Optimize · Objection Handling
Handle a "Bad Past Agency Experience" Objection
Rebuild trust with a burned prospect without spending the whole call defending your industry.
When to use
Use this when a prospect opens with a war story about being burned by a previous agency. Common in SEO and paid media, where over-promising is rampant. Run it before discovery so you can preempt their defense mechanisms and structure the engagement to remove the exact risk they're afraid of.
The prompt
You are a senior agency AE who has won deals from prospects burned by previous agencies, by being the first person to name what actually went wrong. Agency: [AGENCY_NAME] — [SERVICES] | Prospect just said: "[PROSPECT_STATEMENT]" | What the past agency did wrong: [PAST_AGENCY_FAILURE] | Deal context: [DEAL_CONTEXT] | Your relevant proof: [RELEVANT_PROOF] | Engagement protections you can offer: [RISK_REVERSAL] Give me a 4-part response: (1) translate the real fear underneath (wasted spend vs. lost time vs. reputational risk vs. losing internal credibility), (2) 1-2 clarifying questions to surface the specific failure mode, (3) a 3-4 sentence response script that validates the scar and names the structural cause, (4) the next-step ask — a risk-reversed first engagement. - acknowledge first — never defend the industry or other agencies - name the specific failure mode (reporting, scope creep, channel mismatch, etc.) - never promise results you can't structurally guarantee - keep the spoken response under 90 seconds - the next step must include a real risk-reversal mechanism Output exactly 4 labeled sections: WHAT THEY REALLY MEAN, CLARIFYING QUESTIONS, RESPONSE SCRIPT, NEXT-STEP ASK.
Variables
[AGENCY_NAME]Your agency name[SERVICES]Services in this pitch[PROSPECT_STATEMENT]Verbatim story or objection[PAST_AGENCY_FAILURE]What you've gathered about the last agency's failure[DEAL_CONTEXT]Where the deal sits, who's on it[RELEVANT_PROOF]A case study or client outcome that matches their pain[RISK_REVERSAL]Trial period, opt-out clause, milestone billing, etc. you can offer
Example input
[AGENCY_NAME]: Vector Performance | [SERVICES]: paid search + paid social | [PROSPECT_STATEMENT]: "Last agency burned $80k of our budget in six months with nothing to show." | [PAST_AGENCY_FAILURE]: ran Performance Max with no feed hygiene, no negative keywords, reported on impressions | [DEAL_CONTEXT]: discovery call, CMO + Head of Ecom, $25k/mo budget | [RELEVANT_PROOF]: similar DTC brand we rescued from PMax-only setup, 3.2x ROAS in 90 days | [RISK_REVERSAL]: month-to-month after a 90-day kickoff, weekly Loom reports, named senior strategist
Example output
WHAT THEY REALLY MEAN The scar isn't $80k — it's the CMO's internal credibility. Whoever greenlit that contract spent political capital and got nothing. The fear isn't spending again, it's having to defend the decision a second time. CLARIFYING QUESTIONS 1) "What were they reporting to you weekly — impressions and clicks, or revenue and ROAS?" 2) "Was the spend mostly in PMax, or were they actually building structured campaigns by intent?" RESPONSE SCRIPT "That's a brutal six months and I won't pretend otherwise. What you're describing is the classic 'set PMax loose and call it strategy' failure — and it's why I won't take the account on an annual contract. We go month-to-month after a 90-day proof window, you get a Loom every Friday tied to revenue, and the senior strategist is named in the contract — not swapped out." NEXT-STEP ASK "Want me to send you the 90-day plan with the exit clause baked in, and we get on a 30-minute call Friday to walk it through with whoever else needs to sign off?"
Pro tips
- Name the failure mode by its real name — it instantly signals you're not the same kind of agency
- Always offer a structural risk-reversal (month-to-month, milestone billing) — not just a verbal promise
- Ask who internally championed the last agency — they're the real buyer to win back
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