How to deal with objections confidently and respectfully
Objections are among the biggest challenges in sales. Many salespeople, beginners as well as experienced professionals, are very unsettled by objections and often react in two extremes: Either they give up immediately and give in or they argue against it with “Yes, but...”.
There can be many reasons for objections: The interlocutor still has unanswered questions or divergent ideas, perhaps he cannot or does not want to make a decision yet or is not yet convinced of your offer. Get to the bottom of this, because this will help you learn more about your contact person, improve the relationship level and possibly get new starting points for the conversation. In principle, it is important to respect the statements of the interlocutor and to show genuine interest. So keep calm, let your counterpart do the talking, accept objections positively and question them.
Here are five classic objections and tips on how you can approach them in an appreciative and goal-oriented manner:
1. “I don't have time for that. ”
Respond here with understanding, but don't miss the opportunity to ask for a more appropriate time to call again. For example, with “When is it better for you? ” or “When can we continue our conversation? “It is best to make a fixed appointment for another phone call or at least ask on which days and at what times your interlocutor can best be reached. This is how you avoid frustration when you call whenever your contact person has their home office day or weekly meeting.
Since you never know in which situation you will reach the contact person, it makes sense anyway to clarify right at the start of the conversation whether your counterpart has time for a conversation. Ask, “Do you have a minute? “In this way, you appreciate your conversation partner and ensure that your conversation is not interrupted in the middle of it.
2. “We have no need for that! ” or “We're well taken care of there! ”
Clarify the reason for this objection with specific questions: “Ah, okay, I understand. How did you meet your needs in this area? “If there is actually no opportunity to collaborate at the moment, then at least open a window into the future by asking, for example: “Under what conditions would demand in this area change? ”
3. “We're not interested in that! ”
As with “no need,” this objection is also interesting to find out how your interlocutor comes to this assessment. So ask openly and with interest: “Why is that? “Or you open the grab bag for your conversation partner: “What would we have to bring with us so that it would be of interest to you? ” or “What would spark your interest in xyz? “It is important here that you ask positive questions: For example, do not ask the question “Why aren't you interested? “— this is how you steer your interlocutor into a negative way of thinking, which makes it difficult to arouse interest. You should also refrain from asking questions that start with “why”, “why”, as these trigger a need to justify — the interlocutor feels pushed into a corner. Since you still want to know something about the reasons, you'd rather ask: “For what reason...? ” or “What is the reason for that? ”
4. “We already have a permanent partner (with whom we are very satisfied)! ”
Here it is important not to speak ill of the competitor or immediately ask about optimization options — the contact person has chosen this supplier and will be loyal to a stranger — i.e. you. So react calmly and positively interested: “I'm happy for you. What exactly does the partner do for you? ”, “What is your partner doing right? ” or “What are your requirements for your partners? “The longer the conversation lasts, the more you can learn about the company, establish a relationship with the interlocutor and perhaps find concrete starting points for your offer and thus arouse the interest of your counterpart — be it that you can offer from a single source, for which your contact person previously needed two suppliers, or that you offer opportunities that your contact person did not even know about. In the course of the conversation, he or she may also confide in you that the current partner does not always deliver satisfactory quality.
5. “Please send your documents. ”
Here, the appropriate response depends very much on where in the interview the request for documents arises:
- At headquarters: “I like doing that. However, I would like to clarify in advance whether there are any starting points for cooperation and what is of interest to you in this area — who can I talk to briefly about this? ”
- According to your presentation to the decision maker: Agree to the sending of documents — “Yes, of course. What is your email address? “But don't stop there, ask further questions and explain why you're asking: “So that I can assess this: Which products are you using? “From there, you ask further questions and find out whether the customer is of interest to YOU at all.
- For the decision maker after a lengthy conversation and the interlocutor's audible interest: “I have another suggestion for you: My colleague Mrs. xyz is coming to you. This has the advantage for you that you can answer all your questions directly — Ms. xyz will also be happy to advise you and bring you samples so that you can see for yourself the quality of our products. What do you think of that? “Underline your appointment offer with clear added value for the contact person.
Of course, it is also important to pay attention to the nuances of your interlocutor — i.e. not only what was said, but also HOW it was said. If your interlocutor sounds annoyed or stressed, then refrain from digging further, but call again at another time.
The same applies to yourself: In addition to good strategies and convincing arguments, it is above all your inner attitude that counts. If you are convinced of your concern, the potential customer will already sense your enthusiasm through your voice and language and become curious.
Anticipate common objections
If you hear an objection over and over again, it can also be a strategy to anticipate it. So instead of waiting and reacting to the objection, act proactively, “take the wind out of your interlocutor's sails” and can thus create an element of surprise in the conversation. So if you know that your customers are always very impressed by the quality of your product, but that the mood often changes when you talk about the price, you could act as follows: “You're probably wondering about the price now. I can understand that — this is a big investment for now. However, the costs are amortized within a very short period of time, as our quick-release steel couplings are extremely durable and reliable compared to those made of brass. What do you say about that? “In this way, you not only avoid an objection, but also create a good transition to customer benefits.
You will find out another time how you can deduce the values of your interlocutor from the objections and bring the conversation to another level with them, or how you can conduct conversations in such a way that there are no objections in the first place.
Until then, we wish you every success in implementing our tips and flawless phone calls!
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