The Art of Handling Objections

“Objections are an opportunity to learn customer’s issues.” 

6 Tips To Handling Objections When Selling:

• They Are Important Steps. Incorporate handling objections into every presentation. They’re like rungs on a ladder, just another step in a process leading to success. Expect them and prepare for them.
• Don’t Interrupt an Objection. Avoid the dangerous temptation to jump in and answer the objection right away. Your customer deserves the right to voice an opinion fully. Besides, the more you let customers talk, the more likely they’ll talk themselves right through the objection or handle it on their own. Maybe they just had to “get it out.”
• Ask for More Detail. Be serious about your need for more information and get the customer talking. This does two things for you: (1) gathers information and (2) gives you time to develop a strong answer.
• Provide the Answer. Every product ever sold has strengths and weaknesses. Champion salespeople are ready to discuss those weaknesses honestly and intelligently. Instead of worrying about them or creating nightmare fantasies in your mind, study them. Develop all the different ways you can address the situations.
• Change Their Perspective. Allow the customer to see things from your perspective. This is especially effective when someone offers a direct and forceful objection. “I’ve tried your product. I don’t like it.” Ask the customer to imagine being the president of your company (or sales manager, etc.) and ask “What would you do in his/her position?” The answer will come back swift and hard. “I’d do this, that and the other.” At that point you note that “this, that and the other”is precisely what your president did to solve the problem (if that’s truly what was done). This is the old “walk a mile in another man’s moccasins” technique.
• Be Candid. “Thanks. We appreciate your time. We’ll get back to you” usually means the buyers are headed out to find the same thing, only cheaper. Ask for permission to ask a few questions before they leave and then run through the positives of your product or service. “We’ve agreed that this meets your quality standards…and it’s the right size…and you’re impressed with our service after the sale policy…” and so on. Eventually, you’ll get them to admit the real objection is the investment, which is good. Once you’ve identified that as the key concern, you can begin to address it.