Section 1 · Website AI Salesperson
1.4Objection handling
Built — needs DMA's data- No.
- 1.4
- DMA's reference
- Decision Book p.10
- Phase
- Phase 1
- Autonomy
- L4 · Autonomous
- DMA's decision
- Yes
What DMA asked for · Decision Book p.10
The chat knows how to answer the usual objections: "too expensive", "we already have an agency", "just researching", "need to think about it".
Why it matters to DMA: Objections are where most website chats die. Handling them well keeps the conversation going.
In our words, from DMA's Product Decision Book v3, page 10.
How we do it
- Ten kinds of objection are defined: too expensive, already have an agency, just researching, need to think, no budget right now, needs someone else's approval, a bad past experience, wants guarantees, doing it in-house, and other.
- Each has an approved answer in DMA's knowledge base, with guidance (for example: never criticise the other agency; offer a second opinion, don't push for a switch). The answers are versioned, and only approved, public ones can be used by the chat.
- When a visitor objects, the strategist looks up the approved answer and gives it in a sentence or two, in its own words but only with the approved claims. If a sample case study matches the visitor's industry, it adds one line from it; if nothing matches, it doesn't mention case studies at all.
- The objection is recorded in the chat's notes, so the salesperson sees it in the Nutshell summary before the call.
- Today the answers are sample wording written for the POC. DMA's own answers, built from its real sales history as the book asks, replace them without any code change.
The flow
It plays on its own while it's on screen; hover or use the controls to pause or step through.
The visitor objects
A dental practice owner says they already work with an agency.
- Person
- AI
- Stored data
- Rule in code
- Screen
- Nutshell
Where the data goes
The same six stages on every page. Nothing reaches Nutshell except through the write gate.
- 1Website chat
Source
The objection, in the visitor's words.
- 2Sync
Copies Nutshell changes into the bridge database
Later: DMA's won and lost deals from Nutshell feed the answer library.
- 3Bridge database
A copy of the CRM data, plus what the AI works out
The approved answers and case studies, each versioned.
- 4AI
Claude models, only through DMA's own gateway
Finds the answer and a matching case study, and says it briefly.
- 5Write gate
The only way back into Nutshell: checked, approved when needed, sent once
Writes the chat summary, objection included, onto the lead.
- 6Nutshell
The system of record
The rep sees the objection before the call.
The tables behind it
Drawn from the POC's database catalogue: structure only, no data.
PK primary keyFK reference the database enforces (solid line)ID reference kept by id (dashed line)
| Table | What it holds | Columns |
|---|---|---|
| ai.kb_documents | DMA's approved content: services, FAQs, objection answers and case studies, each with its approved claims. | 17 |
| tax.taxonomies | The label sets the AI may use, such as the ten objection kinds. | 9 |
| tax.nodes | Each label in a set, e.g. "objection.already_have_agency". | 13 |
| conv.messages | The chat lines; each AI line records which approved sources it used. | 21 |
How the tables connect (7)
| Column | Points to | Kept by |
|---|---|---|
| ai.kb_documents.approval_id | ctrl.approvals | The application (by id) |
| tax.nodes.dimension | tax.taxonomy_versions | The database (foreign key) |
| tax.nodes.version | tax.taxonomy_versions | The database (foreign key) |
| conv.messages.conversation_id | conv.conversations | The database (foreign key) |
| conv.messages.participant_id | conv.participants | The application (by id) |
| conv.messages.decision_id | ctrl.decision_log | The application (by id) |
| conv.messages.agent_version_id | agent.agent_versions | The application (by id) |
Worked example
Synthetic demo data: every name, business and number is made up.
A dental practice owner says they already have an agency (BrightSmile demo site)
What you see
1.The visitor gives some context first
"We're a dental practice with three locations." The strategist replies, and the note-taker records the industry and the number of locations.
What happens in the system
- LLM gateway
first replyClaude Sonnet 5 through the AI gateway: 2,745 tokens in, 45 out · $0.0082 · 2.6 s.
- LLM gateway
note-takerClaude Haiku 4.5: 1,491 tokens in, 98 out · $0.0020 · 1.5 s. Records: dental, 3 locations.
Right-hand values come from a real run of the POC on September 25, 2026 (trace tr_muh5tbo52jgpqd0smgrf8, tr_muh5tbqv18g3rgfbfdhda…). Rows marked “sample” are illustrative.
The approved answers the chat uses today (sample wording written for the POC, to be replaced by DMA's own), and one worked objection.
Objection answers in the knowledge base
| Objection | Approved answer (sample wording) |
|---|---|
| We already have an agency | That's common, and it's fine. We can take a quick look at what's working today and where there might be gaps, with no obligation. If your current agency is doing a good job, we'll tell you. |
| Just researching | Makes sense, and there's no pressure. I can look at your website and share three specific things worth fixing, or send a relevant case study. |
| Need to think about it | Of course, take the time you need. Would a short summary of what we discussed help? |
| Doing it in-house | That can work well with a strong internal team. Some teams use outside help just for specialist pieces or busy periods. |
| Too expensive | Pricing depends on what you need, so a strategist confirms it after a short conversation. Often the best start is the one or two things most likely to move results. |
One objection, worked through
- Visitor
- "We already have an agency, so I'm not sure this is for us."
- Recognised as
- Already have an agency
- Answer used
- Objection: We already have an agency, version 1
- Case study
- Sample case study: a three-location dental groupUsed because the visitor runs a dental practice. A law firm would get no case study line.
- Reply
- "That's common, and it's fine: if your current agency is doing well, we'll say so. In a sample case study, a three-location dental group grew new-patient calls by 41% in nine months. Would a quick second opinion on your site be useful?"
In the running POC
1 / 2A dental practice owner says they already have an agency: the approved answer, plus the matching sample case study.
- 1The objection, in the visitor's words.
- 2The approved answer: no pressure and no criticism of the other agency.
Website chat · BrightSmile Dental demo site. Captured from the running POC on September 25, 2026; synthetic data.
See it live
Opens the exact screen in the running POC, in a new tab.
| Open | Where | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| BrightSmile Dental demo site | Demo prospect website | Say you run a dental practice, then that you already have an agency. |
| Knowledge base | DMA AI dashboard | The approved answers and case studies, with their versions. |
Status
Built — needs DMA's data. This capability runs in the POC today. It needs DMA's own content or data to go live; no code change is needed for that.