LAER

A structured framework that helps sales professionals effectively manage objections and build stronger relationships with prospects. Developed initially by Carew International, the LAER model provides a repeatable process for responding to customer concerns in a way that fosters trust, understanding, and collaboration rather than confrontation or defensiveness.

At its core, LAER helps transform objections from barriers into opportunities for deeper engagement and problem-solving. It ensures that the salesperson stays focused on the customer’s perspective, validating their concerns before transitioning toward solutions.

Listen

The first step, Listen, requires giving the customer your full attention without interruption or premature judgment. Sales professionals often make the mistake of rushing to defend their offer or present counterarguments. Instead, effective listening means allowing the customer to articulate their concern completely. This step demonstrates respect and helps uncover the underlying motivations behind their objection. Active listening also includes paying attention to tone, pacing, and emotional cues that reveal what the customer truly values or fears.

Acknowledge

Next, Acknowledge reinforces that you have heard and understood the customer’s concern. This doesn’t mean agreeing with their objection; instead, it’s about validating their perspective. Phrases like I understand why you’d feel that way or That’s a fair concern can lower defensiveness and build rapport. Acknowledgment is critical because it shows empathy, an essential factor in trust-building. When customers feel understood, they are more open to considering new information or alternative viewpoints.

Explore

The Explore phase is where discovery happens. Here, the salesperson asks thoughtful, open-ended questions to understand the root cause of the objection better. For example, if a client says, Your price is too high, exploration might reveal that they are comparing it to a competitor with fewer features or that they misunderstand the long-term value. This stage moves the conversation from assumption to insight, allowing the salesperson to tailor their response to the customer’s actual needs rather than surface-level resistance.

Respond

Finally, Respond involves addressing the customer’s concern with relevant information, solutions, or alternatives that align with what was uncovered in the Explore phase. A response should be concise, credible, and value-driven—showing how your product or service directly mitigates the concern or enhances the outcome. Importantly, the effectiveness of your response depends on the credibility you’ve built in the earlier stages. When done well, this phase turns objections into opportunities for commitment and advancement in the sales process.

Why LAER Works

LAER is particularly effective because it transforms the traditional sales dynamic from persuasion to partnership. Rather than treating objections as obstacles, it reframes them as invitations to understand the customer better. This approach supports consultative selling models and aligns with modern buyer behavior, where trust and transparency are more persuasive than scripted rebuttals.

Sales leaders often train their teams in LAER through role-playing and coaching to reinforce empathy, questioning skills, and objection handling under pressure. It’s used across industries—from SaaS and enterprise technology to financial services and automotive sales—because it scales well in both direct and complex B2B environments.

Example:

If a prospect says, We’re already working with another vendor, a salesperson applying LAER would:

• Listen: Allow the prospect to explain their current arrangement.
• Acknowledge: I can see why you’d want to continue with a provider you already trust.
• Explore: What are the key factors that matter most in your relationship with them?
• Respond: That’s helpful—our clients who switched from [vendor] found that our real-time analytics gave them the visibility they were missing, which might align with what you just mentioned.

In essence, LAER turns objections into conversations and conversations into conversions.