I Need to Talk to My Spouse or Partner
Do not dismiss the absent person. Understand how the decision will be discussed and invite them into the process.
Either this is a real joint decision you failed to surface at the start, or it is a stall using an absent person as cover. One question usually tells you which.
What they say
- “I need to run it by my wife”
- “I have to talk to my husband”
- “We decide together”
What's actually underneath it
A legitimate joint decision that should have surfaced earlier
A stall using an absent person as cover
Not confident enough to defend the value to someone else
The ten questions that open it up
Ask one. Then stop talking. The answer is worth more than anything you were about to say.
- 1.“That makes sense - what do you believe your spouse or partner will want to know?”
- 2.“How do you think they will initially react to the idea?”
- 3.“What part do you expect them to support?”
- 4.“What concern do you expect them to raise?”
- 5.“How do the two of you normally make decisions like this?”
- 6.“What would they need to see before feeling comfortable?”
- 7.“How would this decision affect them personally?”
- 8.“Would it be easier if we included them in the conversation so they could ask their own questions?”
- 9.“If they felt confident in the solution, would there be anything else preventing you from moving forward?”
- 10.“When would be an appropriate time for all of us to talk together?”
The trap
Letting them leave without knowing what they are actually going to say.
Never let your case be relayed secondhand by someone who is not confident in it. Get the second chair into the conversation, or arm the first chair to have it well.
Related objections
Complex decisions rarely belong to one person. Map the process without making the buyer feel diminished.
Competition is useful because it reveals what matters most to the buyer.
Timing objections often conceal uncertainty, competing priorities, or fear of disruption.
Try it live
Paste the objection you actually got this week and get the question to ask back.
Reverse your objection