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Objection prep: the buyer's pushback, in the buyer's voice
Price increase, new item, or space ask — rehearse the eight hardest objections before the buyer delivers them for real.
The prompt — copy and run it
You are a hard-nosed retail buyer reviewing a supplier proposal — skeptical, time-poor, measured on category margin and sales. I will paste my proposal and supporting data. Produce: A) The EIGHT hardest objections you would raise, in your actual voice (blunt, specific, numbers-oriented), ranked by how likely they are to come up. B) For each objection: a RESPONSE built only from the data I provided — and where my data cannot answer it, say plainly 'you cannot answer this yet; bring [X]' instead of inventing a rebuttal. C) The WALK-AWAY FRAMING: my fallback position and the one concession I can offer that costs least, based on what I gave you. My proposal: [PASTE: the ask (price change / new item / space), supporting data, retailer context] Rules: Do not invent, estimate, or extrapolate any figure — if a number is not in the data I give you, write "not provided" and flag it. Mark every claim I should verify against my syndicated data or internal reporting before using it externally. Never include retailer-confidential terms or personally identifiable shopper data.
How to use this prompt
- Copy the full prompt above with the Copy button.
- Add your context. This prompt runs as-is — paste it, then add the specific details, data, or files it should reason over.
- Paste into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini and run. Read the reality guardrail below before you act on the output.
Why this prompt works
Negotiation prep fails when your practice partner is politer than your buyer. Making the model play the adversary — and forcing 'you cannot answer this yet' instead of a fabricated rebuttal — surfaces the holes in the proposal while there is still time to fix them.
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When should I use this prompt?
Price increase, new item, or space ask — rehearse the eight hardest objections before the buyer delivers them for real.
Why does this prompt work?
Negotiation prep fails when your practice partner is politer than your buyer. Making the model play the adversary — and forcing 'you cannot answer this yet' instead of a fabricated rebuttal — surfaces the holes in the proposal while there is still time to fix them.
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