Diagnosing Objections

Type 1: Misinformed The customer objects that the car is not reliable. Chances are he/she is simply misinformed. Update their information, educate them, and the objection disappears. "You are absolutely correct Mr. Customer. We did have reliability problems with certain features of the car. We have corrected the problem, and according to JD Power, the leading auto industry watch-dog, today we are among the top 10% in reliability."

Type 2: Unresolved Complaint A customer´s previous bad experience with your dealership or the product may not have been resolved to his complete satisfaction. For example, a customer seems to become irritated and sarcastic whenever you mention the service department. Or perhaps he comes right out with the objection that your service department is not up to par. A little probing reveals that he has not yet received a check for an error on a service invoice. You pick up the phone and straighten it out immediately. The objection goes away, and the customer´s attitude improves 100%. The key here is to stop your sales presentation and address the issue. Do whatever you can to resolve the issue before resuming your presentation. If not, the objection will keep popping up sometimes in a different form.

Type 3: Skepticism This customer does not trust sales people. He/she will not take you at your word. Body language usually says it all. Lack of eye contact, arms folded, questions that feel like a cross-examination in a courtroom. Not to worry. The customer is suffering from skepticism, an easy disease to treat. Forget relationship building for the moment; show proof for every claim you make. Show them hard copy of a Car and Driver review. Roll out the NADA research report. Show them the video of the crash protection tests. Take them on a test drive ASAP. In no time, the customer will loosen up, begin to make eye contact - you may even get a smile - and certainly you will get the order.

Type 4: Cynicism This is a life-threatening disease. Cynicism attacks every part of your sales presentation. Cynicism is resistant to information. It turns away relationship building with sarcasm, impatience and even hostility. It asks few questions but demands your "best price." It will look at hard copy proof, but unlike the skeptic, proof alone will not cure this disease. However, cynicism collapses 80% of the time with a combination of hard proof and a couple of references to satisfied customers. Hearing directly from other customers about their positive experiences with your dealership converts the cynicism to trust. At least a level of trust high enough to enable you to close.

Diagnosing Objections - To learn more about this author, visit John Brennan's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

E-Mail | Print | More

Related Articles
Handling the Greatest Source of Failed Closes
	Sales objections can appear anywhere along the way of a sale. Whether voiced or unvoiced, sales objections are the single greatest source of a sale failing to successfully close.
How to avoid objections during your sales presentation
	Handling customer objections at the end of the sales meeting can cause you a lot of grief and frustration and sometimes lose you the sale, well here is great tip on how to avoid this ever happening to you.
Cutting Through Stalls and Objections
	There’s only one person who is qualified to handle a prospect’s stalls and objections, and it’s not the salesperson. It’s the prospect. If stalls and objections frequently come up in your sales calls, it’s a good id...
Handling Objections in Four Simple Steps (Really)
	Handling objections is the single most challenging part of a sale for most salespeople. The reason for this is two-fold. The first, and most important of these, is that most sales people have not been trained on the...
Overcoming Objections
	Overcoming objections is one of the greatest challenges, if not the greatest challenge, a salesman faces. Many salesmen would rather let a customer walk away, and lose the sa...

---

Related Forum Posts