Overcoming Objections
In the words of Jim Halpert, “Well it’s sales. So, you have to be able to live in the world of rejection.”
Yes, it’s true. When you are in sales, you will inevitably get hit with rejection in some form or another. Some may say that it happens often. Some say it is all that happens. But it’s not as doom and gloom as it may sound.
The skillful sales professional doesn’t just turn away from a customer when they’re faced with an objection. They also do not use psychological warfare to manipulate their customer into folding into their proposition. No no, the talented salesman simply breaks down the objection to identify the root cause and moves forward with a plan.
Let’s unpack objections a little bit starting with the definition. What is an objection? What does it mean when a customer objects? Most commonly, an objection is defined as a request for additional information. When a customer objects and then pauses, they fully expect you to address their objection. If you analyze this behavior, anything short of “I’m done, I’m leaving, and no, thank you” is a request for more information.
If the objection is a request for information, what exactly are they looking for? This could be many different things ranging from clarification to education. Most times, what they are looking for is justification and validation for a decision they want to make. When we address their objection, we give them logical and emotional reasons to become comfortable moving forward. We provide them with the confidence that they are making the right decisions.
Now that we understand an objection is not simply a rejection, we can address it as a request.
My experience indicates that when we get an objection, it can be categorized as one of the “Four P’s”: The Product, The Process, The People, or The Price. Understanding these helps us identify our customers request quickly and move forward effectively.
The Product:
A product objection indicates a customer may be unsure if this is the right version of the ‘’thing’’ that you’re selling. As an example, if you’re a in automotive sales, the vehicle that you’re demonstrating to the customer may not be the right color, the right option package, model, etc. That doesn’t mean that they don’t want to purchase a vehicle, and it doesn’t mean they don’t want to purchase it from you, they just aren’t jiving with that specific vehicle.
The Process:
An objection regarding the process might be based on convenience, time, or control. They feel that it is too time-consuming, uncomfortable or inconvenient, or they just don’t like that they are not in control of the process.
The People:
Their objection might be about you, or the way they were treated by reception or management. If they’re using phrases like, “You don’t have to treat me like I don’t know anything”, “Your receptionist is very preoccupied today”, “I think your boss just said she doesn’t think I can afford it”, or “Well, I never…” This is a clear indication of a people problem and it needs to be proactively addressed.
Sometimes consumers aren’t so subtle, they may just say, “I want to buy the car, I just don’t want to buy it from you!”
The Price:
The final category of objection is centralized around the price. This is one that you’re probably thinking, ‘’yeah, I get this one the most often.’’ And for that reason, we break this category into 4 different parts also.
Value-based:
“I don’t think it’s worth it”
Comparison-based:
“I’m also looking at (another brand/dealer) and it’s less expensive there.”
Principle-based:
“C’mon, you have to do better than that, this is the third car I’ve purchased from you guys.”
Budget-based
“I can’t afford a payment over $750.”
When you hear an objection from a customer, there will now be a little beacon in your head that goes ‘’whoa, that was an objection’’ and as you listen to what they say, you are now able to determine the root cause of their objection and the motivation they have behind it.
Now what?
Being able to categorize their objection is great. But what do we do about it? Remember the skilled sales professional first identifies the root cause of the objection and then moves forward with a plan!
There are some basic fundamental ‘’best practices’’ when you’re addressing any objection that I want to share with you.
Embrace your role as an advisor, guide, consultant, and advocate. Show the customer that you are on their side. You are there to help them and work with them not against them. Don’t get aggressive, combative, or defensive with them. Instead, counsel them, educate them, inform them, and advise them using “Discovery and Direction”. Your approach, your tone of voice, and the way you address their objection are all make-or-break.
Address the objection! There are many older sales techniques that told us to avid the objection at all cost, to redirect the customer or distract from their inquiry. Don’t do this! Transparency is important to today’s customers. It is one of the most important things actually when you consider the average customer’s access to information combined with a seemingly endless number of options and competitors. “Dancing around’’ the objection will come across as disingenuous and lead to a people objection.
Once you’ve addressed the objection, do not pause! Always continue the conversation to a more preferable stopping point. When you pause in a sales conversation, you are inviting a decision point for the customer. For this reason, strategically choosing when and where in a conversation to pause is an extremely valuable skill. By continuing forward past the topic of objection, you proactively move the conversation beyond the issue that was raised.
Okay, pausing is not ideal. What should I do instead?
So glad you asked! There are three alternatives to consider instead of pausing after addressing the objection.
1. Ask an intelligent, well-formed, and strategic question.
Most of the time, we know what the next step in the process should be. We understand where we are in the process and what would be most helpful for our customer at this point. A best practice is to recommend this next step to the customer based on something they have shared with us. In order for them to share these details and reasons to move forward, we ask the right question!
2. Make your recommendation.
If your customer has already stated the reasons you need to make a strong recommendation, bypass the question and make the recommendation directly after addressing the objection.
3. Confirm something ‘’known’’ and then move to a question or to a recommendation.
This has the added benefit of allowing the customer to say, “yes” directly after you’ve addressed the objection before you move forward to a questions or recommendation.
For example:
“As I understand it, you only want a black exterior?”
Customer responds “Yes”
“Okay, and you definitely want the sport package?”
“Yes”
“Ok, great. What are you driving now?”
The customer placed an objection that you tactfully addressed. The next 2 words that the customer said to you were ‘’YES” and then you took the conversation forward beyond the objection and onto the next step of the process.
As you know dealing with objections is not something that happens naturally and goes perfectly to plan every time. Taking time to understand what these objections really represent will allow you to perfect your craft in addressing objections the right way. Each time you invest in yourself to learn a new skill you are adding a new tool to your toolbox. I hope this article has helped by adding a new tool or two to your toolbox or maybe cleaning and sharpening some that were already there.