“ maybes ” to shy “ yeses .” This is especially true when selling complex , expensive solutions that have real consequences if a bad decision is made . Therefore , to properly create an objection-handling process or script , we have to start with the correct premise that the person we ’ re talking to is an individual who has shown some genuine level of interest in what we sell and is qualified , meaning they have the ability and authority to buy . Of course , defining what makes a lead “ qualified ” or not is where a lot of managers and salespeople have arguments . The sales reps insists the prospect they called on wasn ’ t qualified because they were broke and didn ’ t have the budget . The sales manager argues that EVERYONE is “ broke ,” and it ’ s the sales rep ’ s job to help them see the value and develop the need , convincing the prospect to FIND the money . But for the purposes of this article , let ’ s assume the prospect we ’ re talking to is both interested and qualified to buy .
The 5 REAL Reasons A Prospect Won ’ t Buy
When you get right down to it , there ’ s only a handful of real reasons a qualified prospect , with an actual need and genuine interest , won ’ t buy . They are :
They don ’ t believe you or trust you .
They don ’ t like you .
They don ’ t see the value ( and think they can get it cheaper elsewhere ).
They don ’ t have sufficient need / urgency / pain to buy right now .
They don ’ t have the money and truly can ’ t afford it .
You can ’ t do anything about No . 5 , and you may only be able to have a slight impact on No . 4 . But you can directly address Nos . 1 , 2 , and 3 . Keep in mind that if a prospect has agreed to meet with you , there is some level of interest .
But here ’ s the biggest problem : Prospects often don ’ t really know and can ’ t articulate why they are hesitating to buy . Often , there ’ s something causing them to pause that is nothing more than a feeling . Saying “ yes ” doesn ’ t “ feel ” right . They don ’ t have a “ sense ” of urgency , and when a prospect is uncertain or uneasy , they put the brakes on because saying “ no ” feels safer and less stressful than saying “ yes .”
So , if you want to succeed at selling , you need to deeply understand the five core objection categories from above and build objection-killing strategies , tools , and materials into your sales process from the very beginning .
The Best Way To Overcome Objections : Kill Them In Advance
One of the biggest disservices done to salespeople by sales trainers is training them how to overcome an objection when it ’ s handed to them . At that point , you ’ re arguing with a prospect . The prospect says , “ Your price is too high .” Now what ? “ No , our prices are fair and just ! You get what you pay for , dum-dum ! We ’ re a steal for what we charge !”
Yes , you can ask a prospect to explain why they ’ re saying that , tell a story , use the “ feel , felt , found ,” approach , etc . But really , the best way to overcome sales objections is to build objection-killing strategies into your sales process so you bring those objections up and handle them BEFORE the prospect even has a chance to utter them .
For example , protesting your fees is a universal sales objection everyone deals with . Knowing that , I ’ m suggesting you create marketing pieces and sales scripts / questions / processes to address explaining your fees ( and justifying them ) well in advance of the proposal stage , so you control the conversation and can redirect and prepare the prospect for the final fee .
Of course , what most businesses do is avoid talking about price altogether ( due to their discomfort and uncertainty with the topic ) and hope the prospect won ’ t notice they aren ’ t the cheapest firm in town or won ’ t breach the “ what do you charge ” conversation . Worse , the first time a prospect sees what your fees are is when you email them a quote . Dumb .
While I wouldn ’ t lead with price , I would , early on in the sales process , bring up “ price ” to see where they are in relation to what you charge , long before doing any assessments and certainly before doing a proposal . ( Side note : I believe a proposal should be a written agreement of what you ’ ve already discussed verbally , not the starting point of the negotiations .)
A rough example : “ Prospect , the good news is that we solve the problems you ’ re dealing with every single day . However , before we get too far down the road , I want to let you know our fee structure and how we work with our clients . Most of our clients that are your size and with similar needs spend anywhere from $ X and $ Y per month . Is that entirely out of the question for you ?”
You ’ ll notice I didn ’ t ask , “ What ’ s your budget ?” or “ What do you want to spend ?” Prospects hate questions like that because they don ’ t know or don ’ t have a budget ; they fear you ’ ll use it to overcharge them ; or they ’ re afraid to look foolish by giving too low or too high a number . Further , it ’ s not the prospect ’ s job to name the budget . That ’ s your job . You ’ re the expert . So , it ’ s up to you to tell them what they should be spending , not for them to tell you a budget and you work around it .
I would also make sure you have marketing pieces such as free reports , testimonial books , videos , and FAQ guides that explain why you are worth the extra money , so the prospect can know you ’ re not the cheapest and why before they even sit down with you in a sales meeting .
A Final Word Of Advice
Sales objections are nothing to be feared , and you certainly can ’ t eliminate them altogether . Often , the prospect you ’ re talking to is just not ready enough to buy , and that ’ s okay . Just make sure you don ’ t let a not-ready-to-buy prospect wear you out with meeting after meeting , wasting your time preparing and revising proposals .
Further , a “ no ” doesn ’ t necessarily mean “ absolutely no , forever and forever .” They often mean “ not right now ,” or the prospect may actually need to sit on making the decision for a bit . If your marketing is working and you have sufficient deal flow , you ’ ll take the “ nos ” a lot better and won ’ t be as desperate and needy , which will , in turn , make you a more confident , relaxed sales pro . n
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