“Dear obstacle…Don’t take it personal. I do appreciate you. The challenge. The growth.”

from Fearless Motivation

 

 

This is the second article on sales objections. The first one covered 40 objections Leslie Ye pulled together. I have been gathering 20 further objections and responses to it. Enjoy.

 

To recap: Every prospect you speak to has sales objections or reasons they're hesitant to buy your product. Sales objections are unavoidable. And a salesperson that wants to be successful absolutely needs to know how to discover and resolve those objections.

 

“Objection handling is when a prospect presents a concern about the product/service a salesperson is selling, and the salesperson responds in a way that alleviates those concerns and allows the deal to move forward. 

Objections are generally around price, product fit, competitors, and good old-fashioned brush offs or excuses.

Objection handling means responding to the buyer in a way that changes their mind or alleviates their concerns.

Some reps argue with their prospects or try to pressure them into backing down — but this isn't true objection handling.”

 

More Common Sales Objections:

 

41. "My boss isn't convinced."

42. "Who are your clients in [my city, my country, my industry].”

43. "We are going to continue to do our research."

44. "This is the voice mail of [your client] ..."

45. “That’s a bit over my price range."

46. "We’ll buy soon."

47. "Why are you calling me?"

48. "We are not concentrating on that."

49. "Call me back."

50. “You will have to discount by [X] in order for us to move forward."

51. "My legal team is asking to change [X]."

52. "Unless you change [X] my legal team will not sign off.”

53. "I need to talk to my team."

54. "I had a bad experience with a similar product."

55. “I am worried about changing, too much can go wrong."

56. “I can get a cheaper version of your product somewhere else."

57. "Your company is too small."

58. "I’ll think about it."

59. "You've got a great product, but we're going to go with [the industry standard].”

60. "No."

 

 

When it comes to handling objections, there are a number of recommended processes. And whoever the author is, they all follow a very similar step-by-step approach.

 

Step 1: Listen – demonstrates interest and care, do not interrupt, briefly pause when the client is done.

 

Step 2: Show Gratitude – say “Thank You”, it diffuses, it provides the opportunity to address an obstacle, and it makes the client feel good.

 

Step 3: Empathize – say e.g. “I hear this a lot”, “I’m sorry you feel that way”, “it sounds like this has been very frustrating”, “I hear what you’re saying”, “I think I can help.” 

 

Step 4: Acknowledge – at a minimum, nod your head - or better, restate the issue you heard. It demonstrates active listening and ensures there are no misunderstandings.

 

Step 5: Discover – ask questions to uncover all underlying concerns, all individuals that have contributed to the objection, how the customers expects the concern to be addressed, and what happens after you have done so, aka are there further objections.

 

Step 6: Respond – use the response that is consistently used in your organization and deliver it as if this is a personalized golden goose for this one client.

 

 

Now, let’s discuss responses to the sales objections above:

 

41. "My boss isn't convinced."

You have obviously been talking to the wrong person. There is a lesson to be learned about identifying the decision-maker up front. Let’s course correct and get in front of the DM.

 

42. "Who are your clients in [my city, my country, my industry].”

Be upfront and honest, share if you have clients, as well as if you do not yet. Outline the benefits of being a first mover and be prepared to walk if this client is not first mover material.

 

43. "We are going to continue to do our research."

Very clearly, there is no sense of urgency. If you can, create it. Use market-based reasons first, be cautious about financial incentive as they devalue your product.

 

44. "This is the voice mail of [your client] ..."

No response is clearly the worst. It keeps you second-guessing. Though, after a few more attempts to reach the client, be prepared to walk.

 

45. “That’s a bit over my price range."

Ask for details. What is the price range, and why? The comment can also indicate the perception that “it’s not worth it”, so circle back to your products’ value. 

 

46. "We’ll buy soon."

Definitely not a done deal. Ask: Between now and then, is there anything that could stop this deal from happening?

 

47. "Why are you calling me?"

Brush-off. Answer briefly and truthfully, then move on. Do not get defensive.

 

48. "We are not concentrating on that."

Highlight the problems they are facing, instill a sense of urgency, and get them looking for a solution. Then show them how your product is just that.

 

49. "Call me back."

Definitely a brush-off. Ask politely, "When?" and “What is going to be different then?” This may provide you an anchor to continue the conversation.  

 

50. “You will have to discount by [X] in order for us to move forward."

First of all, validate that this is the only hurdle to overcome. Then turn to the value of your product. Ask for the point of reference used to arrive at X.

 

51. "My legal team is asking to change [X]."

Ask for the reasons. Emphasize that those are your standard terms. If these changes are truly uncalled for, ask: “Is your lawyer trying to kill this deal?”

 

52. "Unless you change [X] my legal team will not sign off.”

Validate that this is the only hurdle and understand exactly what alternative language the clients’ legal team is looking for. Then evaluate: is this deal worth the change? 

 

53. "I need to talk to my team."

Ask for details and an introduction to the other members of the team. And learn a lesson on how to better prepare for a sales call. 

 

54. "I had a bad experience with a similar product."

Let them know that you understand where they’re coming from. Ask, listen, and identify where your product or service can surpass their expectations.

 

55. “I am worried about changing, too much can go wrong."

Demonstrate past examples of change and how it was positive. Share examples of how the industry has changed over the past 10 years and how your prospect has adapted to those changes for the better.

 

56. “I can get a cheaper version of your product somewhere else."

Ask for details, make sure they compare apples with apples, play your differentiation and value. If price ends up being the only accepted selling point, walk.

 

57. "Your company is too small."

Treat this as a request for information and provide it. Do not apologize. With confidence share size, experience, and clients you work with. Call out others that started small.

 

58. "I’ll think about it."

You haven't done your job well enough yet: which is helping them gain clarity around the question of whether they should buy what you have to offer or not. And when you let them think about it... the result will almost always be a "no".

 

59. "You've got a great product, but we're going to go with [the industry standard].”

Your product may be better, but the industry standard is safer. A trick is using both solutions. Turn an “either-or” situation into an “and” situation.

 

60. "No."

Early in the sales cycle, this means, “You haven’t provided enough value,” later it means, “Not yet,” and at the end of the sales cycle, it says, “I'm not interested.”

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