10 Strategies for Dealing with Objections
Without objections the salesperson would be out of a job. Instead of a sales force, companies would have one or two people taking orders as they were phoned in by already convinced buyers.
Since objections are so important to a sales job, it is critical that the salesperson learns how to handle them effectively. The key to this is to welcome objections and not dread them. After all, through objections you are learning your client's needs and wants, his dislikes, and his fears — in short, everything you need to know in order to get him to buy.
Here are 10 strategies that you can put to use immediately which will make client objections work for you rather than against you.
See The Objection As a Question: If the salesperson sees the objection “Your price is too high.” as an attack, the natural tendency will be to defend his price. This puts the client and the salesperson in an attacker/defender relationship—a difficult relationship in which to gain respect and trust. However, if the salesperson mentally changes this objection into the question “Why are your prices so high?”, he can proceed to explain his price to the client. This puts the two of them into a client/consultant relationship which is a much stronger position for the salesperson.
2. Turn the Objection into a Reason for Buying: If the salesperson can show the client that whatever the objection is, it is actually the reason to buy, he will effectively defuse the objection. For example, if the client says “Your price is too high.”, the salesperson counters with “That's the very reason you should buy. Our prices are an indication of the value you will be getting from our company. And you do want value for your dollar, don't you?” This causes the client to view price as a matter of value rather than a matter of dollars and this makes his buying decision easier to make.
3. Smoke Out All Important Objections: If you feel that the client has some reason for not using your product or service that he hasn't stated, simply ask him what it is. After he tells you, you ask if that is the only reason he isn't buying. If he says “no”, you continue asking until all the objections are out in the open. If he says that the objection you've uncovered is the only reason, you then ask if you were to eliminate the objection would he buy. This is a question that you need a “yes” answer to in order to continue. Once you have the “yes”, the client is committed to buying if you successfully eliminate his objection. Now you can focus your sales presentation on this one point and once you've cleared it up, you have the sale.
4. Eliminate Objections with Questions: If you try to overcome objections after your presentation with arguments, you may win the argument but lose the sale. You do not overcome the objection, you eliminate it through questions at the beginning of the presentation. The initial questioning phase of the selling process is usually pretty relaxed and allows you to find out a great deal about your client before he becomes defensive. If the client tells you that he is the decision maker, for example, and doesn't have to check with anyone else, he cannot use this as an excuse later not to buy. Many common objections can eliminated with the proper use of questioning.
5. Agree with the Client About Something: Find some point of agreement with your client before you start to answer an objection. This is the best known way to “cushion” your answer and to render it un-objectionable. The client will not object as much if he knows that you understand his problem.
6. Admitting to the Objection: You are not selling something that is perfect in every way, and when a client objects to a real limitation you will be better off by admitting it. Having done that, continue your presentation focusing on the aspects that are favorable. If you try to convince the client that something is right when it is obviously not, you will antagonize her and probably lose the sale.
7. Denying the Objection: If the objection is obviously untrue, you can smile and say, “Of course I don't believe that.” For reasons known only to them, some clients will test the salesperson with some pretty outlandish objections. If you try to logically answer illogical objections, you will get sucked into a long drawn out and usually fruitless ordeal. Show the client that you have all your cards on the table and expect him to do the same.
8. Let the Client Answer His Own Objection: If the client cannot answer your question, “why?”, then he has disproved himself. The client may flounder around a bit and then admit that his objection was not really important. This is especially useful on very general objections such as “Your product is no good.” Asking “why” will, at worst narrow the objection down to something that is more easy to handle and, at best, will get the client to admit that he doesn't really know why he said that.
9. Restate the Objection in Your Own Words Before Answering: Restating the objection serves three purposes. First, it lets the client know that you are listening to him. Second, it helps avoid misunderstandings and assures that you answer the right question. Third, it gives you a little time to thin about how you are going to answer.
10.. To Answer Objections Successfully, Get into the Right Mental Attitude—and Stay in It: You are in the selling situation to persuade the client to buy something he needs, something that will benefit him. You are there to render a service. If the client raises a string of objections, don't be upset. If you seem upset, it only reinforces the client's fears that he has about his objection. Also, your body language, appearance, posture, and manner of speech must all express confidence and high self-esteem. The way your client perceives your product or service is closely tied to how he perceives you.
Objections Are Essential To A Successful Sales Call
As a professional salesperson you should never dread objections, but actually look forward to them. Objections will always be a part of your career. Indeed, you have to have them to be successful, because you can't start selling until you hear an objection. Until then, you are just a visitor, and you might as well be having tea with your grandmother.
Sure there are times when a customer takes what you have, no questions asked. But that's not selling. That's order taking.
Objections are to selling what gravity is to physical fitness: Resistance answered by correct response = performance. If the challenge is met, the benefits are great.
Do You Know An Objection When You Hear One?
Obviously, you should listen to everything a prospect says in a sales call. But there are two things that you must listen FOR: Objections, and buying signals. For now, we'll leave the latter for another day and focus on the former.
The reason you have to listen FOR an objection is because prospects often won't make your job easy by saying, "No! I don't like your product." Or, "I'm not ready to buy." Prospects are subtler than that, such as, "I still have some research to do." Or, "I'll get back to you." Knowing when you are hearing an objection takes listening skills training and experience in the field, and it's as important as any component of a sales call.
Handle Objections By Becoming An Expert
The best way to be a successful objection handler is by becoming an expert. Some people are put off by this term, expert. But if you are going to sell successfully, you MUST become an expert in your field, and be proud of that distinction. You have to know everything there is to know about:
• Your Company. No one should know more about your company, its history, track record, business practices, commitment to quality, etc. Obviously, if you are the owner, you know all this stuff. But what about your salespeople? Your sales staff doesn't have to know more about the company than you, just more than your prospects, your customers, AND your competition.
• Your Products. You ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY MUST know your products. But even with intensive and extensive product training, you can't really become an expert until you've logged many hours with your products in the marketplace. You probably never thought of prospects as trainers, but one of the best ways to really know your products is to handle objections about them. And the tougher the customer, the more you will learn. So study your products as much as you can, and then road test your knowledge in front of prospects.
• Your Industry. Every salesperson must become an industry expert. You are going to be dealing with prospects who may be older and wiser than you, and some might know more about your industry than you. You will gain credibility if you are able to weave an informed industry perspective into your sales approach. Credibility = Sales.
• Your Marketplace. Your marketplace is a dynamic environment that changes every day. You must stay up-to-date with these changes, because both you and your prospects operate in that marketplace. Every change, however slight, can create new objections you didn't have yesterday. Your prospects and customers will be market savvy. You must be, too.
• Your Customers. Information is the key to success. In sales, the information you need is about your prospects and customers. The best way to find this information is through research outside of the prospect's office, and effective probing techniques inside of their office. The more you know about the background, current condition, and plans of your prospects, the more successful you will be. In the old days, this wasn't always easy. With the Internet today, the info you need is a click away. Don't be lazy. Start clicking.
• Your Competition. You must presume that your competition knows everything about your company and products. This belief should concern you enough that you make it your personal goal to learn everything there is to know about them. Most of your competitors won't lie, but sometimes they will embellish. When they do, your prospect will regurgitate this bad info to you in the form of an objection. This is when, armed with the knowledge that the objection is baseless, you can very professionally overcome the objection, and defeat your competition. Here's a competition objection role play:
Prospect: "John Smith at ABC Company told me he could deliver in two weeks. That beats your schedule by one week."
Salesperson: "Mr. Johnson, I'm a little confused. As you know, I work with companies like yours everyday, including others who do business with ABC. Some of these companies are calling to do business with me because they've been waiting 4 weeks for delivery from ABC. My delivery schedule is three weeks, as you said, but I deliver in three weeks, as I said. Here is a list of my customers you can call to verify my delivery performance. How many would you like delivered in three weeks."
Here's another one.
Prospect: "Acme Products tells me their equipment will work non-stop around the clock with limited maintenance. Can you say that?"
Salesperson: "Mr. Williams, my equipment is very reliable, but before we discuss maintenance, would you clear something up for me? You told me your application was going to be out in the open, and often subject to the elements. Is that still true?"
Prospect: "Yes, it is."
Salesperson: "According to the specifications I have read on the Acme model you mentioned, that unit is intended to be used indoors only. The one I'm recommending is designed for both indoor and outdoor use, which fits your requirements. If you will authorize this agreement we can have your all weather project rolling by next Wednesday."
Notice that I have not recommended that you say anything disparaging about your competition. Just the facts, ma'am. Facts you won't have if you are not an expert on your competition. With the Internet today, the info you need is a click away. Don't be lazy, start clicking. Oh, by the way, did you notice that every answer to an objection ended with a closing question?
Remember, the best offense against objections is information. The kind of information only an expert would have.
Write this on a rock... Experts are very cool. As you go one-on-one with your prospects and customers, they will generate an infinite supply of objections to doing business with you. You should actually thank them for their objections. Because every objection expertly handled, puts you one step closer to a sale.
