Throughout the sales process, you’re guaranteed to encounter objections, questions, and pushback. It’s up to you to overcome these objections and ease your prospect’s concerns. Are you receiving objections during your sales presentation? Addressing the objection and then returning to your presentation only to be met with another objection can be frustrating. Reduce objections in your presentation by following the steps for a genuine conversation. Practice overcoming questions and concerns to make your conversations more authentic.
Most objections are good because they prove a level of genuine interest, and successful sales have been shown to have twice as many objections as unsuccessful sales. In order to handle objections effectively, you should listen completely; don’t interrupt your prospect. Listening builds trust.
You have introduced yourself, broken the ice, and engaged in some amount of conversation that has helped you qualify your prospect. They are in the right position to buy for their company, they have expressed interest, and you have scheduled an appointment to present to them. I don’t agree with presenting at the same time I start a conversation with them. If you’re in door-to-door sales and that’s your model, it’s more appropriate because you have one chance to pitch, so do that you have to do, but there will be more objections.
The Presentation:
You have all your details ready, but don’t give them the pricing sheets. Only provide the main buying points of interest which you know are of value to them. If you’re selling VoIP (voice over internet protocol) and you know they are using Microsoft Teams, then have a one-page document that lists all the ways your VoIP product will integrate with Teams. You know what they are looking for because you asked in your introductory conversation, not during the presentation. You asked all the qualifying questions already.
If you follow this guide you won’t have many objections during the presentation:
- Introduction, break the ice, explain who you are and why you are calling them. Qualify yourself and the customer by making sure they are the right person to talk to. This is also when you get to take the pressure off, relax, be conversational and get to know your prospect. Focus on the conversation, not on closing the sale.
- Ask them questions. Do they have a problem with something they are using today? What needs do they have? If there are none, what potential needs may arise in the future? You have time, so take as much as you need to build the relationship for the future. You may need this sale a year from now just as much as you need it today. Keep detailed notes and listen carefully.
- Short story, introduce your company, use specifics they mentioned to portray your company as a good fit for them.
- Ask follow-up questions, ask for more details or anything that was missed, keep good notes.
- Present the product that suits their needs best, and keep it short and simple. Create a picture of how the product or service will simplify some of the challenges they have today. Create value by stressing the deal or the benefits.
If you do have objections, then follow these guidelines:
Ask For More Details About Their Question
Pause, smile and ask: “How do you mean?” This question is almost impossible not to answer. Ask for more details about the objection so that you can clearly answer their concerns.
Feel, Felt, Found Method
When a customer says something like, “It costs too much,” you can reply, “I understand how you feel. Jane felt the same way when she first heard the price point, but she found that the savings would come over years of use. This product is proven to be more reliable and of better quality.” Then go on to explain that the benefits to the customer are greatly in excess of the added cost that the customer has to pay. Listen to them, make sure you’re using examples that are true and also relevant to their question or concern.
After overcoming the objection, ask for details including how many they will order, what address to ship to, where to send the bill, and who will be the main contact. Often, a customer doesn’t know how much they want until you offer to take care of all the details. Be in control and confident, listen closely to them and continue to address each objection, then get back to the close.
Take time to practice in front of a mirror. When I was in business-to-business sales, I would have my trainees write a list of all the objections they had heard that day. I would help them answer these questions and concerns, taking into consideration their individual personalities and communication styles. The following day, on our way to the field, I would ask them to practice answering objections over and over again. The clearer and more comfortable you are with the basics, the more creative you can become while being authentic to yourself and your prospect.
Subscribe for more business, sales, and investing posts. Have a lovely day!
