Objection Handling

It’s important that you have solid clarity of all the details in order to be able to truly overcome an objection. There are 5 steps to objection handling:



Acknowledge: Empathise and identify with their concern


Question: As for specifics including Who What Where Why and tell me more


Listen: Be patient and truly understand what the prospect is telling you


Position: Discuss the benefits and connect the dots to their business


(Here is where you could use the Feel, Felt, Found technique)


Check: Has the objection been addressed and ask for further feed back with a question


Here are some common Objections and some questions to ask that will help you uncover the true objection and position yourself to resolve the concern.


Happy with their current provider/service


• Perhaps you could clarify for me – Is it your service or your service provider that are happy with?


• What is it that you like about them


• When was the last time they did an assessment of your requirements or services?


• How do you feel your business would benefit from new technology? Cost Savings? Increased productivity? Efficiencies? Being more Competitive?


• It would be helpful if you could be specific about who your current service provider is and if you have more than one provider for one or more service


• How are you kept up to date on new technology, products and services?


• How proactive is your rep/provider?


• What features do you like about your service?


• Is there a specific feature or product you would like to see from your current service provider?


• Have you ever had an outage? How was that handled? What is your outage process?


Not Competitive


• Could you be more specific? Price? Solution? Product offering?


• Are you speaking with other providers regarding this service?


• I would like to confirm that we are truly comparing apples to apples. Can we move through the solution and truly understand the similarities and differences?


• Some line items may be included in the pricing where as with other suppliers they may be a separate item. Could I help you do a detailed comparison?


• Is there a specific part of the quote/pricing that jumps out at you?


• Was there anything noticeably different in the quotes?


• Do you have a budget?


• Is cost the most important factor in your decision?


• Where do you specifically feel we are not competitive? SLA? Price? Solution?


In a contract


• Is this a verbal contract or a signed contract?


• When was the contract signed? What is the term of the contract?


• If I could show you cost savings, and the numbers make sense, would you consider switching?


• Could I do a cost analysis of savings vs. any penalties?


• Could you share with me some of the main Terms and Conditions of the contract?


• Does it have an auto renew clause? Will your rates increase with the Auto renew?


• Were there any sticking points with the contract?


• What services are specifically contracted?


With the “In a Contract” clause the goal is to set a reminder to follow up 6 months prior to the contact expiry and note it in Goldmine and to offer them other Avega services including Conferencing and Social Media.


Not Interested


• Are you interested in New Technology? Better Service? Saving Money? Being Competitive? Educating yourself on communication trends? Getting a second opinion on solutions?


• What are you not interested in?


• Tell me something about your business that would help me understand what is important to you


• Are phone & internet a service that your business depends on daily to run your company?


• If your business depends on phone and internet, why wouldn’t you be interested?


• How do you communicate with Customers? Vendors? Other employees? What percentage do you use phone to communicate? What percentage do you rely on Internet and email to communicate?


• How critical is phone and/or internet to your business


• If Phone and internet are critical infrastructure, isn’t it worth looking at more closely?


• If I could demonstrate improved productivity and greater efficiencies by having the right solutions, would you agree to look at this service in more detail?

Be that active listener and truly seek to understand the objection. Take your time and be deliberate in your questions and finding the heart of the matter. Happy Selling!

Objection Handling using LACE

Objections happen. If you perform the sales or persuasion process well, you will succeed in seriously reducing the number of objections, but they may still happen.

Objections can be transformed into an opportunity. For example, you can increase understanding of the other person's circumstance and to get closer to them, building a more trusting relationship.

Listen

Before you can act on the objection, it helps a great deal if you can understand properly not only the objection but also the thought and emotion behind it.

Find the objection

First, listen some more. Ask questions that elicit the background and detail of the objection. Listen not only to the objection but to the emotion behind it. Seek to 'read between the lines'.
The objection as stated may well be a cover for the real objection. Probe for more detail. Ask 'what else' and 'how come'.
Find remaining objections

Find out whether there are any other objections. Ask 'Is there anything else'. Tip the bucket. This can cause you more work now and it may seem that it is better to let sleeping dogs lie. But if you do not do so, then when you get towards what you hope is closure, they may easily pop up to frustrate you once again.

Accept

Once you have discovered the objection, the next stage is to acknowledge not only the objection but the person, too.
Accept the person

First and throughout, accept the person. Accept that they have a right to object. Accept that you have not fully understood them.
You do not do this by saying 'I accept you' or anything like this. The simplest way is through your attitude. Objecting can be a scary act, and people can fear your reaction. By not reacting negatively, by accepting the objection, you also accept the person.
By accepting the person, you build both their trust and their sense of identity with you. You also set up a exchange dynamic where they feel a sense of obligation to repay your acceptance.
Accept the objection

Accepting the objection means understanding how it is reasonable, at least from their current viewpoint for them to object to what you may believe is an excellent offer.
It also means accepting the work that addressing the objection will require of you. Objections can be frustrating and if you object to the objection, you will have a mutual stalemate.

Commit

Now it is time to get serious. With the increased understanding and trust, you have an ideal opportunity for a trial close.
Get their commitment

Get a commitment from them such that if you can satisfactorily address their objections, they will agree with you and make the purchase.
This is also a good method of identifying further objections. If they say no, then loop back and elicit these. Eventually, they will run out of objections. If you can address these, it's in the bag.
Make your commitment

This is also the point where you may well be making a commitment to them, to resolve their objections. This may be difficult and cost you in various ways, from calling in favors from other people to putting in additional effort.
The decision you have here, is 'Is it worth it?' Persuasion is often an exchange, and you always at liberty to back out.

Explicit action

Now it is time to address the objections, to take explicit action on the commitments made.
There are two types of objection: real ones and accidental ones. Accidental objections are where the objection is due to a misunderstanding. Misunderstandings are usually easy to address, with an apology and an explanation.
Real objections take work, but if they can be resolved, you've got the sale!
Persuade your way through

Persuading your way through an objection means working to change the way they view the objections. You can wear them down such that they no longer view the objection as being worth pursuing. You can also change the way they view them more positively such that they have an 'aha' experience that leads them to perceive the objection as being no longer important.
Concede your way through

You can also concede your way through, giving in and effectively buying their commitment. If they object to the price, you can always lower it. If they don't want it now, you can come back next week.
Concession can be both a useful approach, especially if you are in a hurry, and a threat. If you give them an inch, then they may want to take a mile. But this is not necessarily so, and a prepared concession strategy can pay dividends.

Thanks to Changing Minds for this objections handling techniques!

Turning Failures Into Opportunities and Eliminating Rejection

By Art Sobczak

At age 19, his application to Harvard Business School was rejected. He was devastated at the time.

However, exploring other options, he quickly regrouped and sent in a late application to Columbia, where two investment experts that he admired were teaching. He was accepted. There he learned the values and principles that guided his investing.

Today he is the second wealthiest man in America and the most famous stock investor in the world. Of course I'm talking about fellow Omahan, Warren Buffet. (No, I do not know him, and he does not call me for advice.)

Buffet is a big believer in looking for the opportunities in setbacks. Which is what all great salespeople do as well. In a Wall Street Journal article, Buffet said, "The truth is, everything that has happened in my life...that I thought was a crushing event at the time, has turned out for the better."

He said that with the exception of health problems, setbacks teach "lessons that carry you along. You learn that a temporary defeat is not a permanent one. In the end, it can be an opportunity."

Buffet has many examples of negatives becoming positives. He said when he was young he was terrified of public speaking--so much that he sometimes threw up before an address. Knowing he needed to do something, he enrolled in a Dale Carnegie speaking course, and says the skills he learned there enabled him to woo his future wife, who was a champion debater.

"I even proposed to my wife during the course," he said. "If I had been only a mediocre speaker I might have not taken it," meaning that the extreme negativeness of the situation is what resulted in the positive.

I have a process I have used for many years that enables me to keep my own personal attitude up during even the most difficult situations, find positives in negatives, and although it sounds cliché, turn problems into opportunities. I believe it would do the same for you.

Two Magic Questions

Whenever you experience something that you perceive as being negative--many fall into this category... really now, many people blow things way out of proportion--or, you are faced with something that truly is devastating, take a deep breath, stop, clear your mind, then ask yourself these two questions:

"What can I learn from this?"


"What good can I make from this?"
Begin implementing these two questions today, and I know you will view things differently, and see more opportunities where they might not have been there otherwise.


Eliminating "Rejection"

How about never experiencing "rejection" again in sales?

That's in the title of three of my books, and I've been berated by critics over the years for making that claim. Of course, those people never took the time to read the part of the books where I show exactly how you can avoid rejection. I'll give you the simple process right now.

What is rejection anyway?

Is it a 'no' you hear at the beginning of a call? Is it losing out on a competitive proposal. Is it being hung up on?

If you think it is, it is. Now, I'm not going to get all out-there-philosophical on you, but let's keep this simple:

-Stuff happening TO you in sales (getting no's) is inevitable, if you are placing calls.
-What HAPPENS to you is not rejection.
-Rejection is the definition that someone attaches to what happens to them.
-No one person or situation can cause you to feel rejected unless you allow it/them to.
-Change your definition of rejection so that it does not include getting a no on a call.
-After no's, ask yourself the two questions I presented earlier.
-Ensure you get a win on every call by accomplishing something, or even attempting something, regardless of how minor. This is what I call your Secondary Objective.

More than almost any other profession, how you feel when you are performing your job affects your outcome. Coupled with the fact that all day long we proactively put ourselves in situations where the outcome may not be the one we desire, there's little wonder most people would never consider sales as a career, and many have left because they couldn't handle what they defined as "rejection." This underscores the need to follow processes like I've outlined.

You are a special person for doing what you do. To continue surviving, thriving, and ensuring you will have your best year ever, implement these ideas for turning challenges into opportunities, and never experiencing rejection again!!

Here's to making next week your best one ever!

Feel Felt Found: Objection Handling for Sales

‘Feel Felt Found’ is a common method used by top salespeople to overcome objections. It first empathizes with the prospects objection, then relates to how others have had the same objection while sharing a positive outcome.

FEEL: This first step shows you care and lets them feel understood and their concern is acknowledged: "I know just how you feel." "I understand your point" "I get it!"

FELT: The next step lets them know that they’re not alone and that others have felt this way: "Some of our clients have felt that same way."

FOUND: Now provide examples of how those clients overcame their concerns, discovered how good your product/service was for them and vindicated their decision to buy with a successful outcome: "However, what they found was…"

Prospects may give false objections which needs to understood. Objections are an important part of the sales process and must happen in order to get to a close. Ask if they have any other concerns or queries. Then you can address them all. Don't' be afraid to keep asking until every conceivable objection has been uncovered. Handling objections calmly, rationally and with confidence will build credibility and rapport as you add another deal to the board!

Happy selling!

Susan Corcoran