3 ways to disarm sceptics before they derail your pitch (without sounding salesy)
If your pitch feels transactional...
If every stakeholder meeting ends in resistance...
If scepticism shows up before you’ve finished your first slide...
You’re not alone.
Scepticism isn’t rejection—it’s hesitation.
And the worst thing you can do? Push harder.
Why people are sceptical (and why that’s a good thing)
Scepticism isn’t a sign that people are against you. It usually means:
They need more clarity.
They’re weighing risk.
They’re waiting for proof, not persuasion.
The trap most pitchers fall into?
They fight scepticism instead of defusing it.
They push harder, which only creates more resistance.
Your job isn’t to win an argument.
It’s to remove friction so decision-makers can arrive at the outcome on their own terms.
Here’s how:
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3 traptics for handling sceptical decision-makers
1. Disarm scepticism before it becomes resistance
The trap: Waiting for the sceptic to raise concerns before addressing them.
The tactic: Pre-frame the scepticism—name it before they do (call out the elephant in the room).
Why:
Removes their need to challenge you.
Shifts the energy from “I don’t trust you” to “Tell me more.”
Try this (for Consultants & Thought Leaders):
Ditch: “We’ve seen this work well before.”
Pitch: “Let me show you how this played out for a client facing [problem]. Within 8 weeks, they saw [outcome].”
Try this (for Founders & Change-Makers):
Ditch: “We’re confident this will work.”
Pitch: “One thing we hear at this stage is concern about slowing down delivery. When we ran this with [team], it actually improved speed and clarity.”
The fix:
No vague promises.
Real-world proof.
No defensive energy.
2. Flip resistance into curiosity
The trap: Reacting to objections with long-winded justifications.
The tactic: Pull sceptics into the conversation. Make them co-creators, not critics.
Why:
Sceptics don’t need convincing. They need a reason to engage.
Collaboration defuses defensiveness.
Try this (for Consultants & Thought Leaders):
Ditch: “Here’s why this will work.”
Pitch: “That’s a valid concern. What’s the biggest risk you see if we moved forward?”
Try this (for Founders & Change-Makers):
Ditch: “I guarantee this will improve efficiency.”
Pitch: “I get why this raises questions—what’s the part you’re most curious about right now?”
The fix:
Names the tension, not the defence.
Invites dialogue.
Shifts sceptics from resisting to owning the next step.
3. Show, don’t tell (no one trusts a perfect pitch)
The trap: Explaining why something will work instead of proving it.
The tactic: Let them see it for themselves.
Why:
People trust evidence, not promises.
Removes the need for persuasion altogether.
Try this (for Consultants & Thought Leaders):
Ditch: “This model will work for you.”
Pitch: “Here’s what happened when [company] applied this model. Take a look at the results.”
Try this (for Founders & Change-Makers):
Ditch: “We’re confident this approach will save 20% in costs.”
Pitch: “Here’s what happened when we ran this in a test environment.”
The fix:
Evidence over-explanation.
Makes the outcome feel inevitable.
TL;DR – 3 ways to disarm sceptics before they derail your pitch (without sounding salesy)
Pre-frame their scepticism—name it before they do.
Turn resistance into curiosity—ask, don’t argue.
Show, don’t tell—let the proof do the heavy lifting.
The goal?
Make the next step feel obvious—not forced.