As small business owners, and the de-facto salespeople of our own companies, knowing how to overcome objections is necessary evil that we must all face at some point in our businesses. Unfortunately, that’s the bad news.
But the good news is that even the best salespeople on the planet get rejected all the time; they’re just better at handling it, and they’re better equipped to overcome any objections their prospects might hurl their way. The best news however, is that you can learn how to overcome objections too – just like the pros!
Here are a few tips for overcoming sales objections:
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Listen actively
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Clarify
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Address the objection
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Use examples and stories
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Offer a compromise
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Follow up
Listen actively
Pay attention to what the customer is saying and try to understand their objections. See it from their point of view, and try to convey some empathy. The more you can demonstrate that you’re seeing eye-to-eye, the more trust you will earn from your prospect.
Clarify
Ask questions to clarify the customer’s concerns and make sure you understand their needs and their true objections. Repeat everything they just shared with you, and confirm that you are understanding them correctly. There’s no sense in making the effort to address an objection that wasn’t even under consideration!
Address the objection
Once you understand the objection, address it directly and offer a solution. There’s no need to beat around the bush, especially if you know 100% that your product/service is precisely the solution they are seeking. At the end of the day, there are really only 5 reasons why you’ll get an objection:
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No money
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No need
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No urgency
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No desire
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No trust
As long as you can establish that these objections are simply false beliefs by referencing all the notes you took during the fact-finding part of your presentation, you should be able to overcome these objections easily. If you’re little lost here, you can grab my sales presentation blueprint here: [SALES CONSULTATION BLUEPRINT]
Use examples and stories
Use examples and stories to illustrate the benefits of your product or service and help the customer see how it can solve their problem. Do this throughout your presentation, not just when the objections come up – so you can pre-emptively nip these in the bud. Make sure the stories are relatable, by making sure they deal with the same exact pain points that your prospect is facing. If you can get them to mentally/willingly occupy the world that you’ve created, you’re well on your way to the sale!
Offer a compromise
If the customer is not willing to move forward, consider offering a compromise or a customized solution to meet their needs. Maybe it’s a payment plan (MONEY). Maybe it’s fewer/more hours of coverage (NEED). Maybe it’s a complimentary 45 minute engagement session, so they can get the dry run of how you’ll be working on their wedding day (TRUST). Whatever their objections may be, have a compromise ready in your back pocket, that you may deploy in the event of an emergency (aka a sale that’s “almost” there!). Just don’t make the mistake of prematurely offering a compromise when one wasn’t warranted. In most cases, your prospects will accept your offer “as-is” – so don’t mistakenly talk yourself out of it!
Follow up
If the customer is not ready to make a decision, follow up with them at a later date to see if their objections have been resolved. Oftentimes, the sale happens several days, or even several weeks after your initial consult. Just remember to follow-up as promised, and you’ll increase the likelihood of getting the sale. Don’t leave it up to them to get back to you!
At the end of the day, just remember to be patient and stay positive throughout the process. It may take some time to overcome objections, but with persistence and the right approach, you can turn a potential sale into a reality.
TLDR;
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You don’t have to be salesy in order to be good at overcoming objections
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A good sales script/consultation strategy will help you pre-emptively overcome potential objections, before they arise. If you need help in this department, you can grab a copy of my sales presentation blueprint here:
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Every prospect is going to move at a different pace; you simply have to respect their timeline and process. As long as you are observing best practices, doing/saying the things you’re supposed to be doing/saying, you’ll be just fine!
If you’re still feeling stuck with your sales & marketing, please visit: https://benlau.com/education to learn more about how I can help you find your dream clients, set your business on auto-pilot, and book like crazy.