In a very interesting article I read this week by Steli Efti, the author gives examples of common objections supplied by prospective sales clients and some ways that salespeople can overcome them. Inexperienced salespeople may spend lots of time and practice perfecting their sales pitch, but cannot handle objections. Several examples of objections include:
- “Not a Good Fit” objections
- Competitor objections
- “Not interested” objections
- “Passing the Buck” objections
In response to “not a good fit” objections, the author notes that a lot of the ways people employ these objections easily open the door for the salesperson to provide more information about their services. For example, if they say “I’ve never heard of your company” or “I don’t understand your product”, that is an opportunity to tell them about your products and find a good for for them.
With competitor objections, it is important to investigate areas where their business with competitors doesn’t quite meet their needs or expectations. Or if the potential client wants to stick with the industry standard, offer a situation where they can use both products, and show them through that smaller amount of business that your service better meets their needs.
This article goes through an enormous amount of objections that potential clients use against salespeople and many ways that calm and patient salespeople can overcome those objections and expand their business. These are just a few short examples of these strategies to overcome tough sales.
BoweryJE22
This is a great topic to take on because in a sales call we often find ourselves trying to overcome tons of obstacles. Buoyancy is a great way to describe overcoming the obstacles. Buoyancy is all about staying afloat and staying up just enough to overcome the obstacles no matter what it is.
Everyone fears failure on some level, and rejection is never fun. Objections can be enough to shut salespeople up for good when they feel like they’re failing. I think its great to think of ways to counter objections before they’re even voiced so that you’re never struck by the blunt force of speechless failure (because that can be so hard to work though).