The principle. From Chris Voss (Never Split the Difference): repeat the last 1–3 words your prospect said as a soft question, then stay silent. Their brain treats the mirror as "tell me more," and they keep talking — usually past the surface objection into the real one.
The mechanic.
- Prospect: "Honestly, the price is just too high."
- You (slightly upward inflection): "Too high?"
- (2-second pause)
- Prospect: "Yeah, I mean, compared to what we paid for the last vendor we used."
Now you have the real objection: comparison to a different vendor. You wouldn't have gotten there with "Why is it too high?" — that puts them on defense.
Why it works. Repeating their words feels neutral, not adversarial. People are wired to elaborate when their language is reflected back. And the silence after the mirror does 80% of the work — most reps pile on a follow-up question and kill the effect.
Where to use it.
- After any objection.
- When the prospect goes vague ("we're not really sure right now").
- When you suspect the stated reason isn't the real one.
Watch out for. Mirror more than once in a row and it sounds like you're mocking them. One mirror, then move into a labeled question ("It sounds like the comparison to your last vendor is what's stuck — is that right?").