The short answer
Stay calm and don’t grovel. Scepticism is healthy. Offer only real, checkable proof: who you are, how they can verify it, and any terms that genuinely limit their risk. Never invent reviews, results or guarantees to win the point.
The example exchanges on this page use a seller offering a monthly service to the owner of a small business, on a month-to-month agreement with no long contract. Only use a risk reversal your own offer actually has.
What they actually say
The words change; the objection doesn’t. All of these belong on this page:
- “How do I know this isn’t a scam?”
- “I’ve been burned before.”
- “Who are you with again?”
- “Everyone says that.”
- “Sounds too good to be true.”
- “Why should I trust you?”
What it usually means
Distrust has a source. Find it, and you know what kind of proof, if any, will help.
They have been burned before
A supplier who took the money and vanished, or a contract they could not escape. They are protecting themselves from a repeat.
How to tell: A story, often unprompted: “Last time we…”
Cold-call suspicion
Unknown number, unknown company. Reasonable caution, nothing personal.
How to tell: Raised early, before they know what you are offering.
Your claims were too big
Something you said sounded better than reality usually is.
How to tell: “Sounds too good to be true”, right after your pitch.
They want to verify
They want to look you up before deciding.
How to tell: They ask for your website, your company name, or how to check you are real.
A hostile brush-off
Accusation as an exit.
How to tell: Delivered with an edge, and uninterested in any answer.
Prevent it earlier in the call
The best answer to this objection is usually given before it is raised.
Say who you are and why in two sentences
Confusion breeds suspicion. Your name, your company and the reason for the call, before anything else.
Make modest, specific claims
Claims the buyer can check are more persuasive than impressive ones they cannot.
Offer ways to verify before you are asked
Where they can find you, and how to check you are who you say.
Never take payment details by voice
Use a secure link that the buyer completes themselves. Their instinct to protect their card is correct.
The core move
Whatever style you sell in, the skeleton is the same.
Agree with the instinct
“That’s the right question to ask.” Scepticism is not an attack. Treat it as sensible.
Stay level
No offence taken, no speeding up, no over-explaining. Composure is your first piece of evidence.
Give real, checkable facts
Who you are, where they can look you up, and what happens next. Only true things.
Name genuine risk limits, if they exist
If your offer really is month-to-month with no contract, say so. If it is not, do not imply it.
Ask what they would need to see
“What would you want to check before you’d feel comfortable?” Then help them check it.
Let them verify
If they want to look you up first, agree a time to talk once they have.
How each style handles it
The selling styles in Coach agree on the skeleton and disagree on almost everything else: tone, pace, and how hard to push. Here is the same objection through four of them.
Direct Close
Direct Close answers scepticism calmly and with no grovelling. Real proof only: real timelines, real terms. A month-to-month agreement is the risk reversal where it genuinely exists. Nothing invented, ever.
Example
BuyerHow do I know you’re not going to take my money and disappear?
SellerFair question. It’s month to month, no contract. If it isn’t working for you, you stop paying and walk.
BuyerNo tie-in at all?
SellerNone. You can check the terms before you pay anything. Want me to send the payment link so you can read them on screen?
Why it works. A real risk reversal addresses the fear directly, without any claim the buyer cannot check.
Where it breaks. Only if your offer actually has that term. An invented guarantee is the worst possible answer.
Calm Authority
Calm Authority lets composure do the work. Composure is demonstrated, never claimed: no “trust me”, no credentials recited. One question about what they need, then quiet.
Example
BuyerI’ve been done over by people like you before.
SellerI’m sorry that happened. What did they do?
BuyerTook a year’s fee up front and then stopped answering.
SellerThen that’s the thing to protect against. What would you need to see to know that won’t happen here?
Why it works. The seller does not defend themselves. They take the buyer’s experience seriously and let the buyer set the test.
Where it breaks. If the buyer is hostile and not really asking, one calm sentence and an offered exit is enough.
Tonality First
Tonality First notices that over-explaining sounds like doubt. The answer to “is this legit?” should be short and calm. The longer it gets, the more suspicious it sounds.
Example
BuyerThis sounds a bit too good to be true.
SellerFair. It’s not magic. It answers your calls when you can’t.
BuyerThat’s it?
SellerThat’s it. Then it shows you where each job came from.
Why it works. A plain, modest claim, said once and calmly, is more believable than an enthusiastic one.
Where it breaks. Short does not mean evasive. If they ask a specific question, answer it fully.
Permission & Disqualify
Permission & Disqualify never justifies and never defends. It answers the question with a question, so the buyer names exactly what would satisfy them.
Example
BuyerWhy should I trust you?
SellerYou probably shouldn’t yet. What would you need to see?
BuyerA proper company, somewhere I can look you up.
SellerReasonable. I’ll give you the name and website now. Look us up, and if we check out, we speak Thursday.
Why it works. Agreeing that trust must be earned is more convincing than insisting it is deserved.
Where it breaks. It needs a warm tone. Said coldly, “you probably shouldn’t” can sound flippant.
Mistakes to avoid
Getting offended
Defensiveness looks exactly like what a scammer would do.
Over-explaining
A long answer to a trust question sounds rehearsed and anxious.
Inventing proof
Made-up reviews, ratings, results, case studies or guarantees. It is dishonest, and it is exactly the thing the buyer is afraid of.
Pressuring them to decide before they check
Urgency against a trust objection confirms the suspicion.
“Unlike those other guys…”
Running down other sellers invites the buyer to wonder what you are hiding.
Taking card details by voice
A secure link the buyer completes themselves is safer for both of you.
When to stop
If the buyer wants to verify you first, let them, and book a time. If they are hostile and not really asking, one calm sentence and an offered exit is enough. Never push someone who does not trust you into paying you.
Practise it with Selly
Reading about an objection and answering one out loud are different skills. Three short reps:
Rep 1: the short answer
Choose Tonality First. When the buyer questions whether you are legitimate, answer in two sentences or fewer, calmly, and stop.
Rep 2: let them set the test
Choose Permission & Disqualify. Ask what they would need to see, then offer exactly that.
Rep 3: the real risk reversal
Choose Direct Close. State the real terms of your offer plainly. If there is no risk reversal, practise saying so honestly.
What Selly scores: Selly scores whether you stayed calm, offered only real proof and kept to the true terms of your offer. Inventing a guarantee, rating, result or case study fails the call outright, whatever else went well.
Questions
What proof actually counts?
Things the buyer can check: who you are, where to find you, and the real terms of your offer. Anything they have to take on trust is not proof.
Should I offer a guarantee?
Only if your offer genuinely has one. Inventing a guarantee is the fastest way to turn a sceptical buyer into a hostile one, and it is dishonest.
What if they want to check me out first?
Good. Give them what they need to check, and agree a time to talk once they have.
How should I take payment from a cautious buyer?
Never by reading card numbers over the phone. A secure payment link they fill in themselves, with you on the line to answer questions, respects their caution.