Exclusivefocus Summer 2012.pdf - National Association of ...

sales and marketingOvercome Objections and Close the Saleby John BoeUnfortunately, the first two ordersmany new salespeople receive are“Get out and stay out!” It is onlynatural for your prospect to procrastinatewhen asked to make a decision involvingmoney. As a general rule, people arehesitant to commit to purchasing a productor service until they have convincedthemselves that they need it and are assuredthey are getting it at a fair price.Research indicates a prospect will say noon average five times before they actuallybuy. As a professional salesperson, it isimportant to remember that an objectionis not a rejection of you personally.Believe it or not, objections are a goodsign and you should actually look forwardto them. After all, if your prospectwas not interested in your product or service,they wouldn’t be asking questions.Simply put, an objection is nothing morethan a request for additional information.Top producers not only expect objectionsduring the sales process, theyactually anticipate them.Typically, a prospect’s objections willfall into four major categories; no money,no perceived need, no hurry, or no trust.If you haven’t built trust and rapportwith your prospect, qualified them financially,and conducted a thorough needsanalysis, you can expect them to use objectionsto derail the sales process. Whenaddressing an objection, don’t dump thewhole bale of hay. The majority of salespeoplehave a tendency to overwhelmand bore their prospects by over educatingthem. Many salespeople lengthen theappointment and use up their valuablefall back positions in an attempt to showhow knowledgeable they are. Occasionallyyour prospect’s objection may be disruptiveand therefore, you might want todelay answering it until a more appropriatetime. When you make the decisionto delay your response, I recommend youwrite their question down and ask them,“Would it be ok to address this questionlater on in my presentation?” However, ifthe same objection comes up twice, youshould stop and address it immediately.Steps for Addressingan ObjectionStep 1 - Hear them out and write it downWhen your prospect voices an objection,show concern, treat it with respect,and hear them out. Interrupting whenyou should be listening not only presentsa bad first impression, but it also destroystrust and rapport. Learn to be an activelistener by giving your prospect yourfull and undivided attention. Avoid thetemptation to think about your responsewhile your prospect is speaking. An activelistener is not only listening to whattheir prospect is saying, but is also tryingto discover the meaning behind theirwords. Research indicates that 65% ofour communication is nonverbal. Therefore,it is vitally important to pay attentionto body language and listen for voiceinflections. In addition to observing yourprospect’s gestures, you must learn to bemindful of your nonverbal signals as well.Before you begin responding to yourprospect’s objection, it is vitally importantthat you understand their specificconcern. Even though you may haveheard the same objection many timesbefore, you must avoid the temptationto begin addressing their concernsprematurely. Otherwise, you run therisk of shooting yourself in the foot byvoicing an objection they had not evenconsidered. I recommend you get in thehabit of restating the objection in yourown words to gain agreement prior toresponding. In this step it is importantto remember that your intention is notto address their concerns, but simplyto hear them out and write them downwithout comment. Never argue or evenregister disappointment with their objections,just acknowledge them. It is a goodidea to take notes and occasionally nodyour head affirmatively to let them knowthat you are tracking with them.Once you have listed all of your prospect’sobjections, conclude this step bysaying, “Bob and Mary, if your concern(s)can be addressed to your complete satisfaction,at this point, can you think ofanything else that might keep you fromgoing ahead with this decision today?” Ifadditional objections are brought up, addthem to the list and ask the question againto gain commitment. Obviously, it doesnot make sense to go to step two if there isreluctance to go ahead with the decision.44 — Exclusivefocus Summer 2012