Tweet

How To Handle Objections Like A True Professional Salesperson

Guest post by: Chris

Article Overview: Chris Randolph, author of "The Sales Edge" and several other books on professional selling, marketing, internet marketing, personal development and motivation shares a couple ideas on how to prepare yourself to handle all the objections that all salespeople get.

How To Handle Objections Like A True Professional Salesperson

"There are no real objections in the profession of selling; only opportunities to advance to the next step in the sales process" Objections are a normal part of selling. It is up to you whether you regard objections as obstacles or opportunities.

You, as a sales professional, must remember that objections are welcome in the sales process. Most of the time, the objection is merely a smokescreen for another underlying thought or hesitation. Your primary role is to handle the objection in an

intelligent and professional manner in order to sweep it to the side and find out why they are saying what they are saying.

Do not be afraid when an objection pops up. It is the prospects' way of saying, "I need more information", or "There's something else on my mind, but I don't want to tell you what it is and I'll just say this instead."

Consider this; your role is to uncover the actual needs and desires of your client. Sometimes they do not know exactly what they want. They do not know exactly what they need. They do not know what the best plan or program is for them. That is your role. That is your responsibility. You are the professional.

Objections can be largely avoided by taking the right steps and doing everything correctly. When they do occur, resist the tendency to attack in defense. You must back up and revisit the questioning stage of the call. The voiced objection is quite simply, a symptom of the real problem, which you must uncover.

An objection is a customer's expression of resistance. But when people raise an objection they are not saying they won't buy. In many cases they are telling you they want to buy, but they want a little help from you first.

In fact experienced sales people look forward to their customers raising objections because they know that customers who don't raise objections can make life difficult for salespeople.

It has been found that with top sales professionals who have successful sales calls, they contain 50% more objections than those appointments that result in no sale.

This indicates that people who buy will produce more objections than people who will not buy. If is very important that you really understand an objection and what the customer is really saying, before you attempt to deal with it.

This means the first thing to do with an objection is to listen to it carefully and attentively without interrupting.

Types of objections

All objections fall into one of two main categories. They are either:

1. REAL and sincere remarks about some aspect of the product or service the customer does not feel happy with or doesn't understand.

2. SMOKE SCREEN - a cover up. Either the customer is truly not interested in what you are saying and is trying to put you off, or they really are interested and for some reason or other are stalling, rather than coming straight out with their real problem.

If you fail to identify whether an objection is real or a smoke screen you can get yourself into deep trouble.

If you deal with a smoke screen as though it were real, the customer will be ready with another smoke screen as soon as you finish!

If you deal with a real objection as though it were a smoke screen, you could lose the confidence of your customer and put them right off!

Classifying Objections

To test whether an objection is real or a smoke screen, there are two commonly used techniques:

1. Use "suppose" or "what if". Say to the customer "Suppose I could remove that thing you are objecting to, would you buy?" If the answer is yes then it is a real reason.

2. Ask an open question about the objection and listen for tone and watch body language for intent. "What do you mean?" or "Why do you say that?"

Smokescreens tend to be revealed because of insincere tone and body language.

Handling Objections

Real objections fall into two categories:

• Real product disadvantages

• Misunderstandings

Treat real product disadvantages by admitting them and out-weighing them with other benefits you know will appeal to the customer

Misunderstandings should be dealt with as follows:

- Cushion your response, respect their opinions, "I can understand you thinking that. Other people did too."

- Try to let them work out, or prove, the situation for themselves.

- Use a third party referral (other people's experiences), making sure they are acceptable to the customer as references.

Some useful phrases to start your answers to objections with:

"I'm sorry you feel that way ...."

"Would you mind telling me why?"

"What sort of problems (complaints, difficulties, etc.) ...."

"Then your question is .... ", etc.

Structure For Handling Objections

1. Hear it out

2. Repeat it back

3. Clarify it

4. Isolate it

5. Answer the objection

6. Confirm

7. Move on (Change pace/trial close/close/ next step)

Objections from prospects and clients are part of the selling culture. If you fear them, then it's because you don't know how to respond to them or your responses are weak.

You have three simple choices:

1. Continue doing what you are doing and you will continue to get the same mediocre result.

2. Quit the sales profession and move on to something else.

3. Get good at your chosen profession and learn the skills that you need to become a top sales professional.

Related Articles
  Handling the Greatest Source of Failed Closes
  Cutting Through Stalls and Objections
  Handling Objections in Four Simple Steps (Really)
  How to Overcome Objections When You Don't Have All the Answers
  How to avoid objections during your sales presentation
  Overcoming Objections
  6. Penetration Selling -- Penetrating the Barriers to Commitment
  How to Handle Objections:
  7 Myths of Sales Success
  DON'T LET OBJECTIONS BE THE "KISS OF DEATH" TO YOUR SALE...
  Insurance Sales Training
  Dealing with Sales Objections: Competitors
  CAN TWO SALESPEOPLE REALLY BE THAT DIFFERENT?
  Handling Objections in Today’s Sales Environment
  10 Ways to Handle Objections Effectively
  What Makes A Great Salesperson?
  Beginning Sales Tips: The Wisdom Of SW 4
  Prepare to Coach Like You Prepare to Sell - Medical Sales Training
  Preventing Objections or Push-Backs
  What Makes a Great Sales Professional?

Article Tags: chris randolph, couple ideas, get the sales edge, handle objections, handling objections, how to handle objections, marketing internet marketing, motivation, objections, personal development, professional salesperson, professional selling, sales training, salespeople



Related Forum Posts
Diamonds vs. squares - True True - I put on 10 pounds after eating sliced cheese that was endorsed by a wrestler when I was a kid... A diamond shreddie is a lot cheaper than LeBron James - LOL!
Re: Web Idea - Hi Som, Welcome aboard. Almost everything that I can add is already mentioned by the ever-active, respected members of the Forum. But I would like to bring it to your attention that whenever we have our idea and nurture it for long, it becomes something like our baby and we are all possessive about that. True. Now the question is that as we are mostly possessive of our idea how far can we go about it? I mean, you say your idea is fresh as morning coffee. True to you but have you researched and actually tried to find out the feasibility part of it? I have also been a programmer and as such I feel that many of the ideas that we have generally look seemingly better in book but when it comes to reality, there is a difference. So I would recommend you to re-consider the idea. Not as Som but as someone who is a client of the idea. Please step into the shoes and find out whether you would go for the product as a client! If yes, then lets start with doing a market research and the follow up with the other formalities. Reason being that its getting late and the Coffee may lose its freshness! Good Luck,
Re: Email Marketing Benefits - Yes GT, True. It's a quite bit to challenge to provide interested content in emails. Robert
Re: Can Google Alerts Increase Your Search Engine Rankings? - True enough, google alerts can help you a lot in SEO. Like what you said, it is a very wonderful tool that can increase the search engine traffic of your site, but of course like everything else, you need to utilize it properly in the first place.
Re: Auto-DM's on Twitter - dallasberry -- are you using the Professional version of SocialOomph to get those features? Or maybe I just haven't found it in the free version yet.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

SEO – Link Building Secrets

Unharnessing Creativity in Business

Intro to Search Engine Optimization

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.