Handling objections

What is meant by Objection?

- A reason given by the prospective
customer why they are not ready to buy
your product or service”

- An objection is anything the prospect

says or does that is an obstacle to
smooth closing.
 WHY DO PROSPECTS OBJECT ?

Psychological reasons Logical reasons

WHY DO PROSPECTS OBJECT ?

A-Psychological reasons
- Dislike decision making
- Prefer old habits
- Resistance to give up something
old for something new
- Unpleasant past experience with
you or your company
- Perceived threat to self image
WHY DO PROSPECTS OBJECT ?

B.Logical Reasons
- All or part of the presentation was
misunderstood
- Prospect is not convinced
- wants to get rid of you
- Hidden reason (unvoiced objection)
 Types of objections
(If you can classify how they object then you are on the first step to
handling the objection).

A.Need
They say that they do not need your product
or service for some reason or another, or
perhaps have a need that you cannot satisfy.
Examples
-I have one of those already.
-My car works just fine thank you.
-I have no space for any more.
-Sorry, I just don't want it.
B.Price
-Includes several forms of economic excuses
-It is simple for the buyer to say
Examples
-How much??
-I have already spent my budget for
the month.
-Your competitors sell a better
product for less money.
-I could get it cheaper on the web.
When buyer asks for the price
in
the opening of the call…

-It is risky to discuss the product's price

until it can be compared to the product's
benefits.
-Once you convey the benefits, price
becomes a secondary factor which
usually can be dealt with successfully.
The Price / Value Formula.
-Value : what the prospect sees the
product doing for them.
-Price/value = cost
-Cost :comparison of what is received to
money paid.
-Used to determine if a prospect is or is
not convinced the price is too high.
C. Features
They object to some element
of what you are selling,
whether it is aspects of a
service or details of a
product.
Examples
-Friday our Free day
-Fopcu is Faaaaar away
D.Time
In this, the objection is around time, such as
the person not being ready to buy.
Examples
-I don't know. I need to think about
it.
-I won't have the money until next
month.
-I am moving next year, maybe
then.
-I need to talk to my parents first
E.Source
-They question the source of the product,
often its credibility.
-This may include questions about you too.
Examples
-I do not know you . I prefer to buy
from people I know.
-How will I know if ………….?
-Certified from RTC
 Question
Are objections beneficial or
harmful ?

Take a few moments to write

down some of your thoughts…
THE IMPORTANCE OF OBJECTION

Prospects that buy have 58% more

objections.
You should welcome objections because
once answered, they give you the
potential energy to close the sale
THE IMPORTANCE OF OBJECTIONS:

1.Adequate definition of the need

2.Objections allow salespeople to
engage in a conversation about
something that the customer is
interested in
3.When you welcome objections you are
communicating to the prospect that
his needs are important and will be
addressed
THE IMPORTANCE OF OBJECTIONS:

4. Once objections are answered, they

give you the potential energy to close
the sale
5. when your prospect doesn't have any
objections, you might be facing your
most difficult close.
The five steps in dealing with
objections:
1. Expect them and allow the prospect to express
them freely.( anticipating )
2. Welcome them when they occur because they
indicate an interest on the part of the prospect.
3. Affirm the objection by restating it in the form
of a question to be answered. "So what you are
saying is that the PRICE is a concern to you,
isn't it?"
The five steps in dealing with
objections:
4. Acknowledge the objection &
Align with the customer .

*Acknowledging the objection tells the

customers few things:
- you listened to their concern
- their concern is understood
- it’s ok for a customer to have concerns (as
you trust your product, there’s nothing to
hide )
The five steps in dealing with
objections:
*To Align with the customer to put yourself in
his\her shoes
- Aligning with the customer shows that you
are more alike than different
- Align with the customer focuses on creating
a long term relationship not just try to push
your product
The five steps in dealing with
objections:
Example:
-customer: “ your price is too high”
-Salesperson: “I understand your concern
about the price of our product & your
desire to get the best value for the money
you spend” ….Acknowledging
“By the way I’m also very keen on
getting the best value for my money”…
Aligning
The five steps in dealing with
objections:
5. Counter Proposal
there are many different ways to counter
objections acc. to the style of the
salesperson & the situation with the
customer, here are some examples of
counters …….
TO BE USED AFTER ACKNOWLEDGING
& ALIGNING NOT BEFORE :
Counter Proposal

A.CLARIFY :
“you mentioned that the price is
RELATIVELY HIGH, would you
give me some more info. about
this ,such as ,is that because of what
you’ve paid in the past?
 Counter Proposal

B.BENEFITS:

“although our price may be

relativelyhigh , our value to our
customer is much higher”
Counter Proposal
C. Boomerang :
turn the objection into a
benefit
Example
I’m in the 1st year, i will attend this course in
the fourth year
 Counter Proposal
D.PRE-CLOSING:
( needs professional salesreps )

if we alleviate your concern about

our price to your satisfaction, would you
buy our product?
Counter Proposal

E.USING AN EXAMPLE

(The car example)……well these are

the exact reasons our customers
choose to buy our product as opposed
to our competitor
 Counter Proposal

F.PRESENT TESTIMONIALS

past experiences or whatever relevant

information you have
 Customer Resistance
"Every Sales of any consequence
will contain Objections”

Customer Response
*Positive Customer Response:
Many of the customer responses
are very positive (avoid the
negative eye)
Customer Response

*Positive Negative Customer

Response:
 “Yes, but ...”
 “I agree although---”
 “I like that, however,”
 “It’s an excellent product,
but...”
 Customer Response

Negative Response
 I have a cheaper offer
 Your prices are too high
 There is no adequate evidence on the
benefits you stated
 I am very busy now
 I deal with a competitive organization
and I’m happy with it
Types of Customer Resistance

 Misconceptions / misunderstanding /
Confusion
 Real objections / Perceived weakness
 Lack of interest
 Skepticism / Disbelief
Misconception :
An incorrect negative assumption about your
product, due to a lack of information or
misinformation from Competitor Rep or hear you
wrongly
Example:

I attended your clinical course,& it was terrible.

Dealing with a Misconception
Step 1: Probe to clarify the customer’s
concern
Step 2: Tactfully provide the correct
information to resolve the
misconception
Step 3: Emphasize the positive
information you have provided
(N.B in case of incorrect +ve assumption
Eg.the workshops fees)
Real objections
A real objection is resistance based on a
legitimate shortcoming or disadvantage of your
product

Example:

You don’t have any topics related to Q.A or

Q.C?.
 Dealing with a real objections
Your challenge in dealing with
real objections is to shift the
balance in favor of your product
benefits.

Step 1: Probe to
clarify the customer’s concern
Step 2: Acknowledge the
customer’s concern
Step 3: Reduce the impact of the shortcoming on
the customer
Step 4: Emphasize the benefits of the product
(present an offsetting benefit )
Lack of Interest

Lack of interest in your product is almost

always due to satisfaction with a competing
product.

Example:

I’m already attending a course with X and I am

very Satisfied with it ”
Dealing with lack of interest
- use a series of closed probes to uncover
areas of customer need.

-With the uninterested customer, you are

selling against the competition. Your
task is to turn an area of dissatisfaction
with the competitor into an area of
need for your product
.
Dealing with lack of interest

-This will not be easy because the

uninterested customer is unlikely to
provide any need input without a
struggle. As always, when you
uncover a customer need your
product can satisfy, you reinforce it
Skepticism

Is disbelief that your product can really

provide a benefit that you say it can.

Example:

How will I know if I will get a

certificate or not ?
Dealing with Skepticism

Step 1: Emphasis the benefit in

question
Step 2: Prove the benefit
Step 3: Explain the benefit
Don’ts List
(sales people fall into these traps)

*Never say anything negative about your

company.
* Never say anything negative about your
product or service.
* Never tell the customer that they are wrong.
* Never tell the customer that "you don't
understand."
*Never argue with a customer (cv writing
schools)
 Don’ts List

* Never lie to a customer. Long term

relationships are built on trust and
honesty. It is far better to say, "I don't
know, but I'll find out and get right
back to you. (eg; certificates signature)
* Never be defensive. That's not a
positive approach to an objection
* Never let an objection go by without an
answer
Now some very important
“Do's "
Do's List
*You should view objections as
opportunities to sell rather than
obstacles.
*Always maintain a positive attitude and
be enthusiastic.
* Always remember that objections are a
natural part of the sales process and
should not be considered as a personal
affront .
Do's List

*Always maintain good eye contact, even

when under fire.
*Always listen closely to an objection.
*Always acknowledge the objection and
then give your point of view.
*Always be prepared to prove your
position with testimonials, references,
and documentation.
Do's List

*The best way to handle objections is to

appear as a knowledgeable, interested
salesperson whose mission is to help
the prospect achieve his objectives and
goals.
* Respond to objectives positively and
respect the customer’s point of view.
THANK YOU
Any questions