Objections are a constant disappointment for salespeople, but they don’t need to be. You can find that objections keep the conversation going, and as long as they are utilized for your benefit, you can make them work for finding out more information. Try asking more sales questions to reduce the number of objections you’re hearing from prospects. Having a conversational strategy that includes organizing the structure, being polite, respecting your prospect’s time, and being easy to work with will help you close deals. But first, before closing the sale, you’ll need to master the introduction.
I am a believer in the appointment introduction.
When I first talk to a prospect, I don’t want to vomit my pitch on them; that’s not what they are there for. When introducing yourself, do so quickly with a very brief description of why you are there in person, or why you’re calling. This will help you keep the focus on the customer.
Example Introduction:
“Hi, I’m Sarah, and I’m calling from Distribution Center Hardware to quickly introduce myself. I hope you’re having a great day. You have computer hardware, right?” Be fun about this, they will say yes of course, then ask them when they bought their last router, or something obvious. They might say ‘I’m all set’, or ‘I don’t need anything’.
Reply with, “Yes, I understand – of course you’re happy with your current provider! We haven’t met yet”, or “That’s why you use them; I’m just curious if the experience working with your supplier is fresh in your mind? Don’t worry, I just have a couple of quick questions to determine if my company is even a good fit for you.”
“We specialize in exactly what you use. Do you have ten minutes for a quick call on Tuesday, or Thursday? Is morning or afternoon better for you?”
Then make the appointment. Ask for their full name (if you have their name then say it now), and ask for their email address (if you have it, confirm it) to send the meeting invitation. Thank them for their time and get off the phone. Don’t give too much detail until you have your introduction meeting. It’s very important to keep the first introduction call short; this tells the prospect that you value their time and will continue to make sure to make appointments rather than just blabber on like many other salespeople who call them.
Your Introduction Call:
You have a ten-minute appointment to introduce yourself and the company, but it’s not about you, it’s about them.
Thank them for joining the call for you to learn more about them. Tell them that your company specializes in their industry and then ask for some information that’s relevant to their business. Ask if they have to replace something relevant to an aspect of their industry often. For example, do they have to buy routers every two or three years? Do they open up branches regularly, or is most of their work focused at the branches you saw on their website? These are things that help you understand their day-to-day experience and needs so that you can tell them how you can help once you’re into the presentation.
Be specific with your questions, as vague questions are annoying, discredit your expertise, and will invite objections. When you have about five minutes of details from them, respond that your company focuses on companies specifically as they described, for instance, companies with multiple sites, companies with small IT budgets, and companies with many locations and no central headquarters.
Give them an example of a competitor you worked with and how they were helped. If you have a story someone in that company shared with you, you can use that story, but keep it brief. Now ask when they are available for a twenty-minute call for more fact finding? Don’t make it too far away and it can’t be the next day. It’s like dating; make it balanced so no one feels chased but the interest level stays alive – about two days is best. Find out if morning or afternoon is better for them. Are there any other key people who should be on the call?
Schedule the call or meeting, then get off the call quickly. Your next call or meeting (which, if possible is better) is now on the books. It’s best to be face to face now. You have already qualified the customer, qualified yourself, and are ready to find out how you can help them. You want to learn everything you can about their business, their challenges, and their goals during this meeting. If you can, keep the focus on them and not on yourself, then you will usually receive many fewer objections. That said, you’re sure to experience some. When you do, this is how you can overcome them:
Feel, Felt, Found:
Use the phrase, “I understand how you feel! This [other competitor] person felt the same way, but they found… [some value or benefit]”.
Build, Break, Build:
Use a phrase the starts with sugar, adds some salt, and closes with sugar. This sandwichs the negative part of the conversation between two positives.
Example: “These aspects of your business are great and you’re doing a fantastic job, but since you don’t have an IT staff who can regularly do check ins and make sure that the hardware is regularly working and updated, having a managed service will enhance your users experience while freeing up your time from regularly having to check in.”
If you find that you regularly can’t get an introduction call scheduled, then you need to check your tone, check your attitude, and ask yourself if you are feeling overwhelmed or needy. Prospects can sense desperation and will reject you if that’s what’s going on.
If you’re having some issues with rejection, then check out this post: How to Deal with Sales Rejection. Be confident, relaxed, and easy to talk to, and you will find people want to talk to you more and longer. Enjoy the conversations once you get them off the ground!
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