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Diagnosing Objections

Written by: John Brennan

Article Overview: Ever wondered why some objections are harder to overcome than others? Or the same objection is hard to overcome with one customer, but easy with next? Or are they all hard? You may have misdiagnosed the objection. Sales doctors tell us there are four types of objections, each one a little sicker than the other, but all are curable. The key is to diagnose correctly and apply the correct treatment.

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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.

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Home > Sales > John Brennan > Diagnosing Objections
Article Tags: objection, objections, skepticism

About the Author: John Brennan
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John Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses.

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