Every business has to overcome sales objections, spoken and unspoken, to grow and prosper.
Whether your company is B2C or B2B, the sales process of client acquisition will always involve initial objections before purchase.
There are certain tactics that work across the board, in most verticals, so today we'll go over how to overcome sales objections to get the sale.
Anticipate Objections
It sounds simple, and isn't impossible to do, yet it isn't always common to hear a company be the first to say your objections. It's incredible effective when you do this, saying something like:
"I know you're probably thinking, this is way too expensive, but honestly can you put a price on happiness?"
By calling attention to a topic that many customers want to avoid, which is their reason to object to buying, you start to overcome objections before they happen.
Anticipating objections means taking the initiative, and calling out objections as you sense them. There are the standard objections, and also new ones specific to your prospect and this particular selling circumstance.
How can you sense which objections are hidden beneath the surface but aren't being aired out? By changing the nature of how you're listening to your prospect.
Always Active Listen
Many people, regardless of trying to make a sale, will listen only to wait for their turn to talk. This won't get you the sale. Listen with the intent of understanding. This builds trust with your potential client, and allows you to hear the 2nd reason behind a no.
The first reason is the surface level 'no' which doesn't have the emotional triggers that the real reason for the no has. The real objections are rooted in emotion, and association.
When truly listening to understand, there is more data to draw from. You start to get the feel for what isn't being said, as well as what is being said.
This creates an opportunity to anticipate their objections and have a solution ready to go in your response.
Respond
Your response should validate the type of concern that the prospect has, even if it’s that your competitor offers a better deal.
Even if it’s the latter by using curiosity, not defensiveness, you’ll be able to fully explore what is that the prospect likes better about the competition.
Many times it’s just a matter of sticking with what they already know and not wanting to risk an unknown.
In other cases, by asking questions with a true active listening approach, you’ll find that the customer isn’t as sure about their decision to go with the competitor.
You’ll unearth new pain points about the business they currently use, and can position your reply to show your company
connects those gaps.
And if it doesn’t, you’ll also be in a great position to use this as market research and tweak your own business model to offer what your competitors don’t offer but your customers / their customers want.
This is a high leverage position to be in.
With my clients, who are tired of getting Facebook ads disapproved without a solid answer from Facebook as to what part of their ad triggered the disapproval - I offer something no other competitor can offer:
Insight into why Facebook makes certain decisions, and the exact words, copy, in ads and landing pages, that caused the ad to get flagged as well as what ad copy would be approved instead.
This enables me to acknowledge gaps in the market, identify objections, and overcome them ahead of time by offering a solution Facebook doesn't offer - a clear explanation of what caused an ad to be disapproved and guidance on getting it approved.
(Does your agency need a FB Policy Expert? Schedule a free discovery call here)
Confirm - Check for Understanding
After discussing their objections, and how your company overcomes them, touch base to make sure you’re on the same page.
In schools, this is called a “Check for understanding” where a teacher double checks the class understands the material thus far, before moving on to new topics.
This is very similar, you’re the teacher, with the secret knowledge, and your prospect is the student, yearning to learn, even if they don’t know what is possible to learn.
Look for the confirmation, by paraphrasing their objections, summarizing your response and defeating of the objections, and ask if that sounds right.
Budget concerns - If they are objecting due to you haven’t built enough value first. It means you need to build more value.
I need to talk to my husband - We’ve all heard this one, or a version of it. Make sure that you aren’t playing a game of telephone and get the decision maker (DM) on the phone, or in the meeting before going for the close.
I’m too busy right now - Emphasize the fear of missing out, either a quantity scarcity, or a special price scarcity as the price will go up after tomorrow, or for a mastermind group, there are only a few spots left approach works well.
I need to think about it - This is a question of credibility, trust, and the value that’s been built (or hasn’t been built) about the product or service.
Price
If a prospective customer says your service is too much, it’s to your advantage to know what the competition is offering.
The difference in cost can be overcome with the unique selling mechanism your company has, that’s part of the brand slogan, ideally.
“You get what you pay for, and you look like someone who appreciates a quality product.”
This approach shifts from “It’s too expensive” to “Am I really giving myself the [royal] treatment I deserve?”
Conclusion - Know Your S#%t
Ultimately the better you know a product the better you can sell it.
The real secret is not only knowing your product, but also being well versed in:
▶ Your product/service's unique selling mechanism
▶ The market your business is in
▶ Your competition
The more you can speak on why your product or service specifically stands out - the more this confidence and expertise effortlessly translates to the customer who will mirror your energy.
If you’ve done the research and speak confidently based on knowledge, statistics, and results this will motivate your prospects to buy from you more than anything else.
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Is Facebook not explaining why the disapproved an ad?
I worked at FB for years and offer FB Policy Consulting here
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