How would you handle a stakeholder who insists on a specific solution — for example, a custom object — when you believe an existing standard object would serve better?

1. I would not argue about the solution. I would move the conversation up one level and ask what outcome the custom object is meant to deliver and what is failing today.
2. Often the request comes from a genuine constraint I do not yet know about — a reporting need, a sharing requirement, or a bad experience on a previous project. I want that constraint on the table.
3. I would then present both options side by side against the stakeholder's own criteria: effort, reporting implications, sharing and security behaviour, ongoing maintenance, and impact on existing automation.
4. I would bring the platform expertise into the room rather than assert it myself — usually a technical architect — so the trade-offs are credible.
5. If the stakeholder still prefers their option after seeing the trade-offs and they hold the decision rights, I document the decision and the rationale in the decision log and move on. My job is to ensure the decision is informed, not to win it.