated concerns
- Buyer's guide: "How to evaluate [category]" positions you as helpful, not pushy
- Comparison guide: Lets them self-educate on you vs. competitors
Sales process improvement: Work with sales leadership to ensure discovery uncovers:
- Decision criteria
- Timeline / compelling event
- All stakeholders involved
- Budget approval process
Follow-up sequence:
- Day 1: Recap email with resources
- Day 3: Relevant case study
- Day 7: Industry insights or research
- Day 14: Check-in
Objection 6: "We're going to build this internally"
What sales says: "Engineering says they can build it themselves."
Band-aid solution: Build vs. buy one-pager.
Real PMM solution: Show total cost of ownership and opportunity cost.
The math buyers miss:
- Engineering time (6 months to build, ongoing maintenance)
- Opportunity cost (what else could eng build?)
- Feature parity (will take 2+ years to match your features)
PMM assets:
Build vs. Buy Calculator:
- Engineering cost: $200K to build initial version
- Maintenance cost: $100K/year
- Time to market: 6 months
- Opportunity cost: 3 product features not built
- Total cost: $300K + 6 months + 3 features forgone
vs.
- Your solution: $30K/year
- Time to value: 2 weeks
- Feature completeness: Day 1
- Total cost: $30K, immediate value
Sales messaging: "You absolutely could build this. The question is: is this core to your business, or should your eng team focus on your product? Most customers find that the opportunity cost of building is 5-10x the cost of buying."
Objection 7: "This is not a priority right now"
What sales says: "They like it but have other priorities."
Band-aid solution: Nurture campaign.
Real PMM solution: Either create urgency or disqualify them.
The reality: "Not a priority" means "the pain isn't urgent." You can't force urgency that doesn't exist.
PMM response:
Option 1: Create urgency
Connect your solution to a priority they do have:
- Upcoming product launch
- Quarterly goal (hit ARR target)
- Competitive threat
Example: "I understand launch coordination isn't top priority. But if you're launching [product] in Q3 to hit your ARR goal, this could help ship it 4 weeks faster. That's $500K in pipeline."
Option 2: Disqualify and nurture
If there's truly no urgency, don't waste time. Add to nurture and follow up quarterly.
Nurture content:
- Monthly newsletter with GTM insights
- Quarterly "State of Product Marketing" research
- Event invitations
- Case studies
Sales messaging: "Sounds like this isn't urgent now. I'll check back in Q3 when you're planning [event they mentioned]. In the meantime, here's a resource on [relevant topic]."
Objection 8: "We need more customization than you offer"
What sales says: "Enterprise prospects need custom workflows we don't support."
Band-aid solution: Promise future customization.
Real PMM solution: Decide if you're building for custom or standardized workflows.
Strategic question: Are you a platform or a product?
Platform approach: Flexible, customizable, requires configuration Product approach: Opinionated, standardized, works out-of-box
Most companies try to be both and end up mediocre at each.
PMM response:
If you're a product (opinionated):
Position standardization as a feature, not a limitation: "We're opinionated about the best way to run launches based on 1,000+ launches we've supported. If you want infinite customization, we're not the right fit. If you want best-practice workflows out of the box, we'll get you live in days, not months."
If you're a platform (flexible):
Show how customization works: "Yes, we support custom workflows. Here's how [Customer] configured it for their unique process. Implementation takes 4-6 weeks with our pro services team."
Objection 9: "Security / compliance concerns"
What sales says: "IT blocked us because we don't have [SOC 2 / HIPAA / specific certification]."
Band-aid solution: Security questionnaire.
Real PMM solution: Prioritize security certifications or target different buyers.
The reality: If you're selling to enterprise and don't have SOC 2 Type 2, you'll lose deals. Period.
PMM action plan:
If you're targeting enterprise: Get SOC 2 Type 2 (non-negotiable)
If you're targeting SMB: Security concerns are rare. Don't over-invest.
Certifications that matter:
- SOC 2 Type 2: Required for enterprise
- GDPR compliance: Required for EU customers
- HIPAA: Only if selling to healthcare
- ISO 27001: Nice to have for very large enterprises
Sales enablement:
- Security one-pager (certifications, infrastructure, practices)
- Security questionnaire (pre-filled for common questions)
- Demo of security features (SSO, role-based permissions, audit logs)
Objection 10: "Can you do [thing outside your core product]?"
What sales says: "They need [feature / service / integration] that's not our core offering."
Band-aid solution: "We'll consider building it."
Real PMM solution: Decide if this is a real opportunity or feature creep.
Diagnosis:
- Is this table stakes in your category? (If yes, build it)
- Is this 1 customer asking or 30%? (If 1, ignore. If 30%, investigate)
- Does this fit your product vision? (If no, say no)
PMM response:
If it's strategic: Add to roadmap, commit timeline
If it's edge case: Decline politely and offer alternative
Sales messaging: "That's not something we've prioritized because 90% of customers don't need it. If it's critical for you, I can connect you with [partner / alternative]. If you can work without it, here's how most customers handle this..."
The Uncomfortable Truth
Here's what most PMMs miss: Objections aren't random noise that sales needs better rebuttals for. They're symptoms of deeper problems in your go-to-market strategy. When you hear "you're too expensive" on 40% of calls, that's not a sales training problem—it's a positioning problem. You're targeting the wrong buyers or messaging the wrong value. When prospects consistently ask for features you don't have, that's not a competitive battle card issue—it's a product gap. You're missing table-stakes capabilities for your category. When sales is constantly playing defense against competitor claims, that's competitive pressure. Competitors are defining the narrative and you're stuck being reactive.
If sales hears the same objection repeatedly, that's feedback screaming at you to fix something upstream. PMM's job isn't to write cleverer rebuttals or longer battle cards. Your job is to diagnose the root cause—is this positioning, product, or competitive pressure? Then fix the upstream problem instead of just arming sales with better scripts. And when you do enable sales, give them positioning and proof points, not memorized responses.
The best sales objection handling I've seen happens before the objection is ever raised. Clear positioning that targets the right buyers. Strong proof points that establish credibility before prospects get skeptical. Messaging that preempts objections by addressing concerns proactively.
When that's working, objections become rare exceptions instead of daily battles. Sales isn't constantly overcoming "too expensive" or "we're happy with the incumbent" because you've positioned against the right alternatives and targeted buyers who have the budget and pain. The deals you lose are legitimate fit issues, not failures of sales execution.