For many salespeople, rebutting objections is a particularly delicate stage in the sales process. Caught off-guard, many of them find themselves bewildered by customers' contradictory opinions.
And yet, objections are legitimate: the expression of a customer's point of view or opinion in relation to the presentation of an argument is often the expression of an interest, and in all cases helps to shape the customer's judgment and decision. As sales meetings are high-stakes discussions for both the salesperson and the customer, the handling of objections is often interfered with by the emotional charge it generates. That's why we strongly recommend that sales reps identify the objections they might have to deal with, and practice how to respond to them, both in terms of content (finding the arguments and information to communicate, and the support to present) and form (finding rhetorical turns of phrase).
To help sales reps deal with the main objections, we offer a tool for handling both the substance (how to analyze an objection and develop a response strategy?) and the form of responses (how to express yourself to reinforce your persuasive power?).
Methods for analyzing data and building a response strategy
The potential customer raises an obstacle that contradicts the salesperson's argument. For him, the objection must be treated as a piece of information with the necessary distance so that it can be resolved in a relevant way.
Let's take a concrete example. A custom window salesman is approached by a customer who objects that the thickness of his double-glazed units is inferior to that of other competing manufacturers.
First of all, the "thickness of double glazing" information must be analyzed with care and precision. In fact, this information may turn out to be erroneous if the customer does not have accurate information. If the wording is deft, the sales representative will be able to demonstrate the inaccuracy of this information to the customer, and thus deal with the objection. Even if the information proves to be accurate, the sales representative can also demonstrate that the "thickness of double glazing" characteristic has no consequences for the customer, and that his window models offer excellent thermal insulation. Finally, he can put the customer's comments into perspective by pointing out that there are many causes of energy loss in a single-family home, and that glazing thickness has only a marginal impact on heating oil consumption.
This example shows that an objection must be analyzed using the following method:
- Is the information contained in the customer's objection accurate and complete? Do I have the means (evidence or substitutes) to contest or relativize it?
- What are the consequences for the customer? What is the "relative" level of their importance? If the consequences for the customer turn out to be low or practically non-existent, an objection becomes much easier to deal with...
- What are the other possible causes of the customer's objection? Do I have the information I need to put the customer's objection into perspective by presenting the other causal factors?
To achieve this, three rules are essential:
- Listen to the customer without interrupting, questioning him on the reasons for his remark or objection, and take it into account without denying it;
- Prepare answers and associated aids in advance, distinguishing between those that put the objectivity of the data into perspective, those that put the consequences into perspective, and those that make the customer aware that there are no other causes for the problem raised; and then present them in an appropriate manner;
- Present comparative assessments of the benefits of the proposed offer in relation to the "relative" disadvantage put forward by the customer.
Excerpt from : " Faites évoluer vos méthodes de vente! " - Daniel HUYOT and Philippe LAFAIX - DUNOD - 2008