How to Understand Customer Objections

By Gerhard Gschwandtner

For most prospects, objections are defense mechanisms that allow them to avoid a buying decision. Why the avoidance? Because a buying decision represents risk.

Listen to what your prospects say. They will invariably provide you with key information that will help you overcome the objection and advance the sale. You’ll find that objections typically fall into one of three categories:

Road signs. Road signs are indicators of information. They tell you what the prospect is interested in and which direction he or she needs to go in order to proceed. For example, if the prospect says, “That offer won’t work for me. I need the order by next week, not next month,” that’s your cue to make a better offer on delivery.

Insufficient information. This is nothing more than your prospect saying, “You have not given me enough benefits to make a decision to buy.” Think of your prospect standing in front of you with hands extended. In the one hand he or she is weighing the risks of making a buying decision. In the other, the benefits are being weighed. Your job is to outweigh risks with benefits. Statements such as, “I want to think about it,” are often nothing more than a request for additional information.

Minefields. These are the unconscious, hidden obstacles that prospects create to protect themselves from the risk of a buying decision. Your job is to successfully recognize and disarm the mines. For example, a prospect who says, “It’s too expensive,” could very well be someone who falls back on that same statement over and over, without knowing why. “It’s too expensive,” is this person’s catchphrase. Most of the time, the best tactic is to get the prospect to open up and discuss what he or she really means. The question, “Why do you say that?” will open opportunities to figure out what the prospect’s definition of “expensive” is, and how it can be addressed.

Another common minefield is the analytical prospect who needs absolute reassurance that you are the expert. To successfully negotiate this territory, demonstrate a thorough knowledge of your product and solutions. And, naturally, tie that knowledge to the needs of your prospect with strong benefit statements.

Objections are a natural part of the sales cycle. Remember to anticipate the reactions and sticking points that your prospect is likely to have. If you show confidence that you’re not afraid to discuss objections openly and with the goal of reaching a mutually beneficial outcome, prospects will be put at ease and better able to focus on value, not roadblocks to success.