Every week, I put out a blog post and YouTube video on very specific tips and ideas as to how to actually deal with issues all salespeople – or leaders in general – face. Today, I am going to share with you 10 ways as to how to overcome objections.
I talk about these and more in detail in my books: A Mind for Sales, High Profit Prospecting and High Profit Selling. These are must-read guides for all beginner and veteran salespeople!
Video – How to Overcome Objections
1. Remain Calm
I cannot stress this point enough. Often times, the salesperson hears an objection and automatically freaks out. Relax.
When you freak out, you no longer are listening well nor understanding. You are no longer able to process. You need to remain calm.
2. Understand the Source
Objections do not all mean the same thing, depending on who they are coming from.
If you hear the same objection and it comes from a customer service person or it comes from a senior level employee, it will take on a different meaning.
Understand the source before you jump in and try to answer the objection. Figure out what the background is. Who would they have said this to? Why would they be concerned with it?
3. Learn the Why
You learn the ‘why’ by asking them. You ask them to explain further and you ask them to share more information.
In many cases, when a customer shares an objection with you, they are not wording it right. They are not wording it the way they want to and it’s actually something else they are concerned with.
Therefore, you have to understand the ‘why.’ Why are they asking that? Do not hesitate to ask because it is in their best interest to help you understand.
It is in their best interest because this way, you can help them.
4. Anticipate/Know Your Response
Before you go into a sales call, take some time and think:
“What are the objections I could hear and how do I anticipate I will need to handle them?”
Know exactly what that is beforehand. It is amazing how this technique will keep you from getting caught off guard during the call.
When you can hear an objection and you are able to respond confidently and competently, you will be surprised at how much more the customer believes you.
5. Validate/Confirm Each One
When you deal with an objection, you have to make sure that you…
Validate: You understand what the objection is, and you know their ‘why.’
Confirm: You confirm that you have been able to handle it.
In other words, you say, “Okay, I took care of this; does this make sense?” You ask them to play back how they understand it and how they hear your response to their objection. What you want to do is confirm each piece of information you share with them.
6. Focus on the Need
It can be easy to answer the objection, but you want to be able to tie it back to the need.
Ask yourself, “What is the real need of the customer?”
You may find that they are simply going down a rabbit trail that you really do not need to go down. You want to bring them back and put their questions or objections in the context of understanding their need.
7. Look for the Deeper Issue
Customers often say, “Well, we can’t handle that at the first of the month.”
Is that an objection? No. The real issue lies in other things they have shipping or arriving that prevent their loading dock from handling that at the beginning of the month. The deeper issue is that they do not have the ability to process orders or their inventory fast enough.
Now you have realized the deeper issue is more of an inventory handling process, so maybe there is a way you can actually help them solve their deeper issue.
I have found that when I can help a customer overcome an initial objection to my piece and help them solve their bigger issue, they begin to see me in a completely different light.
8. Create Trust and Integrity
When you go through my previously mentioned steps, you are creating trust and integrity with the customer. Think about this:
If you ask somebody a question who you do not trust, and they tell you their answer, you are hesitant about believing them. Contrarily, if you have a high degree of trust with the person and see them as an integrity-filled individual, then you will believe their response.
The more you are able to create trust and integrity – and demonstrate both to a person early on in the relationship – you will be able to overcome objections with ease. You are then able to both deal with and respond to objections faster.
9. Don’t Over Commit
Often times, salespeople hear an objection and automatically start giving away the farm. They want to start giving more and more to save the sale.
Do not over commit on what you can do because you will create false expectations.
Down the road, expectations will not be met, and the customer will be disappointed. Do not over commit when responding to an objection.
10. Use the Objection to Close
You have successfully overcome the objection and it is a perfect time to try and close the sale.
What does that look like? Say to the customer, “Hey, I’ve been able to take care of this issue for you and have established a way to work through that, so shall we go ahead and set this up for order?” or “Shall we go ahead and set this up for shipment?”
You need to use the objection to close. Never hesitate in the least bit to use your response to the objection to close.
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Great selling.
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Copyright 2021, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.
