How to Handle Common Sales Objections Effectively

No matter how good a sales manager or salesperson you may be, customer objections are a fact of life. Knowing the best strategies for responding to, and overcoming, sales objections is crucial to business success. Every aspect of this challenging topic is covered in Maguire Training's excellent 'Handling Objections Workshop', which equips delegates with the knowledge and skills they need to recognise, pre-empt and effectively turn around customer objections by analysing typical scenarios and suggesting systematic approaches to handling them.

One of the best ways to minimise the likelihood of sales objections during your negotiations is to research your customer, their business and their needs thoroughly before making your pitch. By doing so you may be able to pre-empt possible objections and address them before the customer has an opportunity to raise them. For example, if you know that a customer is likely to object on the grounds of cost you can pre-empt this by explicitly demonstrating how the ROI of your product or service outweighs initial cost or by offering payment terms that are comfortably within the customer's budget.

One thing that becomes obvious to any salesperson over time is that the same objections crop up time after time. Customer objections should not be taken personally by the salesperson but simply treated as a natural part of the negotiation process. Here are Maguire Training?s tips for handling the most common sales objections effectively.

• 'We don't need it; we're happy with the way things are' 
  
  Some organisations are naturally resistant to change or are simply complacent. It may be that the customer has yet to accept exactly how a product can improve their current situation, address and existing or potential future problem or save them money. Ideally, case studies or testimonials from real-life customers who have benefited from purchasing the product are invaluable in handling this objection.
  
• 'I need to discuss this with my manager' 
  
  The easiest way to handle this objection is to explain that this is no problem and suggest a further meeting at which you, the customer and their manager can get together and take the sales process forward. It's useful to ask the objector whether they have any specific concerns that they need to raise with their manager as this information may help you to handle any further issues or objections.
  
• 'It's too expensive/company X is cheaper' 
  
  Reducing the price of your offering should be a last resort and preferably avoided altogether. Handling this objection requires the reinforcement of the ways in which your product or service uniquely addresses the customer's needs, and how the time and money it will save the company outweigh the asking price. Adding value to the offer (an extended warranty, for example) or flexibility in payment options can also help to overcome this objection.
  
• 'It's not a priority right now/I need time to think/ call us in six months' time' 
  
  To overcome time-related objections it's necessary to persuade the customer that they are losing out by not purchasing now. This can be done by suggesting a time-limited offer that will have expired by the time you next speak, or by illustrating the amount of money that could be saved over six months if the product is purchased now. To further persuade the customer, the purchasing and delivery process should be made as quick and simple as possible at this stage.

There are many other scenarios and customer objections that sales managers and teams might encounter in their roles. The good news is that the techniques for effectively handling these and bringing sales to a successful conclusion can be learned, and Maguire Training offers a range of courses that cover objection management and associated topics. Salespeople lead busy lives and for those who cannot spare the time to attend a workshop, Maguire Training's convenient online training modules such as 'Overcoming Objections' offer the perfect alternative, allowing delegates to acquire the skills they need whenever and wherever is most convenient.