Success Tips
Newsletter
March 11, 2008
In this issue: Handling objections after they say, "Tell me more"
by Eric Albertson
Word count: 740
Time to read: 2 minutes
Some say you'll always get objections.
I’m not so sure about that, but here are the categories that most objections fall into, I find:
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No trust
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No need
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Not now
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No budget
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Politics
No Decision, Inc., could be your main competitor
Most people, in my experience, either lose a sale to themselves, or to “No Decision, Inc.” If you really have your differentiation down cold, your competition is usually not your number-one problem.
No trust
Trust is simply the alignment of values, in my book. Most people could care less about what you offer, if they don’t trust you. You kill trust by implying any interest in clients besides serving them and serving them well. The number one and two errors here are about speaking and listening. In short, don’t sound like a salesperson, and do listen. If you can’t meet the need, walk.
No need
You shouldn’t even be talking if you are not relatively sure that the target needs, wants, and can afford, what you are offering. It might be a good idea to have a set of clear qualification questions. This is where true professional selling begins: Either targets are qualified or they are not. Good questions help sell, and don’t scare away truly-qualified targets, in my experience.
Side note
One great way to get to the poorhouse in a big hurry is to try to convince people that they need something when they don’t already perceive the need. It is important to be a master at teasing out and nurturing a latent need, but it is foolhardy, in my opinion, to try to take someone from blissful ignorance to a state of being ready to purchase as a regular way to make a living.
Not now
Your first move here is to listen. You don’t want to engage in wishful thinking, so respecting a rational “not now,” is usually a wise move. Prior to moving on, however, I always like to do a quick cost-of-delay calculation and get it on the table with the client. When the “not now” is real and warranted, the cost-of-delay is sadly just a cost that will have to be endured, for the moment.
A “not now” example
A client wanted a new forecasting system as a means to manage sales growth. He wanted it yesterday. We were just getting down to final details when he said the dreaded, “Not now.” Turns out his parent company had unilaterally decided that he would implement the company’s standard ERP system. I think he was wise to delay.
No budget
This is a very tricky one. If all these factors are present: You really have a return-on-investment (ROI) for what you are proposing; You are high enough in the organization; there is trust; there is real need; and your ROI compares favorably with the other investment opportunities, the no- budget response might not be real.
Budget and qualification
There is always money when there is trust, need, urgency, ROI, and if the politics line up. If you keep running into the no-budget response, either one of the above is not as real as you think, or possibly you just need to change the person you are targeting. It could also be the dreaded political factor.
Politics
When politics enter into it, rationality often leaves the room. Again, just qualify. The acid test here is the quid pro quo (tit for tat). Is the rule of rational reciprocation in effect? Is the target doing what normal, well- qualified clients do in this situation? Are they making and keeping commitments? If not, politics probably are looming large, and you might find yourself being used to get concessions from the politically-favored candidate.
Your mission
The idea is to have enough targets that, when a particular one does not qualify, you can walk away and spend your precious time with someone who does qualify. Ignoring the objections above is a killer. Do so at your own peril.
The bottom line
Build trust by asking questions and focusing on being of real service. Qualify. Listen. And above all, be willing to walk, if the target is not qualified and is not behaving with integrity. If you do all that, I suspect that objections will diminish as issues in your marketing and sales career.
All the best,
