If you’re tired of guessing why deals stall or prospects go quiet, you’re not alone. Customer objections are where sales conversations either die or get interesting. But most teams treat objections like random potholes: they swerve, patch, and hope for the best. This guide is for anyone who wants to actually understand what customers are pushing back on—and use Gong call data to do it without drowning in dashboards or fluff.
Let’s cut the vague advice and get into what it takes to track, analyze, and deal with real objections using Gong.
Step 1: Get Real About What Counts as an Objection
Not every question or concern is an objection. Sometimes a prospect’s just thinking out loud. Before you start mining Gong for “objection data,” get clear on what you’re actually looking for.
What’s a real objection? - The customer is signaling a reason they won’t buy right now. - It’s more than a question—they’re putting up a roadblock. - Examples: “It’s too expensive,” “We’re happy with our current solution,” “We don’t have budget.”
What’s not an objection? - Curiosity: “How does this feature work?” - Logistics: “Can you send me the contract?” - Stalling: “Let me get back to you.” (This one’s on the fence. Sometimes a real objection is hiding underneath.)
Pro tip:
Before you get fancy with Gong’s analytics, sit with your team and list out the top 3–5 objections you actually hear. If you can’t agree, you’re not ready to track anything yet.
Step 2: Set Up Gong to Track Objections (Without Drowning in False Positives)
Gong’s “keyword tracking” sounds amazing—until you realize half your flagged calls are just people talking about price, not objecting. Here’s how to set up Gong so it’s useful, not just noisy.
1. Build a Focused Keyword List - Start with your real objections (from Step 1). - Include variations. If “budget” is an objection, add “too expensive,” “cost,” “can’t afford,” etc. - Don’t go overboard—10–20 keywords max. More = more noise.
2. Review Gong’s Default Trackers - Gong comes with some prebuilt trackers. They’re… fine. But they’re generic. - Edit or create custom trackers for your actual objections. - Test with real calls. Are you catching what matters, or just flagging every mention of “price”?
3. Use Context, Not Just Keywords - If you can, set up trackers that look for keywords in context. For example, “too expensive” within 10 words of “this solution.” - If your Gong admin skills aren’t up to this, get help—but don’t trust out-of-the-box settings blindly.
What to ignore:
Don’t obsess over capturing 100% of objections. You’ll never get every single one. Aim for “good enough to spot trends,” not perfection.
Step 3: Score and Tag Objections for Analysis
Once Gong is flagging objections, you’ll get a pile of call snippets, but not all are created equal. If you want to make sense of the data, you’ll need to add some human judgment.
1. Tag the Severity - Not all objections are deal-killers. Add a simple score: “minor” (a speed bump), “major” (could kill the deal), or “fatal” (deal is dead). - You can do this in Gong with call comments or in a spreadsheet you maintain alongside.
2. Note the Salesperson’s Response - Did the rep handle it well, dodge it, or make it worse? - Tagging responses helps you spot coaching moments, not just customer gripes.
3. Add Notes Where It’s Not Clear - Sometimes, context matters. A quick note (“customer was joking,” “competitor planted this objection”) will save headaches later.
Pro tip:
Don’t overcomplicate. You’re looking for patterns, not perfect records for every single call.
Step 4: Analyze Objection Trends Without Getting Lost in Data
Now you’ve got objection data with some context. Here’s how to actually use it.
1. Look for Patterns Over Time - What’s popping up most often? Is “price” always #1, or is “missing feature” creeping up? - Track by week/month/quarter—not just in aggregate.
2. Segment by Rep, Industry, or Deal Stage - Certain reps always running into “budget” walls? Maybe it’s their pitch. - Are certain industries more likely to object to security, integrations, etc.? - Is a specific objection a “late-stage killer,” or does it come up early and get resolved?
3. Don’t Trust Pie Charts Blindly - Gong’s dashboards make everything look important. Take the time to read actual call snippets to see if the data matches reality. - Sometimes, what looks like a trend is just one big customer with lots of meetings.
What works:
- Reviewing 10–20 actual objection snippets every month. There’s no substitute for hearing it in the customer’s own words.
- Sharing top 3 objections with the team regularly.
What doesn’t:
- Trusting automated sentiment or “objection resolved” scores. They’re hit or miss.
Step 5: Use Insights to Coach, Not Just Report
You’ve got objection trends—now what? If you just present charts, nothing changes. Here’s how to turn analysis into action.
1. Run Coaching Sessions on Real Objections - Pick a recent call where an objection was handled well (or badly). - Play the snippet, discuss what worked, what didn’t. - Keep it practical—“Next time, try saying this,” not “We should all be more customer-centric.”
2. Update Enablement Materials - Create objection-handling one-pagers based on actual calls. - Scrap scripts that don’t match what prospects actually say.
3. Share Wins and Losses - If a rep flips a tough objection, share the call. If a deal dies because of a fumbled objection, talk about what could have been done differently. - Build a culture where it’s okay to admit when an objection stumped you.
What to ignore:
- Long PowerPoints summarizing objection “themes.” No one reads them.
- Generic training videos that don’t use your real calls.
Step 6: Close the Loop With Product and Marketing
Objections aren’t just a sales problem. If “missing feature” is killing deals, or “security concerns” keep popping up, your product and marketing teams need to know.
How to do it without starting a turf war: - Share anonymized snippets—not just a list of complaints. Let product folks hear real customers’ words. - Be specific: “We lost 3 deals last quarter because X was missing.” - Suggest fixes, but don’t demand miracles. Sometimes objections are just part of the landscape.
Pro tip:
If you keep seeing the same objection and no one outside sales cares, it’s either not a real dealbreaker or your internal communication needs work.
What to Skip (and What’s Actually Useful)
Skip this stuff: - Overly broad trackers (“concerns,” “issues”). You’ll drown in irrelevant data. - Obsessing over every minor objection. Focus on the ones that actually stall or kill deals. - Fancy AI-powered insights unless you’ve validated them with real call reviews.
Actually useful: - Focused trackers based on your top real objections. - Regular, quick reviews of objection snippets (as a team, not just managers). - Simple, honest feedback loops between sales, product, and marketing.
Keep It Simple. Iterate.
Don’t wait for the perfect setup. Start with the 2–3 objections you know are hurting you, track them in Gong, and see what patterns emerge. Adjust as you go. The goal isn’t to create a perfectly tagged database—it’s to get smarter about why customers say no and what you can do about it.
Keep it simple, be skeptical of overblown dashboards, and trust what you hear in the calls. That’s where the real insights live.