Handling Objections
What do you say when the customer says...
"No, Not yet."
One mistake many sales people make is to think that when a customer or prospect objects to something in your sales presentation that they are rejecting your product or solution. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, objections are usually a sign that a purchase is near. Think about it from the customer's perspective. When they voice an objection, they are essentially saying "I want to buy, convince me." If they have made up their mind not to buy, why go through the trouble?

So this begs the question. What do you do when the customer objects to something you say or offer in your proposal? First, don't take it personally. It is easy to confuse an objection with rejection. At Sales Concepts, we have a seven-step process for dealing with objections.
1.

Be prepared.
Unless this is your first day selling you have probably heard most of the objections you get from customers. Get prepared think about them before your call. Come up with solutions that are in your customer's best interest and yours. Spend some time thinking about them when you are not under the gun. Get creative. Ask your management for help if necessary. Talk to other sales people.
2. Listen patiently for the true objection.
Try to find out what the real objection is. Sometimes customers don't particularly know how to articulate their true objection. Slow down and ask about it.
3. Restate as a question to confirm understanding.
Avoid using the same questioning technique every time a customer objects. This becomes annoying and manipulative. However, you must verify that you fully understand the objection. Many veteran sales people fall into this trap and assume they have heard everything. Test your assumptions. Don't get blindsided later.
4. Show empathy for customers' concerns.
We are not saying you have to agree with your customers. We are saying that you have to demonstrate you understand their point of view. This is how you build trust and credibility. To persuade customers or prospects, you must have their trust.
5. Ask questions about the objection to uncover the real issues and causes.
Once you have established you have their trust, ask questions about what is causing the objection. Ask and be quiet. Let the customer do the talking. Your job is to listen and learn.
6. Convert the objection to your advantage based on what the customer is really saying.
Now is when you have the opportunity to brain storm with the customer. This is a good place to ask "what-if" type questions and offer alternatives. This should be a two-way street where both you and your customer search for compromise.
7. Close. Confirm customer is convinced.
You do know how to do this; don’t you?

The next tip ~ Handling Objections ~ Part II
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