Understanding & Handling Objections Part 2

There is a difference between an objection and a condition. A condition is a valid reason why the customer cannot make the decision to buy now. An objection is a request for more information. A customer will not waste their time objecting to small things unless they’re seriously considering buying your product or service.

Here are some examples of conditions:

§  Doesn’t qualify for credit.

§  Buyer not in.

§  No funds in the current budget.

§  They have a contract in place with an existing supplier.

Price is not a condition, it’s an objection!

To test whether it is a condition or an objection, treat it like an objection. Give more information. Break it down. If it does not break down then accept it. If you encounter a genuine condition, find someone else to sell to! But don’t give up too soon.

If no condition exists and the customer does not buy from you, you’ve done something wrong. There are too many salespeople who give our profession a bad name because they don’t give their customers what they want. They end up wasting the customer’s time.

Some salespeople buckle when they hear an objection. They hear one objection to their product or service and they give up. But it’s not the salesperson that loses out; it’s their company and more importantly, their customer. It’s your job as a salesperson to ensure that the customer gets what they are looking for. If your customer is using other products or services similar to yours then they do have a need for what you are offering.

Sometimes when I tell people I’m a Sales Trainer, they look at me like I’m doing something bad. Selling is an honourable profession. We help customers to benefit and grow by giving them expert advice. And part of that expert advice is handling objections. Most sales people sit and wait for things to happen instead of making them happen.

They give up at the first sign of an objection and the customer ends up walking away without the product or service they were looking for. I want you to make a decision now; that today is the day that you no longer give up when hearing an objection.

Decide now that you will take this material and practice it and make it yours. And you will look forward to getting objections from your customers, because objections are essential to closing. The only way you can get the YES’S from your customers is for them to give you the NO’S! Look at an objection as being like an apple. When a customer raises an objection, it is not the real problem. Like an apple there is a core. Your job as a professional salesperson is to find the core, not to deal with the apple. Cut through the objection and get to the core of the problem. Ask questions.

When a customer says, “Everything is OK, but the price is too high.” What they are really saying could be:

§  Someone else is cheaper.

§  It’s more expensive than I thought.

§  I can’t afford it.

§  I want a discount.

§  It’s outside my budget.

§  I’m not really the decision maker.

They could even be thinking to themselves,” I don’t want it” A professional salesperson follows the rules for handling objections.

2 Don’ts and 1 Do

Don’ts

§  Don’t argue – If you make yourself right, you make them wrong.

§  Don’t fight their emotions; the climate is very wobbly right now.

An objection defines the customers area of interest. When they raise an objection, that’s the point they’re most concerned about. If the customer objects to the price, then price is their main concern. If the customer objects to the insurance, then insurance is their main concern. If the customer objects to the delivery time, then the delivery time is their main concern.

Do

§  Do lead them to answer their own objections.

When you hear an objection, stop and think! This is an objection and I must lead them to answer it. Don’t assume you understand the objection. Most buyers have certain reflex objections. A reflex is something you do without thinking.

There are buyers who have objections they don’t even think about.

-              I’d like to think about it.
-              We never decide straight away
-              I want to get other quotes
-              Give me your card
-              Let me go over it and I’ll get back to you.

 These are reflex objections.

You need to follow a set of steps to effectively handle an objection:

1.      Hear them out. Listen with your ears and mind. Don’t just be quite while you plan your next answer. Most salespeople hear the first three words of an objection and believe they know what the customer is going to say, they jump in and interrupt the customer. Sometimes we even give an answer to an objection they hadn’t even thought of yet.

 2.      Agree with the thought behind the objection. Don’t agree with them (Sympathy) agree with the thought that led to the objection (Empathy).

 3.      Feed it back. Ask the customer to elaborate, to give you more information. “It’s too expensive” – “It’s too expensive?”"I want to get other quotes” – “You want to get other quotes?” Very often when you use this technique they’ll end answering their own objection.

4.      Question it. Take bites out of the apple to get to the core. Ask questions to find out exactly what the real objection is. They have to tell you more about the objection before you can decide on how to overcome it and close.

5.      Answer it. Use a technique of steps once again. Do it on purpose. Take your time, don’t rush or get desperate. You’ll say the wrong thing and blow it.

6.      Confirm the answer. “That clarifies your query doesn’t it?” “That settles that doesn’t it?”

“Well, that sorts that out doesn’t it?” “That answers your question doesn’t it?”

These are the words you use to “change gears” to move on to the next close. When you handle objections in this way by using a definite set of steps you’ll succeed more often.

Understanding & Handling Objections Part 1

Handling objections is what selling is all about. Without objections you have no direction and cannot close. It is quite normal for customers to have concerns about making the buying decision. These concerns are presented in the form of an objection. Don’t let objections dampen your enthusiasm, rather see them as an opportunity to provide more information and find direction to continue closing.

Customers usually don’t make the decision to buy until they have justified it. I’m sure that most of you have a dream that one day you’ll visit a customer, do a presentation, they’ll agree with everything you say and then help you fill out the order.    That’s a dream! If it’s a dream and you laugh about it, then why are you so upset when your customer presents you with an objection? Most sales people fear objections because they think it means no. You have to always be thinking positively to be able to handle objections.

An objection from a customer means that they are not completely convinced yet. It is a request for more information and justification as to why they should buy. It means, “if you can give me an answer that satisfies my concern (objection) I’ll buy” Remember an objection is what we call it, to the customer it’s a concern.

So rather see objections as the customers concern about a particular point relating to your product or service that they need more information on, rather than an objection. An objection means they’re interested in buying your product or service but need a little more convincing on the particular point that they have raised as an objection. Remember, you are the seller, they are the buyer, and they need you to help them make the decision to buy!

Every product, service and Industry will have one or two common objections that the customer will raise. If you’re getting lots of objections regularly then you as a salesperson have not done your job properly. You have not been convincing enough during the sales process. Most objections that customers raise are defense mechanisms. They’ve used them before on less professional salespeople and it worked. It’s a way of avoiding or delaying the buying decision. Minor objections are what customers use to slow things down during the sales process. Don’t take objections personally, it’s a part of selling, it’s a part of your job.

Expect to get objections – in fact, look forward to them because this indicates that the customer is interested in your product or service and just needs you to resolve their query (Objection) before they say YES. It’s the customer’s way of making sure you’ve covered every point that is of concern to them. Salespeople spend far too much time handling far too many objections. You should concentrate on eliminating objections by doing a proper presentation of your product or service. You should be asking questions and getting commitments along the way. This will eliminate a lot of minor objections towards the end of the sales process.

Make sure that you are matching the benefits of your product or service to their requirements (Needs)

The only real objections a customer should have once you have started closing are:
PRICE, VALUE, SERVICE, DELIVERY, TIMING and THE END RESULT.
At this point they should have bought you, your company and your product or service.