"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth"
Overcoming objections is never easy – they are often not quite as simple as they seem.
This is a perennial problem for all salespeople. The problem is that objections come in all shapes and sizes, you need to take a step back and think “Why did I not spot that coming?”
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Objections are REASONS or ARGUMENTS offered by your client that OPPOSE or DISAPPROVE of your idea, product or the action plan and most of the time come unexpectedly.
We get them because of poor presentations, misunderstanding, re-assurance of the buyer OR for tactical reasons.
In order to start dealing effectively with objections, you first need to ask yourself some questions...
How often do they come up really?
When salespeople talk, they tend to over emphasise objections – partly because it ‘rankles’ that they couldn’t overcome them.
Are there lots of the same objections that come up or basically the same ones in different phrasing?
Do the same ones keep coming up?
If this is the case, there are 2 things to ask yourself…
Why didn’t you plan to deal with it in your story or is it that the buyer just doesn’t want to say “yes”?
Why didn’t you anticipate it and deal with it in the sales story?
This is a simple fix, and it is up to YOU to fix it NOW!
The buyer just doesn’t want to say “yes”?
Once again, this is a simple fix
You need to spend more time understanding the buyer, what the real issue is, the decision-making process and any personal risk the buyer might perceive and explain how this will not happen – once this is done incorporate these into the selling story.
Plan to deal with them, practice dealing with them, then close the sale.
Regularly hit with objections?
If you are getting hit with objections regularly, you need to ask yourself…
Part of the Skill for dealing with Objections is being able to recall the right response under the instant pressure of the objection – it is ONLY by practicing the responses that they will become immediately available within the conversation – practice eases recall under pressure. The Overcoming Objections Worksheet (free download below) contains a helpful worksheet to help you create a plan to overcome objections as well as a robust list of the most common objections you may encounter in the field.
So, what should you do when a potential client has a challenging response?
Welcome the objection! Do not fight it as it may make your customer even more defensive. Take them by the arm, acknowledge their doubt or question (but not the objection) and lead the dance resolving the objection by using the SLIPPER method.
STAY CALM
Staying calm sounds so logical, but objections can really hit us in the face!
So take a breath to control your nerves, suppress that urge to react, to defend
yourself, stay silent and…
LISTEN
Silence is a powerful tool. And almost always makes the other talk again. And the great thing about it is that the more they talk, the more information you’ll get. Use active listening techniques to encourage their talking even more. Let that balloon deflate!
INQUIRE
Before resolving the objection, one needs to quantify and qualify it. What is the real issue? How big is it? Open your conversation funnel leading to the root cause of the objection, by inquiring what the biggest issue is. Use an open question and POWER it. And start from a positive foot using “Yes, and…” instead of “Yes, but…”
PROBE FOR DETAILS
Try to uncover the real root cause of the objection by asking those 5 WHY and
Next Natural Questions. Most tactical objections disappear at this point.
(“Actually it is not that big of a problem”).
And it builds a solid basis for resolving real ones.
PRESENT BACK
Make sure you do understand the real objection before trying to resolve it by summarizing what you have heard.
EXPLORE SOLUTIONS
There may be different solutions to the objection. Pick the one which most clearly resolves it and present it to the buyer to get his/her agreement. Or let them pick the best one for them.
RESOLVE THE ISSUE
On the spot or else make very clear agreements on the next steps to be taken. Make sure your customer is happy with the way you’ve resolved the issue. Preparing objections is half the battle won, don’t let yourself be taken by surprise. Make a list of your most heard objections and prepare
your “Yes, and…” responses, your probing questions or your solutions.
Download the Overcoming Objections Worksheet
This guide will help you navigate and address each objection as it comes up.
(it also includes the 50 most common objections & responses)