Overcome Sales Objections
Your sales team works hard to channel potential customers toward the desired end of their sales journey — a completed sale. Every consumer is different, and each prospect will have their own concerns and pain points you’ll have to acknowledge and solve to finalize the sale.
Objections are more than a normal part of every sales process — they are a critical part. You can determine your customers’ concerns and the potential obstacles to them saying yes through their questions and objections. The objections and concerns they voice can also help you calibrate their level of interest or personal investment. Any unasked questions, unidentified obstacles or unvoiced concerns may be a reason for the customer to say no.
The ultimate goal in the sales process is not to avoid objections. Rather, it’s to surface, acknowledge and work through every question, objection or concern your customer may have so that they can say yes.
What Is an Objection in Sales?
A sales objection is a lead’s suggestion that a barrier separates their need from the service or product you’re offering. To put it another way, sales objections indicate why a lead is unable to purchase your product or service. While many sales objections are frank statements, at other times, they will be subtle hints.
A lead might offer a sales objection for many reasons, including being unable to afford your product or service. Another reason could be that what you’re offering falls short of what the lead is looking for to satisfy their needs. A sales objection could also arise due to something your competition has said or done, causing the prospect to lose confidence in finalizing a sale with you.
Avoid Premature Problem Solving
When answering objections in sales, the natural reaction is trying to solve the objection right away. However, the typical reaction is not the best course of action. Addressing the issue right then and there may reduce the tension in the interim, but it doesn’t necessarily solve the problem.
Too often, we are solving a problem without really understanding the “why” behind the “what.” Although we assume we understand the issue, we often don’t. Skilled buyers will surface a series of objections to gain concessions from you. Each concession may seem small and innocuous, but put them all together, and you have eroded your value.
When it comes time to close the deal after “solving” individual problems, you have given away a lot while getting little or nothing in return. The customer has seized control of the sales process and directed the conversation in the direction they want to go, which is often a lower price.
There’s a way to handle these objections effectively without this outcome — we call it the Park and Sort technique.
How to Overcome Objections in Sales With the Park and Sort Method
An important thing to remember is that any outstanding issues or concerns are a potential excuse for “no.” The Park and Sort model provides a unique way for you to expose all of the questions or concerns your customer might have and remove any barriers to “yes.” Here are four steps to follow to help your sales team overcome sales objections:
Listen to the prospect: Honestly acknowledge their objection. Note that acknowledgment is not agreement. It’s the process of letting your prospect feel heard and recognize that you understand what they’re conveying. From there, demonstrate a willingness to address the objection in exchange for a broader discussion in which they put all their issues and concerns on the table.
Park the objection: Ask for and get an agreement to temporarily “park” the objection. Then ask the prospect to share other questions, concerns or objections they may have and gain agreement to park each of those to resolve them one at a time.
Sort through surfaced objections: Use Striker Questions to “sort” through the full depth and range of concerns. Establish a priority order for less obvious elements of the issues in question, areas of disagreement and agreements that you’ve already reached.
Work together to solve the objections: Work together to develop innovative solutions to every question and concern. Circle back to apply the information you gain to resolve the original objection. Confirm that all concerns are on the table — once you have them satisfactorily resolved, you will have an agreement.
Understanding the Signs of Sales Objections
Intentionally or unintentionally, many prospective customers will give hints in conversations and meetings that reveal a barrier to their ability to purchase your product or service. The sooner you notice these signs, the sooner you can steer your conversations in a direction that will take the prospect closer to a completed sale.
Here are some signs of sales objections you should know about:
“We don’t have the budget”: If you start hearing a lead talk about a tight budget or tight finances, they may soon make a sale objection about your product or service’s price.
“I’ll need to ask X”: If the prospect lacks the authority to make a sale, you can expect a sale objection to arise. See if the prospect will take your pitch to the person who has buying authority. If not, then the sales process is sure to stall.
“We’re happy with what we have”: The lead may already be satisfied with their current situation and lack an interest in your product or service.
“Maybe at a later time”: Some leads may need to ask for more time to think about whether they will buy your company’s product or service.
Skills to Develop to Help Your Team Overcome Sales Objections
Sales objections can be challenging, but you can help your team develop skills to help them handle even the most complex sales objections. Here are three skills that every member of your sales team should practice:
Stay in the tension: Part of navigating sales objections is avoiding the natural tendency to fall into fight or flight mode. Prospects may get emotional when talking about their pain points. They may even make offensive remarks about your offerings when discussing their sales objections. When this happens, salespeople may react with combativeness or acquiescence to buyer demands like concessions on price. Mastering the skill of staying in the tension will help each sales team member stay professional and caring, bringing the prospect one step closer to closing.
Build stamina: Overcoming sales objections will take time and effort. To keep up with all types of sales objections, your sales team should have the stamina to see the process through. They must be able to stay level-headed and look for a solution, even when a prospect cannot return the favor.
Timely coaching: Foster a work environment where your sales team will provide feedback about their experience handling sales objections. Ask them what type of objections they faced and how they responded so you can instruct and educate them to have more success next time. You can even role-play scenarios as a way for your sales team to practice handling sales objections.
Work With Global Performance Group to Help Your Sales Team Overcome Objections
Global Performance Group is ready to help transform your sales team to better handle sales objections. Our leadership and team development training programs will help you build an excellent sales team and lead it the right way. We also offer a sales training program that will change your sales team’s behaviors to better convert leads into sales.
Request a quote today to take the next step toward achieving your sales goals.
