Handling Prospects’ Objections
Whether you’re trying to make a sale with a prospect in person or over the phone, you are bound to encounter objections. How you deal with those objections is often the difference between whether you make the sale or not. To improve your response to objections, try these techniques:
Don’t take objections personally. There’s no quicker way to kill a sale than to act as if the prospect has attacked you personally when he/she states an objection. If defensiveness creeps into your voice and body posture, you’re likely to lose the deal. When a prospect makes an objection, relax and smile before saying a word.
Use the objection to learn more about the prospect’s business. Don’t immediately try to counter the objection. Instead, see how much you can learn by asking the prospect open-ended questions that will give you more insight into his/her business. For example, you might ask, “Can you tell me more about why you feel this way?” or “Have you had experiences with other vendors that make you feel this way?” The more you learn, the better you can handle the objection.
Answer the objection thoughtfully. When you’re ready to answer the objection, start by telling the prospect that you understand how he/she feels and that other customers have felt the same way. Then explain how your product or service differs from your competitors’. You can do this by using an explanation that may have sidelined objections from other potential customers in the past and persuaded them to buy from you. This approach legitimizes the objection and eliminates or diminishes it as an obstacle to the sale.
Prepare responses to objections beforehand. Generally speaking, most objections boil down to the same 10 or 15 concerns, at most. This presents an opportunity: Prepare a “play book” with answers to these objections before you contact another prospect. Being prepared will give you the confidence in dealing with prospects that is so important to success.
When a prospect makes an objection, relax and smile before saying a word.
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