Customers say “Salespeople will say anything to close” for a reason. Here is what usually sits behind it, how to respond and what to avoid.
This is a statement about trust in the profession, based on real experience, rather than about you personally. The customer is telling you how to earn credibility: be specific, admit limits, and do not push. If you react with a defensive joke, you confirm the stereotype. Their remark is also an invitation to behave differently.
Typical in: Software and SaaS, Insurance and finance, Real estate, Telecom and energy, Professional services, Retail and e-commerce, Manufacturing and logistics, Contact centre and customer service
Pick the framework that fits the customer. The wording is an example direction, not a script: say it in your own words.
Say out loud what the customer seems to feel, so they can correct you.
“I understand why you would think that, and plenty of people have earned it. So here is what I will do: tell you what this is good for and what it is not, and if it is not right for you, I will say so.”
Ask for a moment, a question or a next step, and accept the answer.
“Fair. May I suggest a way to test me? I will answer your hardest question straight, and if you feel I dodged it, you can end the call. Is that fair? What would you ask a seller you did not trust?”
Offer an example, a reference or a sample the customer can check. Never an invented figure.
“Do not take my word for any of it. Anything I say, I can put in writing, and you can check it before you decide. Would it help if I sent you the key points after this call?”
After your response, ask:
What was it that a salesperson did before that made you stop trusting them?
Avoid: I’m not like other salespeople, you can trust me.
Claiming to be different is exactly what a seller who says anything would say. Trust comes from specific, checkable behaviour.
Reading is not the same as saying it. Talk to an AI customer who raises this kind of objection and see in the report which sentence helped.
Practise this objectionThis is a statement about trust in the profession, based on real experience, rather than about you personally. The customer is telling you how to earn credibility: be specific, admit limits, and do not push. If you react with a defensive joke, you confirm the stereotype. Their remark is also an invitation to behave differently.
Name the feeling: “I understand why you would think that, and plenty of people have earned it. So here is what I will do: tell you what this is good for and what it is not, and if it is not right for you, I will say so.” Ask permission: “Fair. May I suggest a way to test me? I will answer your hardest question straight, and if you feel I dodged it, you can end the call. Is that fair? What would you ask a seller you did not trust?” Offer proof: “Do not take my word for any of it. Anything I say, I can put in writing, and you can check it before you decide. Would it help if I sent you the key points after this call?”
What was it that a salesperson did before that made you stop trusting them?
Avoid “I’m not like other salespeople, you can trust me.” Claiming to be different is exactly what a seller who says anything would say. Trust comes from specific, checkable behaviour.
Educational conversation training. It is not legal or financial advice and it promises no results. Always follow your company’s rules, the terms of the product and a customer’s clear no.