Objections, Objections Go Away

By art sobczak

Prepared salespeople know objections may crop up on any call. The prepared sales professional always arrives ready to answer all objections clearly, calmly and to the prospect’s complete satisfaction. With a little practice and commitment to these techniques, you can develop a positive attitude toward objections and answer them with confidence and authority.

1. Know the difference between resistance and objections. Resistance is often a natural and automatic “reflex” reaction to your presentation. People often like to buy but don’t want to be “sold,” so resistance is instinctive. Look for it in the form of stalls, excuses, smoke screens or decoy objections, and when you hear it, remember that resistant prospects are often simply afraid to make a bad decision. Avoid getting defensive no matter how absurd the objection, express understanding and ask questions to uncover the real reason for the resistance.

2. Change your perspective. When you view objections as barriers or take them personally, it’s easy to see them as a threat. Remember: Your buyer is not the enemy! Imagine that whenever you hear a real objection, your prospect is simply saying, “I need more information.” That’s why you’re there. Objections give you a chance to move closer to the close by allowing you to address the concerns on your buyer’s mind. Also, bear in mind that if you have used inappropriate or argumentative objection answers in the past, your improved skill will help prevent any problems or negative buyer reactions those answers once caused.

3. Get to the reason behind the objections. Your objection response may vary according to the reason for the objection. If your buyer says your price is too high because he really doesn’t have room in his budget, you could respond by talking about your company’s flexible financing. If the price objection comes from the buyer’s knowledge of a competitor with a lower price, your response might be to emphasize the superior quality of your product. When you hear the objection, make a softening statement like, “Oh, I see,” then ask, “What makes you say that?”

4. Respond to the reasons. Different prospects have different reasons for buying – or not buying. To close, your responses must address the specific concerns of your prospects. Listen carefully when they talk, and keep your responses clear and direct. If the buyer wants to know more about your product’s reliability record, don’t talk about what a popular model it is or the number of features it has. Make a list of all the reasons you can think of for not buying your product, then add to your list as your buyers give you new reasons. Before each sales call, make sure you have a response for every reason on the list.

5. No product is perfect. Since no one product is going to suit everyone’s needs, don’t count on being able to answer every single objection. Do your best and leave it at that. Acknowledging your product’s imperfections may even help you get the sale by showing buyers that you aren’t trying to pull the wool over their eyes by making false claims about your product or acting as though it has no shortcomings.