Salespeople -- Objections Are Your Friends
I've made a million sales calls in my career. OK, maybe something under a million. I've made them on three continents, and at least one island. I've even conducted sales calls where the prospect and I didn't speak a common language. And as tough as that was, it wasn't as difficult as when I've made a call on a prospect who agreed with everything I said; where every word out of my mouth was followed by a head nod from the prospect.I call these people "nodders", and to the uninitiated, such an agreeable prospect would seem like a dream-come-true because they offer no objections. But veterans know that doing business with a tough customer is a challenge, but selling a nodder is virtually impossible.
I was a young pup the first time I met a nodder. I thought I was in-like-Flynt. Big sale waiting to happen. Already counting my commissions. So I go for the big close and find out the Pope was more of a prospect than this guy was. A nodder is a combination of a nice guy and someone who has nothing better to do than listen to a sales pitch. A nodder is the first person to whom anyone ever said, "Get a life."
If you are a sales person, a nodder is wasted time waiting to happen.
Objections Are Essential To A Successful Sales Call
As a professional salesperson you should never dread objections, but actually look forward to them. Objections will always be a part of your career. Indeed, you have to have them to be successful, because you can't start selling until you hear an objection. Until then, you are just a visitor, and you might as well be having tea with your grandmother.
Sure there are times when a customer takes what you have, no questions asked. But that's not selling. That's order taking.
Objections are to selling what gravity is to physical fitness: Resistance answered by correct response = performance. If the challenge is met, the benefits are great.
Do You Know An Objection When You Hear One?
Obviously, you should listen to everything a prospect says in a sales call. But there are two things that you must listen FOR: Objections, and buying signals. For now, we'll leave the latter for another day and focus on the former.
The reason you have to listen FOR an objection is because prospects often won't make your job easy by saying, "No! I don't like your product." Or, "I'm not ready to buy." Prospects are subtler than that, such as, "I still have some research to do." Or, "I'll get back to you." Knowing when you are hearing an objection takes listening skills training and experience in the field, and it's as important as any component of a sales call.
Handle Objections By Becoming An Expert
The best way to be a successful objection handler is by becoming an expert. Some people are put off by this term, expert. But if you are going to sell successfully, you MUST become an expert in your field, and be proud of that distinction. You have to know everything there is to know about:
• Your Company. No one should know more about your company, its history, track record, business practices, commitment to quality, etc. Obviously, if you are the owner, you know all this stuff. But what about your salespeople? Your sales staff doesn't have to know more about the company than you, just more than your prospects, your customers, AND your competition.
• Your Products. You ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY MUST know your products. But even with intensive and extensive product training, you can't really become an expert until you've logged many hours with your products in the marketplace. You probably never thought of prospects as trainers, but one of the best ways to really know your products is to handle objections about them. And the tougher the customer, the more you will learn. So study your products as much as you can, and then road test your knowledge in front of prospects.
• Your Industry. Every salesperson must become an industry expert. You are going to be dealing with prospects who may be older and wiser than you, and some might know more about your industry than you. You will gain credibility if you are able to weave an informed industry perspective into your sales approach. Credibility = Sales.
• Your Marketplace. Your marketplace is a dynamic environment that changes every day. You must stay up-to-date with these changes, because both you and your prospects operate in that marketplace. Every change, however slight, can create new objections you didn't have yesterday. Your prospects and customers will be market savvy. You must be, too.
• Your Customers. Information is the key to success. In sales, the information you need is about your prospects and customers. The best way to find this information is through research outside of the prospect's office, and effective probing techniques inside of their office. The more you know about the background, current condition, and plans of your prospects, the more successful you will be. In the old days, this wasn't always easy. With the Internet today, the info you need is a click away. Don't be lazy. Start clicking.
• Your Competition. You must presume that your competition knows everything about your company and products. This belief should concern you enough that you make it your personal goal to learn everything there is to know about them. Most of your competitors won't lie, but sometimes they will embellish. When they do, your prospect will regurgitate this bad info to you in the form of an objection. This is when, armed with the knowledge that the objection is baseless, you can very professionally overcome the objection, and defeat your competition. Here's a competition objection role play:
Prospect: "John Smith at ABC Company told me he could deliver in two weeks. That beats your schedule by one week."
Salesperson: "Mr. Johnson, I'm a little confused. As you know, I work with companies like yours everyday, including others who do business with ABC. Some of these companies are calling to do business with me because they've been waiting 4 weeks for delivery from ABC. My delivery schedule is three weeks, as you said, but I deliver in three weeks, as I said. Here is a list of my customers you can call to verify my delivery performance. How many would you like delivered in three weeks."
Here's another one.
Prospect: "Acme Products tells me their equipment will work non-stop around the clock with limited maintenance. Can you say that?"
Salesperson: "Mr. Williams, my equipment is very reliable, but before we discuss maintenance, would you clear something up for me? You told me your application was going to be out in the open, and often subject to the elements. Is that still true?"
Prospect: "Yes, it is."
Salesperson: "According to the specifications I have read on the Acme model you mentioned, that unit is intended to be used indoors only. The one I'm recommending is designed for both indoor and outdoor use, which fits your requirements. If you will authorize this agreement we can have your all weather project rolling by next Wednesday."
Notice that I have not recommended that you say anything disparaging about your competition. Just the facts, ma'am. Facts you won't have if you are not an expert on your competition. With the Internet today, the info you need is a click away. Don't be lazy, start clicking. Oh, by the way, did you notice that every answer to an objection ended with a closing question?
Remember, the best offense against objections is information. The kind of information only an expert would have.
Write this on a rock... Experts are very cool. As you go one-on-one with your prospects and customers, they will generate an infinite supply of objections to doing business with you. You should actually thank them for their objections. Because every objection expertly handled, puts you one step closer to a sale.
