Answer the Objection, and Close the Sale

Selling isn’t always smooth sailing, and if you see enough prospects, you’re bound to run into your share of objections. But if you took away the objections, salespeople would be reduced to nothing more than glorified order takers—and commission rates would be a fraction of their present size. Selling would no longer be a prosperous career. So be grateful for the objections.

CLOSE THE DEAL

One way to reduce the number of objections you encounter is to give a thorough sales presentation. The more complete one is, the more clearly the buyer will understand your offer, which in turn will provide him with more reason to make a positive buying decision. There have been times when I tried to give a watered down presentation because I was trying to make a quick sale, or I was simply tired from being overworked. Whatever the reason, whenever I did, I ended up having to answer a slew of objections and as a result, found myself spending more time than if I had given a full presentation in the first place.

Another way to reduce objections is by realizing that some objections are raised with enough regularity to become predictable. After a while, you can prepare yourself in advance by building the answers into your sales presentation so you can address the objections before they’re raised. Or you can keep effective answers in reserve to draw upon if seldom raised objections do happen to pop up.

When I tell salespeople that prospects are expressing interest when they raise objections, I sometimes get looks that suggest I’ve gone off the deep end. Often people will raise objections to gather more reasons to buy. But rather than hanging in there, many salespeople will give up and go on to the next call. I’ve always believed that when somebody tells me why he doesn’t want to buy my product, he’s expressing a willingness to listen to why he should buy. As a matter of fact, I welcome objections in this context because I like people who become seriously involved.

People who care about your product, but who aren’t convinced enough yet to buy will vent their objections. I interpret these objections as positive signs that if I properly handle their questions, I will make a sale. Once you believe that an objection has satisfactorily been answered, briskly move on. It’s not necessary to dwell on it by asking such questions as “Well, what do you think now?” or “Does that settle your problem?” You don’t need confirmation. Assume it. It’s not your job to show how smart you are, especially at the risk of making your prospect feel inferior.

Instead, let the prospect feel as though you served him by providing needed information so he could make an intelligent decision. You should praise him for his comments and observations. After all, you don’t want him to feel as though he has been talked into buying something against his will. So make him feel good about giving his consent after he had initially voiced an objection. Then when all barriers have been removed, you can move on to close the sale.

Photo Credit- Sean MacEntee