One of the topics that I'm asked to speak most frequently on is handling objections. Sales people want to know the “silver bullets” that will turn an objection into a sale. I wish that it were that simple.
In reality, objections are an essential part of a successful sales process. In fact, the earlier you uncover and address objections, the higher the likelihood of a sale. Great sales people welcome objections because only when objections are raised can they be addressed. It's the unspoken objections that will kill a deal.
Key to this process is creating a climate where the prospect is willing and able to share his/her concerns with you. If the climate is agreeable, then handling objections is really quite pleasant, because the prospect views you as a problem solver, not a salesperson. I encourage sales people to position themselves on the same side of what I call, the relationship triangle. What I mean by that is - put the problem external to your relationship with your potential customer.
A prospect will naturally (if you let them) align you, the salesperson, with their objection (or problem). It looks a bit like this:
The relationship that you want looks more like this:
Keep the problem external to your relationship with the customer. That will enable you and your customer to handle objections together. In many cases, the prospect will come up with a solution that you wouldn't have thought of. The key is to develop a climate of collaboration and trust – then the objections will almost handle themselves.
If you'd like to talk more about how to help your team handle objections, give me a call or send me an email. It's one of my favorite topics.