Working with objections in sales: examples, techniques, methods and algorithm

Nothing ruins a sale faster than a sudden customer objection.

Sellers are afraid of objections. However, objections convey important and valuable information about customers' problems, needs, and fears.

To understand how to deal with objections, you need to establish the primary reasons. Why do customers object in ways that confuse, frighten and alarm them? What prevents them from making a decision?

Looking ahead, I will say that clients do not want to make decisions, they want you to do it for them and be responsible for it. They just don't want to take risks, they need guarantees that your product or service is what they need and will help solve their problem.

In fact, the ability to effectively handle objections and close deals is the key to sales success.

You need to be persuasive, caring and expert. No one wants to be left in the cold by buying a useless and unnecessary item.

Customers want more than an offer, they want a solution and a guarantee.

Most objections can be overcome with the right tactics and techniques.

So, let's start in order.

What is handling objections in sales?

Selling is all about addressing objections and truly understanding how you can help your customer meet their needs.

Objections are questions or concerns about purchasing your product. Accordingly, the fight against objections means convincing the client and his doubts, establishing a trusting contact that facilitates the conclusion of a deal.

Handling objections means influencing the buyer so that he changes his mind or stops doubting.

Salespeople love to argue, prove the client wrong, and openly convince him. This approach doesn't work. Instead of pointing out mistakes, you should help him come to a different decision of his own free will.

Don't confuse sales objections with simple refusals. For example: Objection: “I like this phone, but I’m not sure I’ll buy it for reason X.” Refusal: “I don’t want to talk to you” and “Thanks, I’ll call you if anything happens.”

The third method is “Ask a question”

Client: “Expensive.” You: What are you comparing it to? You: Why did you decide that? You: What is precious to you? You: How much is inexpensive for you?

Client: “No money.” You: What do you mean? You: When does the budget open? You: When can we meet with you in order to get to know each other for the future?

Client: “Competitors are cheaper.” You: How did you determine that we have the same product?

Client: “Good personal relationships with others.” You: Why does this stop you from simply considering our proposal?

These are clarifying questions. You can ask a question that will make the client think. Let's call it the “loading question.” This is a question that contains a hidden statement.

Here's an example:

Client: “Your place is expensive.” You: If we were expensive, so many clients wouldn’t work with us for many years. Why do you think they buy from us?

In the previous example, we split the question into two sentences. The first is a statement, and at the end is a question. The second is a question with a hidden statement inside. This question makes the client think.

Why do clients object? 7 types of objections

Knowing how to properly respond to customer objections is an important part of any sales process. To understand why customers object, you need to be upfront and honest about your sales techniques.

Why do clients object? Here are the 7 main types of objections:

They are afraid

They are afraid of abuse and imposition of unnecessary goods and services. They are afraid that they will be sold an unnecessary product or sold an unnecessary service.

Why are they afraid to buy?

They may have had negative experiences in the past. Relatives and acquaintances pointed out what to pay attention to, gave them advice and warnings. Or, they spent 24 hours on the Internet collecting information about your product, but were unable to understand the value of your offer and were left with doubts.

Do you want to win over your client, create strong relationships, make him permanent and loyal? The best way is to make every effort to eliminate fear and mistrust. When you can do this, your chances of overcoming objections will be much higher.

The most common mistake is to sell without prior understanding.

This requires listening, showing genuine interest, and sincerely trying to understand the client's needs. Talk to them, ask questions and answer.

Not enough information

Customers object because they are looking for more information about your product. They may not see value in your offer and therefore cannot make a purchasing decision. This is a serious reason to object.

Try to give complete information in a professional manner, tell them about all the pros and cons, alleviate their problem and show your expertise.

Try to provide as much information as possible about the product, and remember that there is more than just one solution. Offer a choice, compare and offer the best option.

Try to convey the value of your offer based on the benefits it will receive.

Impulsiveness

The third reason is impulsiveness. The other day I went to Mvideo to buy headphones and knew exactly which ones I wanted. My goal was to just go in and buy something and leave within 10 minutes.

But when the salesman approached me and asked if he could help me, I replied: “I’m just looking.” It was just an impulsive response.

Control over decision making

The fourth reason clients object is to maintain control over decision making.

This tactic is often used to force the seller to lower the price. Sometimes it is simply an unwillingness to cooperate with our sales process and take back control of the choices they feel they have lost.

In this case, avoid a belligerent position towards the client, do not put pressure on him. You have a good chance of reducing objections and giving him a reason to buy.

They don't believe promises

People don't believe too good promises. Try to convey information about how you are going to fulfill them. And the main rule is to always deliver what you promise. Better yet, exceed all expectations.

Example: Do you promise delivery within an hour? Deliver in 40 minutes. Do everything to make the client satisfied and happy.

Do more than the client expects.

Misunderstanding

Try to avoid misunderstandings. Maintain balance in your conversation. It is important to feel the interlocutor, learn to listen, understand him and establish a connection in a conversation.

Empathize, ask open-ended questions, go with the flow of the conversation and not compare your experience with the client’s experience (This only applies to working with objections. If the client is interested during the sale, sharing experience and telling stories, on the contrary, is very important).

This is the key to the success of complete understanding in a conversation with a client.

Interesting competitor's product

Or perhaps the client has simply already had his eye on a competitor’s offer and wants to take advantage of it. In this case, it is worth asking what he liked about their product and what is missing. Perhaps he can consider the benefits of yours.

Ways to speed up your purchase

Motivational techniques will help. Their task is to speed up the purchase process and force the client to make a down payment.

Basic tools:

Early booking. This is the result of describing all the benefits that the customer will receive when booking the product.
Additional services. Describe what additionally the buyer will receive by making the decision to complete the transaction right now. It has to be something meaningful and worthwhile.
Present. Offer the product to the client by giving some kind of gift.
Special offer. Get a good discount (at least 40%) on this purchase. The offer must have a time limit.
Discount on your next purchase.
Create a reason to buy. Propose before or during the holidays.

Another tool is to create scarcity. Used when the quantity of goods is limited. Combining several tools works effectively: shortages and special offers, discounts on the next purchase and creating a reason to buy, etc.

Tactics for decision making: 6 techniques for dealing with objections

This objection handling technique is so powerful because it solves a problem that most salespeople face.

By rushing to make a sale without identifying the need, you risk losing a client.

The main stages of dealing with objections:

Listen to the client

Most salespeople view objections as a sign of refusal or resistance.

It is not surprising that it is impossible to achieve success with this approach. If you can dig deep and try to understand the essence of the objection, you can easily close the deal without a fight.

Yes, we all want to immediately overcome objections, without listening to the client, begin to convince him, moving on to closing the deal.

Stop.

Let the person speak. Make it a rule: 80% listen and 20% talk.

Sometimes the first objections are not a real problem for him.

Example: Customers don't want to admit that they don't have enough money to buy your product, so other problems arise instead.

Understand the customer

If you have studied the first point, then you know that some objections hide completely different problems that the client is not ready to correctly formulate. Your task is to get to the core of the problem and his objections.

What do we have to do?

Ask open-ended questions, for example:

Why do you think so?
Why is this important to you?
What are you worried about?

Ask again:

And I understand that you are worried about...
Those. you are not satisfied...
It turns out it doesn't suit you...

And add : is it correct, did I understand? This is true? ...

This will make it clear that you are listening and are sincerely trying to help understand and resolve the issue.

Give thanks

Say thank you for the client being open about their problems and experiences. And that you appreciate it.

Example: “I really appreciate you being honest with me. And I'm happy to tell you that we are successfully working with other clients with similar issues (problems)."

Sympathize

Make it clear that you empathize and sympathize with the problem, even if you disagree with him. This will help defuse the situation.

Example: “Let me say, I completely understand you, I (friend, neighbor, cat) had exactly the same situation a couple of days ago.”

Offer your solution

Once you understand the big picture, discuss the most important issue and try to resolve the problem immediately if possible.

Don’t hesitate to answer, speak honestly and in a language that the client understands.

Never leave objections unattended. Offer your solution, tell him how you or your product can help him.

By and large, the client’s objections are his fears and concerns. Your task is to reduce fear.

Tell him a story or experience of another client, share statistics and facts. The client can then find reliable facts on the Internet, which will once again confirm the veracity of your words.

Get Consent

Even if the client nods his head and seems to agree, you still need to make sure that this is so.

Ask him if everything is clear, if you answered his question, if your product is suitable for him. You need to make sure that he no longer has doubts and you were able to solve his problem.

If you couldn't get consent and didn't solve his problem, don't hesitate to say something like:

“Let’s step back for a second and see if I can solve all your questions (problems).”

It is better not to use the word “problem” in conversation, replace it with “questions”. People don't like this word and will most likely say that they don't have a problem.

Be consistent, confident, calm and knowledgeable. Do not change the timbre of your voice or speed of speech when responding to objections. Train your skills and practice more.

These steps will help you win over the client and move on to the sale.

Method five - “Substitution”

It is also sometimes called “Paraphrase”. The first substitution option is that you change the objection to a statement that is beneficial to you. The substitution begins with the words: “Did I understand you correctly?”, “As far as I understand...”, “So you mean that...” - and then the objection changes to a statement.

For example, a client says: “Your place is expensive.” Change the objection to a statement that is beneficial to you: “Did I understand correctly, if you are convinced that our product is of better quality, are you ready to buy it?” Customer: “You don’t have it in stock.” You: “Do I understand correctly that if we plan a warehouse for you, then you are ready to buy from us?” Client: “We don’t have money.” You: “As far as I understand, if you and I agree on the quality of the goods and the terms of delivery, then the next time you purchase, you will buy from us?” This is how the objection substitution method works.

Remember that you will not immediately convince the client with one answer to an objection; you will simply bypass the wall of objections in his head and move one step closer through the labyrinth of objections to the cherished one.

How to deal with objections?

This little tip will help you deal with objections.

What to focus on when dealing with objections:

Maintain a positive attitude and show genuine interest.
Remember that objections are an integral part of the sales process and should not be taken as a personal insult.
Maintain eye contact.
Listen carefully to all objections.
Agree with the client even if he is wrong, and then give your point of view.
Prepare to prove your point of view you will need to provide arguments (with the experience of others, facts or reviews).

What to avoid when dealing with objections:

Don't talk bad about your competitors. Firstly, it is not ethical, and secondly, it distracts you from selling.
Don't say anything bad about your company.
Don't say anything bad about your product.
Do not tell the client, never say that he is wrong.
Don't tell the client, "You don't understand."
Don't argue with the client.
Don't lie to the client. Long-term relationships are built on trust and honesty. It’s much better to say: “I don’t know, but now I’ll find out and come to you.”
Don't be defensive. This is not a positive approach to handling objections.
Don't get excited, stay calm when talking with the client.
Don't leave objections unanswered.

When there is no objection, it means no

Sometimes it is not so easy to convey the value of your product to the client, especially when he is categorically opposed to the purchase and refuses your offer. At the beginning of the guide, I showed you an example of Objection and Refusal.

As you already understand, it is possible and even necessary to fight objections.

Objections that are difficult to deal with:

The client has other needs that you have not yet discovered.
You haven't given him enough benefits to satisfy his needs.
The product you recommend is not the best solution for his problems.
He changed his mind about purchasing the product.

What to do when a person is absolutely not interested in your offer, he refuses your help, the product, or maybe he is even aggressive?

Don't worry!

It's okay, maybe this is just not your target audience. Sometimes no means no.

It is important to understand that not all clients are equally valuable; it is better to refuse some and focus on others.

Yes, perhaps you didn’t finish it, you didn’t have enough strength or experience. There is only one solution - practice. And practice again.

Method six - “Division”

A good method when you need to prove that a more expensive product is more profitable than a cheaper product. A typical example is detergent. A well-known company that sells expensive detergents in small packages is trying to prove that these detergents are more effective than other detergents sold in larger packages for less money.

How to do this? Everything is very simple. Let's divide by the number of dishes: “An expensive detergent in a small package can clean 1,000 dishes, but an inexpensive detergent in a larger package can only clean 300 dishes. As you can see, despite the fact that our product is more expensive and the packaging is smaller, it washes 1,000 dishes, which is 3 times more. Therefore, even if the price of another product is 30% less, and the volume of its packaging is 2 times larger, this still will not cover the threefold increase in the amount of dishes that can be washed.”

When it comes to detergents, it’s easy to divide by the number of dishes. What if you have a different product or service? You must come up with a parameter that you can divide by. And so that the present value per unit is either less or the same as your competitors.

How to prevent objections?

It is impossible to prevent all objections, but you can minimize them. Especially if you constantly face the same questions.

Get your marketing right

What do they need to make a decision? Information? Create a blog, newsletter, recommendations. Tell us more about your product, tell us about your service and why it is worth buying from you.

Nobody knows about you? Don't they trust you? It's time to start managing your reputation and working with reviews that will cover all the main objections.