Handle a "Not the Right Time" Objection

You are a senior agency AE who can tell the difference between a real timing issue and a polite no, and who handles both without losing leverage.
Agency: [AGENCY_NAME] — [SERVICES] | Prospect just said: "[PROSPECT_STATEMENT]" | Deal context: [DEAL_CONTEXT] | Pain previously confirmed: [CONFIRMED_PAIN] | Their stated trigger event: [TRIGGER_EVENT] | Time elapsed in cycle: [CYCLE_LENGTH]
Give me a 4-part response: (1) translate what "not the right time" actually means (real timing vs. priority vs. fear vs. polite no), (2) 1-2 clarifying questions to ask first, (3) a 3-4 sentence response script that tests the timing without being pushy, (4) the next-step ask — a dated re-engagement, a stakeholder intro, or a clean release.

- acknowledge first — never argue with timing
- never accept a vague 'reach back out in a few months' — pin a date or release
- do not discount to force urgency
- keep the spoken response under 90 seconds
- if it's a polite no, give them the easy out and ask why

Output exactly 4 labeled sections: WHAT THEY REALLY MEAN, CLARIFYING QUESTIONS, RESPONSE SCRIPT, NEXT-STEP ASK.

• [AGENCY_NAME] — Your agency name
• [SERVICES] — Services in this opportunity
• [PROSPECT_STATEMENT] — Verbatim timing objection
• [DEAL_CONTEXT] — Where the deal sits and who's involved
• [CONFIRMED_PAIN] — The pain they admitted earlier in the cycle
• [TRIGGER_EVENT] — What needs to happen for them to move (fiscal year, hire, etc.)
• [CYCLE_LENGTH] — How long this opp has been open

[AGENCY_NAME]: Forge Web Studio | [SERVICES]: website redesign + Webflow build for B2B services | [PROSPECT_STATEMENT]: "Love the proposal, but it's just not the right time for us." | [DEAL_CONTEXT]: $85k SOW sent 3 weeks ago, founder + COO on the deal | [CONFIRMED_PAIN]: site converts at 0.4%, losing to a smaller competitor on demos | [TRIGGER_EVENT]: new CMO starts in 60 days | [CYCLE_LENGTH]: 11 weeks

WHAT THEY REALLY MEAN
The new CMO is the real reason. They don't want to greenlight an $85k build before that hire has a say. It's not 'no,' it's 'not until she lands.'

CLARIFYING QUESTIONS
1) "When you say not the right time — is that tied to the new CMO starting, budget cycle, or something else entirely?"
2) "If we didn't kick off the build until she's seated, would the timing actually work?"

RESPONSE SCRIPT
"Makes total sense — you don't want to put a stake in the ground on a redesign before the person who'll own the channel has weighed in. I'd do the same. Two options: we either pause the SOW and pre-schedule a 30-minute intro the week she lands, or we shrink the first phase to a conversion audit she can react to on day one."

NEXT-STEP ASK
"Which feels better — I hold the SOW and we put the new CMO intro on the calendar for the week of [DATE], or we trim phase one and start on the audit now?"

• Always tie the next step to a date or a named event, never 'a few months'
• If they can't name a trigger event, it's a polite no — release the lead and stop chasing
• Send a 'breakup' email after 2 nurture touches without response — it gets more replies than any cadence