What if the client objects: 12 techniques for dealing with common objections

No salesperson likes objections in their work, but they are the main source of personal and professional growth. The psychology of the client is such that very rarely he will agree to conclude a deal with you without testing your strength, without doubting the veracity of your words, without knowing what benefits he will receive for himself personally by agreeing to your offer. And if you learn to analyze the reasons for objections, and then adjust your work based on this, then success will only be a matter of time. Despite this, most managers view objections not as an opportunity to develop, but as a serious obstacle along the way.

In this lesson, we will understand what objections are, what types of objections exist, what stages work with objections consists of, and what techniques are available to eliminate them. This information will help you understand that “the devil is not as scary as he is painted,” and that in fact, working with objections is not only simple, but also interesting.

Client psychology: what are objections and how they are formed

In sales, the client's psychology plays a serious role, and objections represent his defensive reaction to the manager's actions in establishing contact and completing the deal, although sometimes objections occur at all stages of the sales cycle. You must understand that the client will always seek to defend himself, because... perceives the seller as a threat to his mental peace (the stage of establishing contact) and well-being (the stage of completing the transaction). Therefore, objections are a natural part of the selling and persuasion process.

The formation of objections occurs both at the conscious and unconscious levels of perception. Unconscious objections are the client’s reaction to the intrusion of a stranger (seller) into his comfort zone and are expressed in the utterance of involuntary, almost unconscious phrases. Non-standard actions, non-verbal signals, carefully thought-out phrases, and sales scripts help overcome this type of objection. The main thing is to understand that unconscious objections are directed not at the proposed product, but at the actions of the manager.

Conscious objections, on the other hand, concern what the seller is offering. Here the potential buyer is not satisfied with the benefits, cost, or specific characteristics of the product. Objections of this type arise in cases where the buyer wants to get more for less money.

To summarize this block, the main thing you need to understand about objections is:

Objections are reactions to your actions, which means that by changing your actions you can change these reactions.
Objections are inevitable, and if a person does not object to you, then he will buy anyway, and there is no professional merit in this.

Having accepted these two facts, you should be prepared for objections and meet them with enthusiasm, because they bring you closer to closing the deal.

Working with objections - what is it?

Working with objections is the manager’s actions to eliminate conscious and unconscious obstacles that prevent the conclusion of a deal. This activity is almost always present in sales, and therefore you simply must understand the types of objections, the stages of their processing and response options.

Remember that clients are different, but any objection can be considered a sign of their interest in purchasing a product or service. Handling objections correctly allows you to increase the value of the product in the eyes of a potential buyer, while handling objections incorrectly will cause the deal to fail. And in order to work with objections competently, you must first understand what they are, in addition to conscious and unconscious ones.

Handling objections in sales

Even if you have tried and established good psychological contact with the consumer, learned everything about his needs, the client may still have objections that need to be worked on.

Why does the consumer object? Maybe he is in a bad mood or he just wants to bargain, maybe he is not satisfied with the product being offered? There are many reasons, and in order to defeat or overcome them, you need to work with the sales representative’s objections. The client and the manager always have different sides of objections. Therefore, you should not impose your point of view on the client’s position. You should also not rush or respond to disagreements mechanically, otherwise the client will feel pressured and simply leave.

Dealing with objections in sales should be done with smiles, positive emotions, jokes, compliments, using minor asides.

There are seven rules for dealing with sales representative objections.

♦ The first rule involves perceiving yourself and the consumer as partners, not adversaries. Each sales representative understands at the subconscious level that the consumer should be treated as an accomplice in the trading process, communicate with him as equals and move towards the implementation of common interests. However, often, when it comes to practice, a completely opposite situation occurs, in which the seller perceives the buyer as almost a personal enemy. Managers offer products, the client resists, as a result of which sales representatives enter into an unequal struggle in which the client always wins. In such a situation, the seller will perceive any objections from the client as military actions, and for the purpose of defense he will strike back, which is the fight against objections. Such tactics will never bring the desired result. Therefore, you need to treat consumer objections with joy and gratitude. It’s very good when a client openly shares his uncertainty and doubts with a sales representative.

♦ The second rule is to have a good emotional contact with a potential buyer. The importance of emotional contact in trading is difficult to overestimate. It is a kind of foundation on which cooperation with the client should be built. Therefore, the more reliable the foundation, the more fruitful the cooperation will be. Establishing emotional contact is necessary so that the potential consumer begins to trust you, as a result of which objections may not arise. If objections arise, then the presence of deep emotional contact allows you to make your arguments more convincing and weighty in the eyes of the client.

♦ The third rule suggests that the sales representative must collect as much data as possible about the needs of the potential buyer. Attentive attention to the needs of consumers will allow you to offer the product exactly as this consumer needs. The more accurately your product presentation meets the potential client’s expectations, the fewer objections he will have.

♦ The fourth rule is to necessarily clarify the meaning of the objection. Often sales representatives, upon hearing an objection, immediately begin to respond to it. As a result, the response turns out to be inadequate for a specific objection, and the relationship with the buyer can only become more complicated. A competent manager, having heard an objection, will not hesitate to ask the client why he thinks so.

♦ The fifth rule is to look for the “pitfall”. It is necessary to distinguish between excuses (“pitfalls”), behind which the true motives are hidden, and real objections. Therefore, in order not to miss hidden information, you need to ask leading questions. For example, “is this the only reason that is stopping you from making a decision, or is there something else.”

♦ Remember that it is forbidden to enter into a dispute with the buyer, and therefore you should develop the idea expressed by him in the direction you need. As soon as the sales representative begins to dispute the statement made by the client, he becomes convinced of the correctness of his position, from which it will be difficult to move him in the future. This is precisely why you should always agree with a certain semantic part of an objection, and then develop your thought from it in the direction you need.

♦ Try to be persuasive. It is persuasion that is the main task of the seventh rule. To do this, you should use common elements of persuasion, such as: “according to statistics...”, “according to marketing research...”, etc. And also use all kinds of metaphors, quotes, sayings and proverbs in your speech. A well-chosen metaphor can help the consumer agree with your argument and reduce the risk of counterarguments to almost zero.

Proverbs and sayings are a special tool for processing objections. After all, potential consumers have no reason to trust your personal judgments and conclusions. However, after reciting folk wisdom, it will become completely impossible to argue with you. Since now your position is based on the centuries-old wisdom of various nationalities. The information conveyed by a proverb can only be refuted by reciting another proverb.

Kindness and a smile given to clients, a desire to delve deeper into their problems, needs and an attitude of partnership during negotiations are considered the best tools for a consumer to choose you and the company you represent from a whole host of similar offers.

Typology of objections

Objections can be false or true. And there is one tricky point here: if you overcome true objections, you will have a deal, and if you overcome false ones, a stream of new objections awaits you. This happens due to a person’s reluctance to make a purchase and his inability to say so directly due to politeness or something else.

Plus, you need to learn to distinguish between objections and conditions - real factors that do not allow you to conclude a deal (for example, a person will not buy a car at a car dealership if he does not have a license, etc.).

The appearance of false objections is influenced to a fairly serious extent by the unconscious, but it also happens that people deliberately name false reasons, for example, when it is inconvenient to voice the true ones.

As for the true objections, they serve as a logical justification for the potential buyer for the inappropriateness of the proposed purchase. As we said, these are the ones that need to be worked out in order to conclude a deal, but this must be done in stages.

Handling objections over the phone

Cold calling and handling objections has a number of features that are very important to take into account. Telephone communication has certain advantages. It does not require travel, which saves time, money and labor resources. The transfer of information by telephone is much faster than, for example, by correspondence. In a phone call, you know for sure that the prospect received your information, when he received it, and how he responded to it. This distinguishes telephone calls from correspondence. In addition, when communicating via telephone, you can immediately ask specific questions or eliminate possible misunderstandings. The prospect perceives a telephone conversation as less binding than a face-to-face conversation, so he feels less pressure. This method of distributing information, services and company products is even more convenient in that it does not require business attire or appropriate appearance. You can use so-called “cheat sheets” when conveying information to the client.

However, in addition to a number of advantages, telephone conversations also have their negative sides. The potential client may perceive the call as a nuisance, as it will be forced to take time away from work. The sales representative is not able to control the situation in cases where the interlocutor is distracted by some external circumstances, for example, by people entering or interrupted work. During a telephone conversation, it is much easier for the client to refuse the manager, come up with various excuses and interrupt the conversation. You must understand that at any moment of the conversation the client can interrupt the conversation and hang up.

An important negative side of telephone conversations is the impossibility of analyzing body language and facial expressions. When conveying information to a client via telephone, you can monitor the interlocutor’s reaction only by his intonation. It is impossible to support words with visual materials, brochures, graphs, presentations, demonstrations. During telephone conversations, the possibility of misinterpretation of information is much higher than during a personal meeting.

Cold calling work with objections consists of diligently working through each such objection from the client. And after working out, you should immediately proceed to closing. However, it is necessary to work only with informative refusals. It is useless to try to work through categorical refusals if the client hangs up immediately after the call and without explanation.

You need to remember that during telephone conversations, 80% of the time should be occupied by your speech and only 20% by the client’s speech. An important part of successful telephone conversations is the ability to conduct an active dialogue. This means that it is the consultant who must set the tone for the conversation, lead it and direct it in the right direction. Politeness, good manners, and competent speech of the consultant are also important in the conversation. You need to remember that you personify the company, and the client’s opinion of the company as a whole depends on what impression they get of you.

Telephone conversations also involve certain stages of working with objections.

At the first stage, you need to interest and capture the attention of a potential client right away with the help of a bright accent in your speech, something unusual that can instantly hook the interlocutor.

At the second stage, you should find out the needs of a potential client, and not immediately rush into battle with your company’s proposals.

At the third stage, you need to smoothly move on to what you want to offer.

The fourth stage is to work with objections. Since after your sales proposal, the client will either categorically refuse (and there’s nothing you can do about it, you need to come to terms with it), or will begin to object and ask specific questions. At this stage, you can use the tuning technique. It consists of using the voice and its intonation modulations during a telephone conversation.

The stages of working with objections and their successful implementation depend on how well, competently and competently the sales agent prepared for the conversation.

The purpose of the call is to profitably sell the company's products. And you need to remember this when you make a call.

Stages and methods of handling objections

In this and the next few sections we will talk about practicing true objections, and at the end of the lesson we will tell you how to parry false ones.

Counter question method

In response to the client’s objections, you can ask him several counter questions so that he thinks about the correctness of his own judgments.

EXAMPLE:

Buyer: “It’s expensive here”

Seller: “How much is inexpensive for you?”

Seller: “Why do you think ours is expensive?”

Seller: “Expensive compared to what?”

After the questions have been asked, you will have two options for action: if before this the client spoke “automatically,” now he will think about it and, perhaps, rephrase the objection, and you can choose the appropriate tactics for the conversation. Or you can penetrate to the deeper essence of the objection and find its more serious reasons, which can then be eliminated.

Comparison method

In this case, you simply compare what the client has now and what you can offer him. You can also resort to this method when the client chooses, for example, between a cheaper and more expensive product.

EXAMPLE:

Buyer: “This model is more expensive than that one”

Seller: “Okay, let's compare. Which brand is better known? Is German quality better than Chinese? Will you need additional accessories in this case? And in another? Does this company provide a guarantee? And that one?

Just show the person a difference they haven't thought about and give them the opportunity to look at your offer from a broader perspective.

“Yes, but...” method

This method is one of the most popular. It is most often used in situations where the client’s objections are justified: for example, your product can really be expensive, and your task is to explain to the person why such a cost is quite adequate.

EXAMPLE:

Buyer: “It’s very expensive”

Seller: “Yes, but this is guaranteed quality”

Buyer: “Some people say bad things about this brand.”

Seller: “Yes, but there are many more who respond well”

Buyer: “It’s cheaper in the next store”

Seller: “Yes, but ours is better”

Essentially, the “Yes, but...” method can be applied to many situations, but it is only effective if you are able to clearly justify what comes after your “but.”

"That's why" method

To some extent, this technique is not similar to the previous one, but its distinctive feature is that it is perfect for working with false objections. The point is to make the client's objection the starting point for your persuasive words.

EXAMPLE:

Buyer: “I need to think”

Salesperson: “That’s why I would like to meet with you - to point out what exactly is worth paying attention to.”

Buyer: “Your place is expensive”

Seller: “That’s why, firstly, we have samples for each client, and secondly, all our clients are provided with additional services”

Buyer: “I already have a person who supplies this product”

Seller: “Great! That’s why you definitely need to learn about our advantages and new opportunities for yourself.”

When used correctly, this method can be a very powerful tool for neutralizing even the most serious objections.

Assertion Replacement Method

The method of replacing a statement is also known as “Paraphrase” and “Substitution”. The point is simple: when working with an objection, you begin your statement with the words “So you mean that ...” or “I understood you correctly that ...”, and then replace the client’s objection with a statement that is beneficial to you.

EXAMPLE:

Buyer: "You don't have what I'm looking for"

Seller: “So you mean that if we bring the product you need, we will contact you?”

With such a subtle influence on the client’s psychology, you will be able to “turn” him to you and discuss the prospects for possible cooperation.

Past experience method

Professional managers are very fond of this method. For it to give results, find among the potential buyer’s actions those that he has already done in the past, but he will have to do them in the future.

EXAMPLE:

Buyer: “Your place is expensive”

Seller: “Tell me, have you already had a situation where at first you saved, but then you still had to buy more – when you had to overpay once again?”

Buyer: “We already have a supplier”

Seller: “Listen, remember the moment when you were choosing a supplier. What motivated you? Surely favorable conditions, right? Perhaps it makes sense to consider our proposal? Who knows, you may well find it much more interesting.”

If you can find something vital in the client’s objections, use it immediately. If the client still refuses, use some other method to try to remove the obstacle again.

These methods of handling objections are considered the most common, but in addition to them, we want to introduce you to several additional techniques that will make your professional sales arsenal much richer and more powerful.

Reframing Technique

The technique is a bit similar to the statement replacement method, but trickier than it. It consists of using the client’s expressions and questions in your speech in order to begin to speak in “his” language and about the same thing. Different people can talk about different things using the same words, which is why ambiguities and ambiguities arise. To be able to eliminate them and come to an agreement, this technique is used.

EXAMPLE:

Buyer: “Our production technologies are very complex. It is not practical to change technological processes and retrain employees.”

Seller: “I agree. With such a complex process and significant innovation costs, changing technologies must be approached carefully. For this reason, our employees carefully study the work of their clients in advance. This allows us to seriously minimize risks and costs.”

This same technique can be used very effectively in conjunction with the counter-question method. Together, they greatly increase a manager’s chances of success.

Guessing technique

Using the guessing technique, you hypothetically assume that the obstacles to closing the deal have been eliminated. Think about whether the potential buyer will now agree to your offer? If not, for what reason? Do this with all objections to quickly fend off unimportant objections and move on to more serious ones.

EXAMPLE:

Buyer: “Your computers are very expensive”

Seller: “Okay, if the question wasn’t the price, would you be interested in this offer?”

Customer: “I think so, but what should I do with my old computer?”

This dialogue clearly shows that the reason for reluctance to buy is not the high price of the product. This means the salesperson can move on to the main objection and handle it. However, the second objection may conceal a third, and this must always be taken into account.

“Anything else?” technique

“Anything else?” technique much simpler and safer than the previous one. It is used when you need to identify the main reason for refusing an offer. In this case, the seller simply “fishes out” objections without any order.

EXAMPLE:

Buyer: “I think it will be very difficult to get rid of old equipment”

Seller: “You know, we work on a unique system: you buy new equipment, and we ourselves take the old one from you, taking into account its cost. Tell me, is there anything else that confuses you?

Buyer: “With the change of equipment, we will also have to deal with the reconstruction of the office. No, it's too expensive."

Seller: “So this is great: update your office - it will be more pleasant for you, your employees, and your clients. Maybe there is something else that worries you?

Buyer: “Most likely, employees will have to be retrained to work with the new software”

Seller: “We’ll help you sort this out too. Tell me, is this all, or is there something else that could interfere with our work together?”

As you can see, the seller simply “pulls” objections out of the buyer one after another, without even properly processing them. This allows him to find the most important objection and concentrate on it. This technique gives the manager room for action, because he has plenty to choose from. And when most of the objections can be identified, it will not be difficult for the seller to take the initiative into his own hands.

Sincerity technique

Using the sincerity technique, you seem to open up to the buyer, talking about all the advantages and disadvantages of your offer. In this way, you will arouse mutual feelings in him, and he will tell you what really prevents him from accepting your proposal. The proposed technique is based on sincerity, trust and concern for the interests of the potential buyer.

EXAMPLE:

Buyer: “I need to think about it. Perhaps I can find a cheaper option."

Seller: “You know, to be honest, you’re right. Since you are frank with me, I will also tell you how it really is. I myself, as an employee of the company, can purchase any product with a 10% discount. I can offer this discount to you too. But no one should know about this. Do you think such a discount would be pleasant for you? And in general, I won’t hide anything from you, so you can ask whatever you want.”

When you “open up” with a client in this way, you show your respect and affection for him, which pushes him to respond in a similar way to you. And the trick of this technique is that the client will most likely tell you the true reason for his worries, which is what you need.

Technique of naivety

This is where you treat all of the client's objections as if they were all 100% true. To do this, you simply pretend to believe everything the potential buyer tells you, and then begin to vigorously solve the problem by offering the person different options. This is what you do with every new objection. But keep in mind that the technique of naivety is quite labor-intensive and dangerous from the standpoint of your reputation: from the outside, people may think that you are some kind of “good-natured simpleton” and will stop wanting to deal with you, not considering you a professional. However, there is a trick for you in the technique: while the client answers your questions, you can find options for further convincing him, and then show yourself from a new side - from a serious professional.

EXAMPLE:

Buyer: “We no longer have room to buy something new and put it in storage”

Seller: “By the way, I’ve heard more than once that you have many suppliers. But we can help you place everything in a convenient way, not only in the warehouse, but also in the store."

Buyer: “Listen, our movers simply won’t be able to do the job if we also order from you.”

Seller: “No problem. Our loader will be in the car and will do everything for you for free.”

The unnaturalness of the objections is obvious, but the seller solves the client’s “problems” with all seriousness. Most likely, after a long time of processing such meaningless objections, the seller will find out the real reasons, even if it takes some time.

Technique for focusing on the benefits of cooperation

This technique is suitable for working with clients with whom you have already worked. You just need to find a few moments that brought pleasure to a person in the past. These could be discounts, additional services, congratulations or some prizes, etc. If the client objects to you, you simply redirect his perception to pleasant memories of cooperation.

EXAMPLE:

Buyer: “We’ll probably order elsewhere this time.”

Seller: “I see. Do you remember how last time you were pleasantly surprised by our gifts for your company’s anniversary?

Buyer: “Of course! It was great! It would always be like this!”

Seller: “By the way, we have almost ready a new system for developing our best customers. But I would still like to know what would be interesting to you personally? Maybe you can give me some advice?

Buyer: “That’s interesting! You always have something new! Now I don’t even know if it’s worth going somewhere else...”

The seller’s task in this technique is to make a person relive pleasant sensations in memory and evoke in him a desire to experience them again in the near future. With the systematic use of technology, your clients will form a conditioned reflex: it’s cool with you, but somehow it’s not the same without you.

And one more thing: this technique can be used in the opposite direction, when, for example, you need to evoke negative emotions associated with cooperation with your competitors.

Pseudoanalysis technique

The technique is quite unique: when communicating with a potential buyer, take a piece of paper and write in two columns all the disadvantages and advantages of your offer. After that, eliminating the disadvantages that the client does not like, eliminate one advantage at a time. Eliminate the most significant advantages and minor disadvantages first. This should continue until the client says the final “Yes” or the final “No”. Using this technique, you will show the client the value of all points of your offer and present him with a choice between cost and value.

Apply the technique of pseudo-analysis with all sincerity and without guile, because the client will notice both, and if he determines that you are being cunning, you will be playing against yourself. We also recommend preparing in advance for using this technique: break your proposal into components and determine their positive and negative aspects, and do this in a variety of options, so that in the “field conditions” you have different combinations. Based on the individual characteristics of each individual client, select the desired combination of pros and cons and work with it.

As a result, we have examined more than a dozen different methods and techniques for working with objections. As you apply them and gain experience, the work will become increasingly easier, and as a result you will receive an effective arsenal of techniques for almost all known objections. However, while it is relatively easy to handle true objections, many sellers are completely unable to work with false ones. To avoid being one of them, read on.

Work with objections

Above, we looked at techniques for dealing with objections in sales using examples from practice. All of them are composed using universal techniques and designs for. These are kind of templates, we use them regardless of the situation and the reason for the refusal, they are always appropriate. Here are 5 of the most successful universal techniques:

Agreement is an argument. First, we win over the client by agreeing with him - “Yes, our price is higher than the market average.”
Then we launch the opposition -
“..., but for this we offer a wider range of opportunities than anywhere else.”
Or we explain everything logically -
“... that’s why we don’t charge money for monthly maintenance and do free repairs”
Clarification. We always use this technique when we need to expose the falsity of an objection and find out the real reason for the refusal. “If I settle the price issue, will we reach a deal in November?” “Could I have your manager’s contact information? Perhaps he will find our offer more attractive.”
"We are better than our competitors." We launch this technique if the client compares the offer with the conditions of other companies in your niche. The goal is to demonstrate that your offer is better, albeit more expensive. “How long have you been using the product? They make a good product, but it is inferior to ours in at least three characteristics. You get much more than you overpay"
Demonstration of effectiveness. The best way to close an objection from a really interested client is to give him a free trial of what you offer. This will also help establish personal acquaintance. “So that you can be convinced of the effectiveness of our product, try it personally - we give you trial access. Can I come to your office tomorrow and sign the papers?”
Experience. The tone of the dialogue and a sympathetic position will let the consumer know that you understand the importance of his concerns and empathize with him. Prove that you are aware of his needs, and your communication will move to the next level. “I hear about this every day. This is really very sad, I won’t argue. This is my area of responsibility. I’m sure we will find a way out of this situation and will definitely help.”

In addition to them, there are other, narrower methods and techniques that need to be applied after assessing the situation. Over time, salespeople will learn to intuitively give the desired response to a particular objection, especially if it is false. But from the start he will still need scripts and algorithms. Here are 6 solutions that we also use when developing scripts to overcome objections.

Get sincerity from the client

The point of this method is to let the interlocutor understand that the obstacle to the transaction he named is not taken seriously, and he will still have to name the real reason. But there is no need to put pressure; the goal is achieved with fairly soft questions.

- You say that you will think about it and call back. Are you saying that just to avoid rejecting me outright? We are adults, I have to work with clients every day and hear refusals

Limit the client to a general question

We have already used this technique above. It is effective when the objection stated by the consumer can be eliminated in fact or when it is false. You ask the client a question, answering which he clearly reveals himself.

— Is the minimum application amount all that stops you? As I understand it, if we lower the limit for purchases and offer installments, will you change your decision?

“Ignore” a false objection

Does the client refuse to voice the real reasons for the refusal? Continue to talk to him in the language of his personal benefits, ignoring your reluctance to make a deal. At least until he shares the real reasons. Do they tell you that they will think about it and call you back? Continue to stand your ground.

- Of course, your desire is justified and fair, I understand. But don’t forget that our product helps reduce costs, optimize your budget and automate some administrative functions. We also give discounts to new customers

Summarize benefits

The essence of this method of working with objections is to list all the obvious benefits that the client will receive. This should make him think - like, it’s true that I still doubt it.

- ... Look, by connecting to our product, you will: save on one-time orders, open up new opportunities, lose the need to constantly search for a customer, you will constantly receive reports and all this at the lowest price on the market. And you say you'll call back later?

Create trust

If a potential client expresses undisguised distrust of a product or company, you can overcome it with the help of real cases. If you have TOP level clients, describe their experience. Tell them how your product helped them, what solutions they received and under what conditions. If you have reviews and letters of recommendation, gratitude, show them too..

— Have you heard about, is it the market leader in your niche? Our proposal helped them reduce their production cycle by 15%. Just last month their expenses decreased by 5%, I recently spoke with their director. I see that you have much higher potential

Close "closed"

The essence of the method is to continue making a sale, even if, according to the client, this issue has been resolved for him, the need for goods/services of this kind is closed. Firstly, this way you can find out whether the need is really closed or if it’s an excuse. Secondly, this way you will offer the client a good alternative.

— It’s good that your supply process is streamlined. But it seems to me that you are overpaying. Look at our offer, this is the best price/service on the market. Who could offer even cheaper/better? Look at our conditions - this is a good alternative

Dealing with false objections

When interacting with potential buyers, you can often hear things like: “I’m not ready to make a decision right now,” “We already have everything,” “I need to think about everything,” etc. All of these objections fall into the category of false. In reality there can be a lot of them. As a rule, these are all “dummies”, but there are some that are difficult to distinguish from the real ones.

You must understand that every false objection hides either a true objection or a real condition that does not allow you to make a purchase (exactly what you talked about at the beginning of the lesson). Based on this, in order to learn how to identify and work through false objections, you mainly need to gain experience and analyze each specific situation.

But whether you have experience or not, remember that you should not give an answer to a false objection, otherwise you will simply waste time and, most likely, will not spend it at all on closing the deal.

Another caveat is that most false objections are failures to establish the customer's needs or flaws in the presentation of the product. So if different clients keep telling you the same thing, it makes sense to reconsider your approach to the rest of the sales cycle.

So how do you deal with false objections?

The task of working through false objections is to bring the client “to the surface,” i.e. find out the real objection. For this reason, methods of working with false objections are not standard, and they must be used based on the characteristics of the current situation (if necessary, it may be necessary to use combinations of techniques).

The main techniques for dealing with false objections are the following:

Simply ignore the false objection. For example, you were told “I need to think,” and you continue your story, following all stages of the sales cycle, right up to the completion of the deal.
Attune the client to sincerity. In response to the client’s objection, you say something like: “Well, is this a reason to refuse such a purchase?! Better tell us what really worries you.” But look at the situation: speak softly and unobtrusively, trying to be tactful and careful in communication.
Summarize benefits. You once again list all the advantages of your product and tell the client about the benefits for him. You can say, for example, this: “Judge for yourself: by buying this product, you acquire guaranteed quality, save on service, and get so many joyful emotions from the new gadget and using it! And you say it’s expensive?!”
You ask a limiting question. Ask the client if this is the only reason preventing him from buying the product? Will he agree to the deal if this problem is fixed?

Dealing with false objections is much easier and faster than with true ones, because, as we said, they are almost always just empty words spoken automatically so that you do not invade the client’s personal space. It is much more important to learn to identify them. So practice and gain experience.

Dealing with objections is often called fighting them. But the concept of “struggle” is completely out of place here, because, we repeat once again, there is no need to fight objections. The stage of overcoming psychological barriers in the client’s mind is a natural part of selling, through which a manager grows personally and professionally. Without difficulty, as they say, you can’t pull a fish out of the pond, much less sell it to a spoiled gourmet. And even when for some reason you cannot work out everything “against” your client, you must make an extra effort and try to close the deal. Remember, the more “No” you overcome, the faster they will start saying “Yes” to you.

In the next lesson we will talk about another serious topic: we will talk about what sales management is and what the principles of this process are; Let's talk about sales management strategy. We will also briefly touch on the sales department, tools and methods of sales management. Even if you do not intend to become a manager, this information will be very useful for you, as a manager, because... will point out many subtleties of the trade sphere that we have not yet mentioned.

Types of objections

Now we can identify the types of objections, this will help us understand how to work with them as effectively as possible. This is one of the most important steps. Neglecting it is the same as playing football with a basketball and wondering why it doesn’t work out well.

Type 1. Excuse

Most often we encounter this type of objection in sales when working using a cold calling script.

When making cold calls, we hear these objections at the very beginning of the conversation, when the client wants to end the conversation with such excuses as soon as possible and for you to get rid of him.

That's enough, stop it!

For example, these can be short and vague phrases like “We don’t need anything/I don’t need anything”, “Not interesting”, “I’m busy”, “No time”, etc.

To understand whether this is an excuse or not, it is enough to catch the client’s intonation. From it you will immediately understand that he wants to get rid of you.

Your task in this case is not to try to argue and give reasons why you are the best in the world. This doesn’t matter to the client, he wants to “run away” from you. You need to hook it, catch it on the hook. Ideally, do this by touching on one of the emotions: greed, fear or vanity.

It is these emotions that touch the client best and attract him to continue the conversation, even if he wanted to end it before. Let’s look at the example “We don’t need anything.”

Greed: What if we reduce your expenses by 20%? Fear: You are missing out on the opportunity to be the first in town. Vanity: Our product is created specifically for people like you.

Try to create an intrigue so that the client first has the thought “Tell me more” in his head and then on his tongue.

He may continue to object, but he will begin to do so consciously, which means we will move to the next level and work with the objection will continue.

Type 2. True objection

Out of habit, we write down all objections in this form. True objections are when the client tells the truth.

In the literal sense of the word. If he says “Expensive,” then it really is expensive for him. If he says “I need advice,” then he wants to ask advice from another person. If he says “There is no money,” it means that there is none now or not enough in this situation. Everything is logical and understandable.

There is not just one technique for dealing with objections, there are dozens of them. They all have their place. I will tell you about the three most universal and effective (in my opinion). We write all sales scripts based on them.

Consent...call

My favorite technique for dealing with client objections. This training technique is rightfully called the most universal. It consists of 4 stages.

The sequence must be observed. We move from top to bottom. It is important. You can watch the video below or read, whichever is more convenient