…. by Paul Shearstone

Overcoming Objections will always be at the heart of every sales encounter. Although the laws that govern human psychology and motivation never change, the same cannot be said for the ever-evolving objection-handling techniques that now require far more sophistication to satisfy the needs of today’s customer. A quick look in the rearview mirror clearly demonstrates that at times, even the experts, sometimes get it wrong!

In the 1960s and early 70s, selling courses like PSSI [Professional Selling Skills / Level I] taught us to “Ignore the ‘First’ objection”. The logic was, ‘at the beginning of a sales encounter, most customers will put out an objection – any objection – even if it isn’t valid, in order to provide themselves a certain feeling of control’. To dwell too much on the first objection was deemed by PSSI experts to be, time and effort, spent unproductively.

The fact is, it didn’t take long – less than a decade – for sales people to see the folly in this approach. That, in tandem with more knowledgeable buyers and more complex products/solutions, changes to this strategy was essential.

Dale Carnegie had a better methodology that respected every customer objection but also insisted that sellers, initially ask questions to expose any and all customer concerns first – then get the customer to [articulate] agree that 1) These challenges were all the objections that stood between the seller and the sale, and, 2) The verbalized objections were, in fact, legitimate. Then and only then, could the process of selling – satisfying these needs – go forward.

The good new is that today, much of Carnegie’s strategy is as valid an approach as it was several decade ago; in keeping with the basic mantra of successful selling, “Find out what they want… then… Give it to them!” That is, with one caveat, find out what they want First!

If this was all there was to objection-handling, though, every salesperson would be successful. Clearly, there is more to it than that. For example, what is the answer to a customer that says, “We are not in the market! ... We have no budget!” – [Full-Stop].
At this point, unsuccessful sellers get busy folding their metaphorical tents to make a hasty retreat because they find themselves bereft of a deeper understanding or skill-set required to overcome a sales-ending objection – ironically, before the selling process can even take place.

What is meant by this?

Simply, those of us, who have taken Social PSYC in university or college, understand that ‘to the degree a person articulates their position [bad or good] makes the chances of changing their mind, exponentially more difficult than it is if they never said a thing’. Psychologically, people want to save face, they don’t want to be manipulated or sold and therefore, quite naturally, dig their heels in once they have stated their position.

I am reminded of the expression, “A man convinced against his will… is of the same opinion still!”

Good sellers know this and they know other important things too, like:
1) There are ways to address objections like these, and
2) They must be handled delicately and professionally.

To better understand the mind of an elite seller, it is best to reflect on how salespeople process information like, for example: “We have no budget!”

Unsuccessful sellers interpret this as ‘there is no money, no where, no how’ – and then conduct themselves accordingly. Elite sellers, however, begin asking themselves, “What does the customer mean by no budget? Was there a budget that has been spent? Is there a budget that has been frozen? Will there be another budget – if so when?” etc.

The point here is,
1) The seller has not forgotten the need his/her product may satisfy, and
2) They understand that “We have no budget!” can have many meanings – each of which, with an opportunity to continue negotiations, albeit with one important fact, the customer must be allowed to Save Face.

So how do they do that?

One way is to: [Note: This part is not new]
1) Repeat the objection “You have no budget at this time” – which accomplishes two important, psychological steps:
a) The customer hears that the seller has heard and understood his/her objection [very critical] and,
b) “…at this time” – diminishes or lessens the objection thereby eliminating the Full-Stop scenario bringing the potential to go forward, back into play.

2) The second and perhaps the most important step is to openly ‘Validate’ the objection. Simply, agree that the customer’s objection is a valid objection – one with which you can sincerely empathize and agree with as being a challenge – in your mind, though, not a sales ender.
You could say something like, “Not having a budget at this time is a challenge and I don’t blame you for feeling the way you do [or words to that effect].

Note: By validating and agreeing with the concerns of the customer, we seem more sincere and trustworthy – which we are – allowing the essential Buyer-Seller bonding process to cultivate, especially since we both now, appear to have concerns in common.

Having accomplished all of this, the elite seller may say something like: “Can we perhaps, Mr/Ms Customer, reframe the problem?” or “Maybe if we look at reframing this budgetary dilemma in a different way, we may find an alternative solution.” or “Mr/Ms Customer, sometimes when I step back and reframe a challenge, I often find positive alternatives I’ve overlooked.”

One could go on but the important point here is, having bonded with the customer, having validated and minimized [in this case] the budgetary concern, we have allowed the customer to save face on his/her original sale-ending position, that in turn opens up a new positive dialogue with the express purpose of finding ways to overcome the objection – and there are many!

Financing may be an alternative. Split [corporate, inter-departmental, inter-budgetary] billing, renting, rent-to-own, rent-to-new-budget, conditional purchase financial installments, et al. Without a doubt, there are alternatives to a Full-Stop scenario. I personally live by the credo, “Where there is a will… there is a Relative!” Elite sellers look to solutions – not obstacles.

The Bottom Line: Objection-Handling is both an art and a science, requiring understanding, proficiency and practice. The goal is to instill a sense of empathy and sincerity for the challenges faced by our customers with an undaunted focus to allowing buyers to change their mind, whilst saving face.

The elite seller knows the appearance of sincerity, honesty and customer empathy is equally important to the need for the providing of sincerity, honesty and customer empathy. …Paul Shearstone 2003
__________________________________________________________________

Paul Shearstone aka The ‘Pragmatic Persuasionist’ is one of North America’s foremost experts on Sales and Persuasion. An International Keynote Speaker, Author, Writer, Motivation, Corporate Ethics, / Time & Stress Management, Recruiting Specialist, Paul enlightens and challenges audiences as he informs, motivates and entertains. To comment on this article or to book the Pragmatic Persuasionist for your next successful event we invite to contact Paul Shearstone directly @ 416-728-5556 or 1-866-855-4590 www.success150.com or [email protected] www.paulshearstone.com [email protected] .