How to Handle:
“Change is too difficult / too disruptive”
Fear of change is one of the strongest sales obstacles. Prospects aren't just worried about your product—they're worried about disruption to their entire operation.
Why Prospects Say This
Past change initiatives have failed or been painful. They're worried about team resistance. The scope of change feels overwhelming. Leadership may not support disruption.
Best Responses
The Incremental Path
“I completely understand—big-bang changes usually fail. That's why we don't do that. We start small—typically one team or one workflow—prove value, then expand. You control the pace. What area would be lowest risk to start?”
Why It Works
Reduces the scope of change to something manageable.
Best For
Risk-averse organizations
The Cost of Inaction
“Change is hard—but staying the same has costs too. What is the current situation costing you in time, money, or missed opportunities? Sometimes the pain of the same becomes greater than the pain of change.”
Why It Works
Reframes inaction as its own risk.
Best For
When there's real cost to status quo
The Managed Change
“You're right—change for change's sake isn't worth it. But managed change with clear benefits is different. What if we mapped out exactly what changes when, with training and support at each step? Would that make it feel more doable?”
Why It Works
Shows that change can be controlled and planned.
Best For
Prospects who need to see a structured approach
Do's and Don'ts
Do This
- Validate that change is genuinely challenging
- Present a phased, controlled approach
- Highlight the cost of not changing
- Offer training and support as part of the package
Don't Do This
- Minimize the difficulty of change
- Promise change will be 'easy'
- Push for a full rollout immediately
- Ignore past change management failures
Follow-up Questions to Ask
“What past change initiatives have been difficult?”
“What would a manageable pace of change look like?”
“Who in your organization would be most resistant?”
“What would make this change feel less risky?”
Industry-Specific Variations
“We can't afford disruption to patient care”
“Patient care continuity is non-negotiable—I agree completely. That's why we implement in parallel, train during non-peak hours, and only switch when your team is ready. Zero disruption to patients is the goal.”
“Changing systems means production downtime”
“Production uptime is critical. We've done implementations during planned maintenance windows and off-shifts. Your production schedule drives our timeline, not the other way around.”
Pro Tips
- Change management is often more important than the technology itself
- Executive sponsorship is key—address this in your sales process
- Small wins early in the process build momentum for larger changes
- Fear of change often masks fear of failure—address the underlying concern
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