It’s almost like a high school debate. Rather than just listening, that consumer is mentally listing reasons why everything you’re suggesting is wrong. Obviously, that makes it really hard to get them to change because rather than just going along, they’re making your message crumble to the ground. Not only are they not listening, they’re thinking about why it’s wrong.

Neutralizing the Reactants

One way to deal with reactants is to essentially provide a menu.

Usually, when we pitch a product or service, we’re asking people to do something specific. Buy this software, use this new consumer packaged good, or check out this new type of service. People then spend that pitch counter-arguing, thinking about all of the reasons that it’s wrong.