Objections are where your customer checks you out and prods you to see if you're up to the job. Just like when we buy a car, we have to open and close the doors to see if they shut with a satisfying clunk. We do the same when we buy anything...we give it a good going over to check that it can do the job.
When you are selling a service or idea, or proposing something to anyone, all of this will be done verbally; it's unlikely you'll be physically prodded. We call these prods, 'objections' and nobody likes objections. Human nature being what it is, we see this stage in the selling process negatively. Someone is criticising what we have just proposed and nobody really likes criticism. Dealing with objections is an attitude of mind. You need to look at it positively.
Those who sell full time will tell you that objections are milestones towards achieving a sale and not obstacles that will prevent your customer giving you the business. They are a perfectly natural part of the buying process.
Before your next selling meeting, you should sit down and write out all of the possible objections that you can think of that your customers are likely to throw at you. Then think about how you might respond. It is far easier to deal with an objection if you have considered it beforehand.
When you hear an objection, pause; surpress your immediate instinct to defend.
Then do one of two things.
Number one, empathise...run along with objection. Use the 'feel, felt, found' technique. 'I can understand why you might feel like that and a lot of my other clients have felt the same, but what they have found is...' Much better than getting defensive. You don't have to use 'feel, felt, found', you can empathise in other ways, maybe something like, 'I can see why that might be a concern, Mr Jones, now what we do at our firm is we...' Whatever you say, empathise first.
Number two, probe. If you're not entirely sure what's behind the objection, don't guess, ask. 'Why is that a concern for you?' 'Tell me more about why you feel like that?' The contact may have had a bad experience in the past and it's not your service he's objecting to at all; you've got nothing at all to be defensive about. So find out and you can assure him that that's not the way you do business. The important thing is to find out the reason for the objection. How else can you answer it. If you guess and guess wrong, it remains as an unanswered objection and the contact is unlikely to buy.
You may be able to pre-handle objections. You could raise the objection during your conversation and deal with it so it doesn't come back later.
And when the objections stop, be confident, ask if there are any more! Say, 'Before we conclude, is there anything else that is concerning you?' Why shouldn't you? You've got nothing to hide. You're confident about the service you are offering, aren't you? Until all of the objections are out, the customer is not in a position to buy!
Author Resource:
Bob Malloney, a soft skills trainer for over 20 years, can help you to make a real difference to your working life, all from the comfort and convenience of your PC. Streaming video courses that replicate instructor-led training. Register now for a free, no obligation 7-day trial at > http://www.videocoaching.tv
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