Five-Step Strategy

Let's look at an appropriate response to managing objections, guided by the five-step strategy.

1. Acknowledge and validate your customers' objections. Don't stick your head in the sand and hope they go away or the customer forgets about them. Even postponement of the objection may result in a negative perception or reaction from your customer. Some sales seminars have suggested that it is best to ignore the objection, that it's only important if the customer brings it up more than once. Wrong. The next time they think of it may be after you've left and your competitor is in the customer's office, more than happy to address the very objection you ignored. Show respect and empathy by immediately acknowledging the concern. Simply say, "Yes, I can understand your concern," or, "Other customers initially felt the same way," or, "That's a fairly common concern in our business. I will be happy to address it." Remember, always express empathy and sincerity, and never get defensive. Watch your nonverbal responses as well. Turn the objections into positives by regarding them as gateways into your customer's thought process. Objections are really just your customer voicing concerns and explaining primary expectations and needs. Be sure to hear between the lines. Take the time to think about what is being said and the way it is being said. Sales representatives too often leap on an objection before the customer has had a chance to finish talking. The customer barely gets ten words out and the sales representative is already hammering away at a defensive response: "I have to show he's mistaken, how could he be so misinformed?" It's a panicky reaction that often sabotages the sale and the relationship. The best defense is a good, professional offense.
2. Clarify your customer's specific objection. Paraphrase with questions that help you understand the objection. Though some customers are adept at voicing needs as needs, others voice their needs as objections. All objections can be used to your advantage, once you realize that you are gaining valuable information. Identify their objection as either factual, based on logic, or emotional, based on personal perception and biases. Objections are usually motivated by one or the other. Factual objections are much easier to deal with because incorrect information or incorrect perceptions can be corrected. Facts are objective, universal, and inarguable. Emotional objections, however, are extremely difficult to deal with. They are subjective and often merely an excuse or smoke screen. They usually don't follow sound reasoning and may take patience and persistence to overcome. They sometimes conceal a hidden concern that you may never be privy to. Once again, effective use of conversational probes will eventually get you to the root cause of the objection. As you ask questions, stay relaxed, listen carefully (take notes) and appreciate that you're about to learn something important. As a last resort, the eventual resolution may have to be to flag it as a C account and move on.
3. Respond to the objection immediately and solve the problem. It represents the customer's predominant thought at the moment, so make it yours. Remember, your customer is probably expressing legitimate corporate curiosity, not launching a personal attack on you. Satisfying the customer's objection or concern may be as simple as mentally scrolling down your menu of features and presenting the one that will eliminate the objection. The "feel-felt-found" method is an effective strategy to manage objections. The sequence is important and should sound like this: "I can understand how you feel ... other customers felt the same way . . . but once onboard with us this is what they found . . ." Provide details about how other customers benefited from their decision to buy from you. A testimonial letter may strengthen your case. You can actually demonstrate that other customers realized their initial opinions were unfounded after they tried your product. This is an excellent method, especially for Socializers and Relators because they tend to care what other people think.
4. Validate that the objection has been satisfied. Don't assume that you have satisfied the customer's concern. There is nothing worse than plowing through the sale, leaving behind unresolved, unanswered objections. If you don't resolve them, your competitor will. To validate acceptance of your response, simply ask the customer, "Have I satisfied your concern?" By answering yes, the customer grants you permission to carry on with the sale. A no answer may indicate that further clarification is necessary.

5. Uncover objections up front. Sales entrepreneurs know that certain features of their product or service may be vulnerable to the competition. Although not all objections can be preempted, the more common ones can be addressed during the conversation. Bring it up before the customer does. A sales entrepreneur may approach the price issue by saying: "Other customers have expressed concern that our product is expensive. Well, let me show you the true value in relation to the cost." You now go on to bridge the appropriate features to benefits. Customers have no need to raise objections already stated and answered by the salesperson. This strategy will help thwart possible false or shallow objections that may stall the sale. Try to eliminate tough objections early in the conversation for an objection-free close at the end. A fun example of this strategy: Next time you're feeling frisky, take two aspirin and a glass of water up to bed. Ask your spouse to take the two pills. Of course she will ask what they are. When you tell her they are aspirin she'll probably say, "But I don't have a headache." Great!