Turning Objections into Opportunities

Objections are par for the course in sales. No matter how persuasive your presentation is or how superior your products are, in sales, you’ll always face objections - even if it’s your prospect simply testing your mettle as a salesperson.

Sales objections don’t mean your lead is a bad lead or that your prospect isn’t interested. Sales people who view a prospect’s objection as, “I need more information,” vs. “I’m not interested,” or “I’m not in-market,” have far more success than those who give up prematurely. The key is to get to the underlying meaning behind the objections, and to be ready to address them as they come.


Getting Ready: Build Objection Handling into Your Sales Script

Just as you might practice your sales presentation from a script, practice objection handling by writing down all the possible objections you might face and how you’ll handle each one. For example:

Your benefit statement: “Our video conferencing systems easily integrated with your other technologies.”

Possible objection: “We don’t have the bandwidth right now to switch to a new system.”

Your comeback statement: “I can understand that. I have two other new clients who had the same concern. However, we were able to send one of our trainers out to help them with the installation and train their team, and they both said how easy it was. In fact, I can send you testimonials from both of them, which should allay your concerns.”

What’s Behind the Objection?

Once you understand what the underlying causes are for certain objections, you can formulate the best responses and follow up questions. Some of the most typical causes for objections are:

  • Your prospect lacks information or understanding of your product’s benefits.
  • They’re too busy or they’re buying time.
  • There is a level of mistrust or disbelief on their part.
     

Handling a Lack of Information on the Part of Your Prospect

Here are some ideas for responses when you face an objection from a customer that’s due to a lack of information.

Typical Objections:
“I was just researching. I’m not really in market just yet.”

“This is not really in our budget right now.”

“This isn’t really what we were looking for.”


Ideas for Responses:
“I understand you’re gathering information now to help you once you do decide to move forward. I would be happy to provide you with more information, including some independent research, that can help you as your weigh your decision.”

“I would be happy to help you during your research process. So that I can provide you with the most relevant information, can you share with me some of your business goals for this year?

“I am glad you brought that concern up. I can provide you with a product demonstration that will give you some important information.”

“You’ll find that our products are competitively priced and deliver greater value, especially when you look at the life of the product. I can demonstrate how our product will boost your productivity and save you money over time.”

Handling Prospects Who Are Buying Time

Sales prospects may stall or buy time for a number of reasons, including being focused on other deliverables for work, or needing to get buy-in on the decision from other people in the organization. Here are some ways to handle objections when your prospect is too busy or is stalling on making a decision.

Typical Objections:
“I’m sorry, I’m very busy and can’t talk right now.”

“We are just researching right now. We are not planning to purchase for a while.”

Ideas for Responses:
“I see you’ve got a lot going on. I know your time is valuable. Are there some other times that work better for you? I promise I won’t take more than 15 minutes of your time.”

“I have some recent case studies on the results other customers are getting with our products. Is there anyone else in your organization who is a part of your decision making process whom I should send this information to?”

“If I can show you how we can start saving your organization money this quarter, would you be able to give me 20 minutes for a quick demonstration?”

Dealing with Mistrust or Disbelief

One of the biggest hurdles sales people have to overcome is a lack of trust on the part of a sales prospect. Business product buyers have to be circumspect about their purchase decisions, so dealing with skeptics is a natural part of business-to-business sales. Establishing rapport and listening attentively are the first steps to building trust. Here are some suggestions for handling objections related to mistrust of disbelief.

Typical Objections:
“We’ve already used this kind of system and did not get the results we wanted.”

“Your product is not a good fit for our needs.”

“How do I know this will do what you say it will for us?”

Ideas for Responses:
“In your ideal scenario, what business goals would you like this kind of system to help you achieve within two years?”

“I understand that you have had poor ongoing service from providers in the past. I would be happy to give references from some of our long term customers.”

“Purchasing this kind of system is a big decision for any organization. This is why we provide case studies and ROI calculators that will show you how this will lower your costs and add to your bottom line quickly.”

“If I could show you how we can help you boost your productivity while lowering your costs, would your team be interested in learning more?”

“I have customers who had the same concerns as you do. I can show you the kind of results they are getting now, which made them glad they decided to buy from us.”
 

Best Practices for Handling Sales Objections

As you hone your objection handling skills, here are some best practices to keep in mind on an ongoing basis:

  1. Welcome objections and view them as your prospect simply needing more information to make their decision.
  2. Always acknowledge your sales prospect’s objections. Listen well and address each objection specifically, rather than trying to override them. 
  3. The customer is always right. When a sales prospect objects, rather than correcting them, acknowledge their objection, and then provide them with additional information.
  4. While you’re acknowleding your customer’s objections, never bad mouth your company’s products or your company.
  5. Likewise, never bad mouth the competition. If the customer asks how your products compare to a competitors, focus on the positive - how your products are unique and different.
  6. Never take objections personally.
  7. Be unflappable: always stay positive and show your enthusiasm for what you’re selling.
  8. Back up your statements with as much data, independent research, case studies, and customer testimonials as you can. 
  9. Always be honest and maintain your integrity. It will pay off on the long run.


Viewing sales objections as opportunities to provide your sales prospect with more information can help to not only win over your current prospect, but every additional prospect you have in your sales pipeline.