A complete guide on objection handling

What is objection handling?

An objection is simply when a customer does not agree with what you have to offer. They will do this by expressing a concern or by asking a question. Some sales people do not like this, but it is important to get this feedback. It will help your product knowledge, understand the concerns of potential customers and what they what they like about your product.

When a customer expresses a concern or question, it is something important to them. If a customer says that they would like to have more information, it normally means that you have not explained it enough or that they do not fully understand what you are offering. This will help you understand the most important benefits of your product, rather than what you think are the most important benefits.

When the customer expresses a concern or ask a question, you need to answer back with a reason that is relevant to their question. This is why I dislike canned responses and believe sales people should use current organic answers. What I mean by this is that the sales person should have a good understanding of the local market place and how their product is affected by it.

Why is objection handling important?

It is important to deal with a customers objections as they want to have confidence in you and your offering, as well as understanding how your product or service will benefit them. If there are unanswered objections then the customer will lose faith in your product and they will not want to go ahead.

It comes with time that you learn to deal with objections and which ones come up regularly. One of the best ways to help this development is to brush up on your product and market knowledge. When I was involved in investments, we were always taught to buy a paper on the commute to work to pick out a few articles which would help in conversations with clients. I have used that throughout my career with blogs, books, newspapers and other resources.

Types of Objections

There are common objections which come up in any industry in one way or another. Some of them are standard responses, and have other reasons behind them, which we call a shell objection. We will run through standard objections here:

• Price – If a customer is saying that price is a problem, this means that the customer does not understand the value of the product. This is where you need to resell the benefits of your product.
• Expensive – If a customer says this then they are comparing you to another product, and what you need to do is to either point out the failing of the other product or why your product is unique making it better. This could be anything from something that makes it unique, to that it has won awards.
• More information – If a customer says this, it normally means one of two things, either they do not understand the product you have or they do not trust you. Simply ask what information they require, as you may have overloaded them with information.
• Don’t need it – If a customer says this, then there is a fundamental floor in your pitch. You should have developed a need from the customer earlier in the conversation. If you have been trying to develop a need and that has not worked, this they may be more interested in a want.

These are just some of the regular objections that sales people face the world over. Start thinking differently, use purposeful practice to objection handle these objections, and prepare.

Conclusion

Objection handling is a great skill to learn. It takes time to fully understand dealing with objections, but like anything else it is a process. The sure way to objection handle is to prepare yourself, by understanding market conditions and product knowledge. Use purposeful practice to familiarise yourself with objections in your field and combat them. Once you start to make this change you will see sales increase and build better relationships.

If you would like to better understand objection handling, we can arrange small class room courses and individual training. If you are interested please contact us, and we can arrange a time to speak.