Handling Customer Objections

If you spend your career trying to convince others that they need your product or services, you have probably dealt with some of the common objections that arise. How you handle them either makes or breaks the deal, as well as your standing with the company. As you learn how to overcome concerns, your career will flourish, leading to a climb up the company ladder.

The most common objection that most customers, whether individuals or businesses, have is that they don’t trust the salesperson. To gain and keep trust, empathize with your customers in a real way. You are just as much of a customer in various situations, so put yourself in the shoes of the person you’re in contact with. Anticipate what concerns they might have by thinking about what your concerns would be. However, remember that each potential customer is different, and many can spot a fake salesperson from a mile away, so be genuine.

Sometimes it’s just best to agree with the customer who believes the price is too high by saying “OK.” As you catch them off guard with this simple word, begin to ask questions about other obstacles in your way of making the sale. Once you have alleviated the other common objections, ask the customer why he feels the price is too high. You are now within range of making the sale, since other objections are cleared up.

Keep the sale on track by narrowing down the customer’s objections so something insignificant doesn’t get in the way of the customer saying yes. Sometimes you might think that telling a story about one of your experiences is a good way to deflect the focus of common objections. The reality is that this interferes with your focus on alleviating the customer's specific worries – the customer still has his concerns.

In addition to overcoming a customer’s trust and cost issue, customers sometimes wonder about the company’s credibility or that of the product. In this situation, demonstrate the benefits of your product or service versus competitors without cutting the other company or product down.

Once you feel that you have addressed your potential customer’s issues, ask for the sale. If he seems to be in a state of panic, try not worry. Often, customers panic when they are about to sign contracts or buy something expensive. View this as a positive sign that you have overcome the common objections, and that your sales pitch is working – a sale is imminent.

Overcoming customer resistance is a job detail that you must master to have a successful career. As you practice reacting to common objections, it becomes more natural. Ultimately, the most important thing to remember is empathizing with the customer while still maintaining the “expert” persona that customers find comforting.

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