Objection Handling Techniques
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Objection Handling Techniques
by: Niall Devitt
The ability to effectively handle objections is without doubt the single biggest
factor in getting prospects to buy. An objection is first and foremost an
indication that at some level the prospect has or is considering buying and
should be welcomed by the salesperson. An objection is a reasonable concern on
behalf of the prospect, an objection is not an unreasonable expectation and this
is an important difference. Managing expectations and more particularly
unreasonable expectations requires a different skill set and comes under a
different heading.
One very effective way to deal with objections is to preempt them as part of
your presentation, you will be aware of the four or five concerns that your
average prospect has so you can incorporate them into your presentation. This
can be effective at promoting you and your company in a professional manner.
Rather than operate a head in the sand approach, you tackle these reasonable
concerns as part of your pitch coming from a position of strength and
demonstrated that you do not run from the hard questions.
When dealing with objections it is important to be aware of body language and
unconscious communication. I sat in on a presentation a few weeks back and the
salesperson was interrupted mid sentence and asked a hard question with regards
to a competitor. While he verbally came across quite well and was able to deal
with the issue, the difficult question prompted him to fold his arms and promote
a closed stance. This subconscious communication gave away the fact that he was
uncomfortable with the question and probably was one of the reasons that he was
unable to secure the deal.
I will not be dealing with particular objections as part of this piece but
rather giving you a four-step technique for dealing with any objection. Try to
remember that objections should be welcomed and they mean that you are in with a
good chance of selling.
The first step when dealing with the objection is to acknowledge the concern.
Ensure that you make the prospect aware that you understand where they are
coming from and their concern is reasonable.
The second step is to qualify the objection, find out exactly what they mean for
instance "time to think" means what? What is it that they need to think about?
Are there still some issues that you haven't dealt with? What are they not
convinced about?
The third step is to re-sell the corresponding benefit, this time been aware
that your approach first time round didn't work so you will at least have to
expand and take different angles to re-enforce the point
The final step in dealing with objections is to seek agreement with the
prospect. Ask them if they are happy and understand what you said and that you
have been able to relieve their concern. Obviously if the answer is no, you will
need to do some more convincing.
You need only to become skilled at handling the most common objections don't
worry about strange or once off objections. Practice and role-play objections as
the more times you deal with the particular objection, the better you will
become.
We will look at managing expectations later this year, which as mentioned
requires a different approach and should not be confused with objection
handling. Remember an objection denotes an expression of interest and should be
welcomed as part of the sale. Learn to love em.
Niall Devitt is a training consultant and
business mentor. With over a decade of experience working as senior sales
manager and trainer for some of Ireland’s top companies his expertise lies in
creating and implementing performance driven sales programmes. Niall is
regularly asked to contribute business articles and his advice has been
published through the Irish National Press and broadcast on Radio. Visit his
blog on business know-how at www.btbtraining.com.
Contributor: Niall Devitt
Published here on: 29-Jun-06
Classification: Sales
Website: www.realworld.ie
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