Techniques for Handling Objections
Just as you wouldn’t have one outfit in your closet that takes you from a funeral to a ball game, you need a variety of different techniques to capably handle objections. Following are some ideas.
The Five-Step Technique
When you first hear an objection, be quiet until the customer has completed the entire objection. Do not interrupt. (Remember the tongue trick from Chapter 7?) It might help you to keep quiet if you jot down what the customer is saying. (Remember, you’re on the phone and they can’t see you.) Writing it down helps you keep a current objections database, and it ensures you have a record of what the customer said, so you can effectively counter all issues uncovered. This is especially important if you have customers who ask highly technical questions that can be potentially complicated to answer, or if the customer isn’t a clear communicator.
Pause at the end of the objection (count to two). This pause says to the customer that you are thinking about his question or objection and that it is important to you. Plus, it gives you time to clarify in your own head what you think you just heard and formulate your response. You can choose what technique to use and what words will most likely lead to a close. Remember, you are in control because you knew this objection was coming. You’ve heard it time and time again. And if you haven’t, you’ve just provided yourself with the opportunity of thinking over a solution.
Calmly and coolly handle the objection with your well-thought-out response. Be sure you handled all the concerns from Step 1. (That’s why you wrote them down.) How did this person stress the objection? Did you not add enough value in your presentation portion of the call? Do you know your customer; and if so, does this person generally object as part of his or her playing out of the process? Does the objection sound like a smokescreen (a false objection)?
Go for a confirmation that the objection has truly been countered. After you feel you have satisfied the objection, ask the customer if you have resolved it for her. The reaction will let you know if you have really handled the objection. For example, you might say one of the following:
“Mary, does that answer your question?”
“Steve, how does that sound to you?”
“Leonard, do you like that idea?”
“Jackie, if I’ve answered your question, are you ready to sign the agreement?”
If the objection is indeed handled, oftentimes this is an opportune time to a close. Negotiation is the opportunity to sell more and can come out of an objection.
Just a piece of advice for those who still connect objection with rejection: Never take any objection personally unless the customer actually says, “I like your company and your products, it’s you I don’t like.” (And when was the last time that happened?) So don’t take an objection personally. It’s usually not about you.
The Question Technique
Asking correct questions helps you to gather critically important information and to direct your customer’s line of thought. We refer to this as “leading your customer down the garden path.” The technique is to question so skillfully that the customer draws his or her own conclusion to buy. For example, if the customer objects, you would respond as follows:
Customer: We’ve used the same cleaning company in our offices for three years. We see no reason to change.
Salesperson: Oh, (brightly, then pause). James, you said you’ve been using the same company for three years; what initially prompted you to go with your current service when you made that decision?
You find out why they changed at that time. It could be that price, efficiency, the previous supplier went out of business, or maybe theft was an issue. Simply listen without interrupting. Hear what the customer says. Remember to listen to the tone. There are most likely a few gems of knowledge that you can gain from his response and then know where to go from there.
Then you can ask,
Salesperson: Tell me, what do you like about their service?
Customer: They use environmentally friendly chemicals. We like that.
Salesperson: How important is that to you?
Now you are in a conversation. If this aspect of James’s service provider is very important, you come back with questions that uncover possible weaknesses related to that. Use a problem that you are aware of from your knowledge of your competitor’s methods. For example, you know the smell of vinegar that remains after cleaning can be offensive.
Salesperson: James, what does it smell like after a treatment? (You have now raised questions in the customer’s mind about the current company.)
Customer: (forced to think) Gosh, what did the office smell like last time? Oh, yeah, it was pretty awful. It smelled like my mother-in-law’s broom closet.
You see, you didn’t tell the customer that you know about the odor your competitors leave, even though you had that information. You, instead, let James discover it on his own through your skillful questioning. Don’t tell . . . ask. Customers who draw conclusions on their own, while you happen to be on the phone with them, think they are pretty smart and that your timing is excellent. Customers who are told what the problems are may get on the defensive. For example, if you ask if the carpet stinks after the competitor leaves, the customer is most likely to respond “no” without thinking.
With the question approach, you can affirm the problem solution very easily over the phone by learning more about the customer’s real needs.
Salesperson: James, what if you found a company who used environmentally safe products that didn’t leave a residual smell?
That at least puts you back into the conversation.
Customer: Oh, I guess we could take a look at that. What do your chemicals smell like after a cleaning?
Salesperson: How about if we do your office for free one time and we’ll see?
Customer: Sounds like a good idea. When can you come here?
Feel, Felt, Found
(Note: this is especially useful with Energized and Kind personality types.) This technique has been around professional selling for many years. There’s a reason—it works! Just remember to mix this technique up with your other objection-handling methods during the course of your call.
Customer: I’m happy with my current supplier.
(Often, the first objection you will encounter is “we’re fine like we are.” This is what we refer to as the inertia objection.)
Salesperson: ______________(customer’s name). I can see why you might feel that way; other customers have felt that way before, and what they found was . . . .
Your answer must be brief and include a specific benefit to the customer. Be careful not to use the word but; instead, use and, so it doesn’t sound like you are arguing with the customer. Remember that on the phone you can’t soften what you say with an engaging facial expression, so your word choice becomes crucial. If you have tried this technique before and found it a bit tough to deliver, try using different synonyms in the technique to sound more natural in your ears and the customer’s.
Let’s look at the following examples of how a salesperson might respond to the customer:
Salesperson: James, I can understand why you are telling me this. We’ve heard this from other office managers before. And what they found was . . . .
Salesperson: . . . by simply trying our service on two occasions, customers found the carpet was not only cleaner, it was fresher smelling, too. What are your thoughts about that?
Another mistake salespeople make when they try to use this technique is that they talk too much during the benefit section of responding to the objection. For example:
Salesperson: James, I can understand . . . other customers found that not only did they enjoy cleaner carpets with our service, they had a pleasant-spring fragrance in the office that increased productivity and remarkably . . . .
This type of response is too long, especially over the phone, and the salesperson just risked the customer checking out. Since they can’t see you, customers have to focus harder to understand you. Long spiels are too difficult for them to follow. They sound like a sales pitch, and not a very convincing one, at that!