By Jack Perry
No one can read minds. Every time you communicate, part of the process is finding out what’s on the other person’s mind, what the person values, and what his or her concerns are. When you’re communicating your offer to a prospect or client and you receive an objection, you must find out the reason behind the objection.
Most people in the sales industry fear objections. However don’t confine objections just to the career salesperson…everyone is involved in the selling process in some way every day i.e. which movie shall we watch, where shall we go on our vacation. In business, some salespersons actually allow the same objection to defeat them over and over again. Why? Because they aren’t prepared to handle the situation, and they don’t understand the objection.
Objections aren’t necessarily bad. Yes, they can be confusing because they aren’t always obvious; an objection is really a question in disguise. In other words, when a person says, “Your fees are much too high.” The person is really asking, “Why are your fees so high?”
Objections are your prospect’s areas of concern. When you present your products or services and your prospects object, they are actually sharing their needs and fears with you and telling you how to sell them. If you can uncover the real reason behind their objection, then you’ll know exactly what it will take for them to do business with you.
How can you uncover the reason behind your prospect’s objection and use it to move the sale forward? Use the following strategies for successfully managing objections.
Don’t Take it Personally
Objections are a part of the process in the sales profession. When a prospect objects to an aspect of your offer, don’t take it personally, don’t take offense, and don’t assume anything. Rather, approach it as a chance to offer more information.
Keep your response to the objection brief and on point. If you don’t know the answer, say you’ll find out. Do your homework, demonstrate a concern for their satisfaction, and work your way closer to the sale.
Practice Handling Objections
If you’re serious about handling objections and winning more sales, then you need to practice. List all the possible objections and ask your team members and sales management to help you come up with more. Then practice your responses to each one. When they come up you’ll know how to handle them.
Also, if you want to be a pro in the sales industry, then you need a good source on handing objections. Dr. Donald Moine and Gerhard Gschwander, of Selling Power Magazine, wrote an objection book that walks you through how to handle objections and what they are.
Work through Objections
You should approach every objection with a process that keeps you focused, seeks out significant information, keeps communication open, and gets to the source of the prospects’ hesitation. Use the following four steps to move the sale forward:
Listen intently to the concerns with your eyes focused and your body leaning forward. Nod your head, watch the other person’s body language, and take notes.
Thank the client or prospect for expressing the concern, and then restate it to make sure you understand.
Address the concern, and then ask if you have fully addressed it. If the answer is “no,” go back and address it again.
Ask if your prospect has any other objections or concerns. If yes, start over at step one by thanking the prospect and repeat the process until you eliminate all the concerns.
Working through objections in this manner will allow you to clarify every concern and doubt the prospect has, and then proceed to close the sale.
Turn Objections into Incentives
Because every objection is really a concern, you can turn objections into reasons why the prospect should buy from you. If the prospect says, “Your fees are too high for me.” Then respond, “That’s exactly the reason you should buy from me. Because we invest more money into research and development in order to provide superior results for our clients.” This technique lets your prospects know that, despite their concerns, you still have their best interests in mind.
Show Empathy
Many sales professionals hesitate to empathize with their prospects because they fear it might sound contrived. But when you show empathy for their concerns, they feel more comfortable with you as a person. Just by saying, “I know how you feel,” you can build trust and earn more sales in the process.
Isolate the Objection
When prospects say they need to think your offer over, you need to isolate the objection. Try to get them to reveal what, specifically, they need to think over. The price? The contract? The maintenance guarantee? Isolating the objection will help you move the sale forward while you’re in front of the prospect and will save you the hassle of starting the sales process over when you meet with them again.
When you can isolate the objection you can ask, “If we can move past this concern, will you be willing to buy?” This brings you even closer to the sale.
No Means Maybe
Many salespeople hear rejections and just leave; they don’t pursue the sale any further. But an objection isn’t as challenging as many believe. You can use objections to move the sale forward. In reality, if you can’t confidently and successfully handle objections, then you’re an amateur in the sales game and you’ll get paid as an amateur. When you use these strategies to manage your prospects’ objections, you’ll win more sales and raise your career to a higher level of success.
Objections from The Respect Factor® Series
THE RESPECT FACTOR® is a trademark of Jack Perry in the United States and other countries. Used with permission. ©2009 Jack Perry. All rights reserved.
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