Objection Handling

Objection handling:

All sales reps will encounter objections throughout their cold calls, inbound lead qualification discussions and follow up calls.
There are the standard ones such as "No thanks, I am not interested", "it is too expensive", "I am too busy now" and "Send me information via email please".
There are also some others, but in general most experienced sales reps can list their top ten frequently heard objections.
The important part is to not be scared away when faced with these but to learn the necessary skills to overcome these and move on to the next stage of your sales cycle.

Almost everything I know about handling objections is from Mr. Inside Sales, Mike Brooks. I love his chapter on this subject, and I have had amazing results from implementing his tips.

He created the 5 step plan to handling objections.

1 – The first step is to make sure you hear them out completely and then you should respond with a softening statement such as  “I understand that” or “ I hear what you are saying:”

It is vital to allow your prospects to express fully their opinions and to make sure they know you are truly listening to them. This is not a trick; it is real; you must listen fully to their objections to ensure you know exactly what you need to overcome this hurdle. Then the softening statement lets them know that you really did listen and that you are not responding in a confrontational manner. 

2 – The second step is to “Isolate” the objection without answering. Make sure you are both clear exactly what the objection is, so that once you respond to it there is no room for maneuvering or finding other excuses. This is done by asking the prospect if they would be interested in your product assuming this specific objection is overcome.

The main example is to respond to a price objection by saying: “I understand. If the price can be worked out to fit within your budget then is this something you would move forward with today”?

3 – The third step is to always use a scripted rebuttal. Again preparation is the key. After some practice you will be able to write a list of the common objections you face, and then plan and script your perfect response.

Let me take this opportunity to say that I love scripts and I hate scripts. What I mean by that is that I love scripts as everyone needs to have them perfected but I hate it when salesmen simply read the script. You need to learn them off by heart and make sure they sound genuine and conversational.

This is now your opportunity to respond to the objection with your perfect (and pre-planned) response. You should definitely practice and perfect this objection response.

4 – Once you have responded fully with your perfect rebuttal the next step is to Confirm your answer . This is achieved by simply asking a simple question such as “does that make sense to you”? Or “Do you see how that works for you“?.

This is the method for finding out if your prospect agreed with and accepted your rebuttal. If yes, then great you can move on. If not, then you should start this objection handling process again.

5 – To conclude this entire technique the last step is when you now directly ask for the next step or action to be taken.  Whatever the next step is that you want to move on to (whether it is to sign a contract or set up a meeting), always directly ask for it after you have listened to, identified, isolated and responded to your prospects objections. Now is the time to get what you want and cognitive dissonance will usually push the prospect to respond positively now that you have responded fully to his objections.

Here are some other tips on handling objections:

- Never repeat an objection. If you are told the price is too high then never ever say “oh you think the price is too high”. This only reinforces the objection rather than help you overcome it.

- Question the red flags – Don’t leave any objections or issues for a later point in the sales process as it will just make it harder to overcome and waste your valuable time. Leads don’t magically get better so make sure to handle objections immediately without delay.

- A typical objection is called the “Brush Off”. This is when people don’t have any interest in your product but don’t want to reject you. A usual example of this is when people request for you to send them information. A good response to this would be to say: " I would be happy to send you some information, and if you like what you see would you be ready to place an order?“ or “What exactly are you interested in receiving?”.