There’s a right way and a wrong way to handle objections. Let’s start with the wrong way.
What countless sellers do when they’re “thrown a curveball” from a prospect is they freeze up, begin stuttering or show visible signs of nervousness.
Obviously, this is not a great way to instill confidence in a potential buyer.
You don’t have to get flustered when you receive an objection. Often, the sale is right around the corner when a prospect is asking key questions and you’re skillfully able to address them.
The right way to handle objections actually involves a step before you ever receive one in the first place.
The best sellers who deal with objections with ease are prepared for them. They come ready for their meetings and can anticipate the potential buyer’s questions ahead of time. They are skilled at getting inside the prospect’s heads, putting themselves in their shoes and coming up with answers to questions or objections that are likely to arise.
They also leverage their experience. They pay very close attention to each objection they face and through trial and error become adept at knowing the best answers for each particular objection or at least preparing an answer ahead of time.
Now, I can acknowledge that sometimes a prospect can present an objection completely from left field. If you come across an objection that you simply don’t know how to answer, ask further probing questions to dive deeper.
For example, if you meet with a buyer who claims that they “have no current challenges” or “no issues” they need help with, rather than freezing up, ask the questions like.
- “What has been responsible for your success?”
- “Do you foresee potential challenges arising in the future?”
- “What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in the past? What did you do to ensure they won’t arise again?”
When you ask questions, you help pivot the conversation and can potentially uncover blind spots your buyer may not be considering. In essence, you take control of the conversation rather than shutting it off to further possibilities.
What’s another way you handle objections easily?
It is really important to know the most common objections like you mention. It is equally as important to support the answer to the objection with convincing elements such as stories, analogies, examples, data, personal experience and/or testimonials. Once you acknowledge the objection and probe sufficiently you should be able to address it.
As you appropriately note, the best sales reps should be prepared to encounter and address objections during conversations. The best way to do this is be prepared with a set of questions. My team has developed a set of the most common objections they face and a list of questions they will ask should the objection arise. While every sales rep would like a prospect to say I am ready to buy the reality is they will face some form of objection first. We use this objection as an opportunity to qualify prospects further to make sure we are a fit for one another; and if so, follow-up at the appropriate time.
Smart approach. Thanks for sharing it.