Handling Objections

Defining buyer objections

 Objections are really a technique the buyer uses to slow down and make sure he or she isn’t rushing into the sale.

But Before we go deeper into objections, let us take a look at a quick technique to pre-empt objections,taking the potential negative of price (or whatever weak point in our product/service) and bragging about it so hard – that technique is sometimes called “Making the skeleton dance”

Here is an example:

“Sounds to me like you people are awful damn expensive,”
he said accusingly.

“Absolutely,” Helen agreed, offering her brightest smile.

“So why do you charge so much?”

“Simple,” she said. “Because we can!”

“What?”

“We charge that much because we can—because our clients are not just willing but happy to pay those kinds of rates for the results we generate.”

“But can’t they find someone else to do the job for less?”

“Absolutely.”

“Somebody who will do the exact same job for less?”

“Well, they could certainly find companies that will charge less. I’m no expert on the kind of work these people might do, so I really can’t say whether or not they’ll do the exact same job.”

“So you’re saying, ‘You get what you pay for’?”

“No,” she smiled, “I’m saying to get us, you’ve got to pay us.”

So, why do we get objections?

– Prospect misunderstand something you have said
– Feel pressurized
– Are not convinced about your claims
– Prospect haven’t yet made up their mind
– Have to go back and justify their buying decision to others
– Want to make a buying decision

When people are about to make a buying decision they worry. What they worry about is making a mistake. This is the most common time, in the sales process, when objections are raised; just before the decision to purchase. Often, what the customer is looking for is reassurance that their decision to buy is the right one. This is why objections are commonly raised at this stage.The problem is that if we observe the behaviour of salespeople during this process, it can be quite negative. The most common thing that happens when a salesperson hears an objection is that they interrupt the customer.

The # 1 Rule don’t interrupt or disagree

If you jump in , interrupt and disagree  if a customer says it’s too expensive  you are practically telling him /her:

-I’m interrupting you
-You are wrong
-And I will prove it

Most salespeople when faced with an objection tend to react too quickly and don’t ask enough questions. This is a bad tactic since none of us like to be wrong and all of us hate to be proved wrong. This method, therefore, of responding to an objection with a statement of fact is unwise since it puts the customer in the wrong frame of mind rather than attacking our customer’s beliefs or opinions we should try to get them on our side. The golden rule should be that, whatever the objection, you should never openly contradict a customer. It may be that the customer has misunderstood something you have said previously or maybe feels it is his or her duty to question some of your claims about your product or service in order to test their validity. Whatever the objection and whatever the circumstances the least powerful way to answer a sales objection is with a statement of fact.

The main process of dealing with objections:

1. Listen to the objection
Resist the temptation of interrupting the customer. You may have heard the objection a hundred times before but not from this particular customer. It may also be that the customer has more than one objection, or that this particular objection is slightly different than the ones you usually hear. By listening you show the customer you are interested in his or her problems and enhance your own professionalism. It also gives you time to think of a way of answering the objection.

2. Clarify the objection
It is very easy in the heat of the moment to mishear what your customer has said and begin to answer the wrong objection. So, for example, when the customer says you are too expensive it can mean
different things. The customer could mean:

I’ve had another quote
I’m checking you out
I’m negotiating with you
I have to go back and convince others
It’s more than I expected
It’s more than I have in my budget
I don’t want to buy from you

It could also be that when you test your understanding of the objection you find that your customer has another objection that is fairly trivial and can be handled with ease. To clarify the objection you could say something like: ” When you say we are a little expensive, can you be more specific? “

We then need to probe and find out the real reasons behind the objection, before moving to the next stage. It could be that by the end of this stage of the process you identify, for example, they have had a slightly cheaper quote from a competitor. Once you have enough information it is now time to deal with the objection.

3. Deal with the objection.
Once you fully understand the nature of the objection then it can be answered in different ways depending on whether it is –  a misunderstanding by the customer
–  disbelief over claims you are making
–  a product disadvantage

4. Advance the sale.
The key to objection handling is to react less quickly when an objection is raised and find out more about the problem. Clarify exactly what the problem is then try to overcome the objection. Ask more questions. Finally, if you have dealt with the objection successfully and it is the right time, close the sale, or move on the next stage of the sales process.

Types of objections: