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Hello, dear readers of Valery Kharlamov’s blog! Dealing with objections in sales is an integral part of the life of every salesperson and manager. And no matter what causes the client to resist, an experienced worker must know how to deal with it and influence the final decision so that it is in his favor.
Types of objections
To begin with, let’s look at what types of objections exist, since each of them requires an individual approach to overcome.
All
It is on them that the client relies to keep himself from making a purchase. Most often, this is dissatisfaction with the characteristics of the product or its price, as well as negative past experience, both one’s own and someone else’s.
In order to understand this basic reason for his doubt or refusal, it is necessary to first clarify it. That is, ask open-ended questions (these are the ones that will be followed by a detailed answer, and not just “yes” or “no”). After that, you should check whether this is really a significant reason for the refusal, that is, whether it is the main one.
For example: “What specifically do you not like about the proposed product?”, “Have you used this product before?”, “Would you like this option if I arrange a small discount for you?” etc.
Secondary
They are used as an excuse, most often to get behind him, and give him the opportunity to think, or even take a closer look at other stores. Maybe, on the contrary, I want to talk longer, because it is interesting with you.
Often, in order to “try the seller on the tooth”, how competent he is, or to show that he himself is well versed. Or he just wants to spread his annoyance by finding someone who does not have the right to enter into a conflict. Why can you afford almost complete freedom of action, declaring all the conceivable and unthinkable shortcomings of the product, the reasons for your dissatisfaction and disappointment.
Examples of phrases for secondary excuses: “The price is lower in a nearby store”, “I need to think”, “It was the same and broke in six months”, and so on. Clarify all the smallest details and nuances, because we are all different, and what seems to be a significant problem for the client may mean absolutely nothing to you.
Justified
They are a valuable argument, as they arise not against the background of fantasies and rumors, but from personal negative experience. The main reason is the discrepancy between the declared price and the quality provided. Add fuel to the fire of the company competitors who provide the same product or service at a lower cost.
All you can do is agree with him, be sure to add about some resource that will cover the shortcomings. Yes, indeed, there were situations that this phone model failed after a couple of months after the acquisition. But these are isolated cases, and you are very sorry that your interlocutor was in this number of people who were not lucky. But the company provides insurance, which undertakes to repair a broken model without payment, or else provide a new one.
In principle, the buyer does not lose anything at all, besides, the opportunities that this phone opens up and provides are worth the risk. Isn’t it convincing?
not substantiated
They arise due to insufficient awareness, which is why a person is guided by rumors and his own doubts. Or they hide behind them, stating, for example: «Your products are not of high quality.»
Only clarifying questions will help here, which themselves will lead him to the idea that, indeed, his arguments do not coincide with reality at all.
Explicit
They are announced to you directly, and this greatly simplifies the task, since then you understand what you are dealing with, and do not try to guess the desires and needs of another, stranger. Therefore, the only thing that remains with obvious objections is to choose the best techniques to overcome them.
Hidden
They complicate the work, since you will have to guess about them on your own, turning into such a “why” for yourself, trying to get to the bottom of the truth. You can make a perfect presentation and be surprised to find that a potential customer will thank you for the information provided, but leave without completing anything.
You can notice that something confuses him and went wrong if you are attentive to his non-verbal manifestations, and these are gestures, facial expressions and postures by which you can trace doubts and dissatisfaction. To better understand these nuances, be sure to use the recommendations from this article.
So, it’s almost impossible to guess what exactly alerted a complete stranger to you, so try using the merging method, that is, uniting you so that he understands that you are actually on his side and fully support him.
Use the following questions in practice:
- I see that something confused you, maybe share it with me, and together we will try to clarify what is wrong and what to do next?
- I propose to deal with this difficult topic together.
- And now let’s think together what are the strengths and weaknesses of this product, I myself am interested in comparing it with others.
algorithm
To make it clearer what to do and how to be, as well as to reduce the number of situations when you experience confusion, especially during the internship period, I suggest studying a step-by-step algorithm of actions:
- The first step is to identify the reason that stops the prospective buyer, and also determine what type of objection you are dealing with. Priority, of course, is given to the main ones.
- Be careful to recognize latent doubts in a timely manner, otherwise they may affect the final decision of the client later.
- Be delicate and tolerant if you allow rudeness towards another person, or devalue his desires, taste and level of knowledge. This will entail not only the loss of a potential buyer, but also a decrease in the reputation of your company, and in extreme cases, dismissal. The main task is to win over and inspire confidence, even if you adhere to a completely opposite point of view and tastes.
- Directly, the stage of overcoming doubts itself, depending on the chosen technique.
- Even if it seems to you that you have successfully coped with some kind of excuse, do not rush to breathe a sigh of relief and relax, because you could lose sight of the hidden nuances that will not allow the buyer to make a purchase. Tell him that you will be happy to answer any questions, if they still remain, let him share the slightest doubts, you will try to help him deal with them. If a thought seems stupid, support it by saying that you once held the same opinion.
- Take contacts, and be sure to leave yours, thus making it clear that you are not going to put pressure on him, and provide complete freedom of action. That they communicated not because they wanted to get a percentage of the sale, but because they saw in him an interesting interlocutor and a pleasant person. In this case, if trust has arisen in you, be sure that he will return to you, even after a while, and possibly become a regular customer.
8 technicians
The following methods will work even if your duties include cold sales, that is, by phone when you can’t see your interlocutor.
1. «But»
If you have been given weighty arguments not in favor of some product, agree by adding “but”. So you do not arouse the desire to defend and defend your opinion, as in the case of a refutation, but gently try to win over to your side. For example, a client says: “This hair dryer is expensive”, you can answer: “Yes, it is expensive, but it is of high quality, which means it will last much longer than the others.”
2. «That’s why»
Let’s say you are told that you need time to comprehend whether it is worth taking or not. You can retort in response something like this: «That’s why I want to give you comprehensive information so that you can then weigh the pros and cons, carefully comprehending what I said.»
3. «Why»
It’s worth asking clarifying questions until you find at least a small clue that you can grab on to convince your store or company to take advantage.
- Cheaper at nearby store
- And where did you get the idea that we have the same products and quality of services?
4. Comparison
This technique is usually written in scripts, that is, a script for beginners, interns, so that they do not get lost and can find their bearings in time. That is, with some excuse, it is ideal when they operate with information that the product is expensive, you offer to compare it with others, clearly showing that there are no completely identical services.
5. Paraphrasing
You will get more complete information about this technique by clicking on the link «How to argue and prove the correctness of your opinion to any person.» Let me briefly remind you that you should replace the words of the client, as if restructuring the proposal, only in a more favorable light for yourself.
For example:
- «It is expensive»
- “Are you saying that if you make sure that our services are of high quality, you will be ready to pay this price for them?”
6. Absurd
You are trying to show the absurdity of the idea that the buyer is trying to rely on. Suppose he said that the quality of the products leaves much to be desired, you can answer that if this were true, then you would not have such a demand for these particular products.
7. Manipulating the past
Try during communication, encountering resistance, rely on the past experience of the interlocutor. If the product is expensive for him, ask about whether it happened before to buy cheaper products and, disappointed, spend money on better ones?
Or just regret wasted, one might say, wasted finances? This has happened to everyone, just not everyone admits it. Therefore, in case of silence, make a knight’s move and offer a cheaper analogue — he will no longer want to consider it, and will prefer to stop at the one you talked about at the beginning.
8. Norma
Try to talk as if there are certain, established norms in this world that must be met. They told you that you are not yet able to order some service from your company, because other issues are relevant, you emphasize that it is completely normal for companies of their level to allocate the budget in such a way as to allocate funds specifically for this procedure.
Conclusion
And that’s all for today, dear readers! Finally, I would like to recommend that you read the article “What is active listening and what are the techniques for its development?”. It does not matter whether you make sales by phone or in person — this information will help you establish contact and win over the interlocutor, inspiring confidence and a desire to use your services in the future. Strength and patience to you, see you soon!