Sales Objections Handled With A Simple 4 Step Process That Successful Sales People Use To make Money
Stephen Craine
January 07, 2009
You can handle sales objections with this simple 4 step process that turns objections into sales and makes you money. Many sales people fear objections and lose motivation when they are hit with one. See if this objection process is right for you and enjoy your sales role, as you become super confident when handling sales objections.
I´m a working sales manager and sales trainer for a major company. I have developed this process because my sales teams needed to be able to handle objections in real situations, not just in the classroom. My job, and my income, depend upon the results my teams achieve using this objection handling sales training.
The sales objection process
Define the objection
Gain agreement
Present the answer
Close the sale
Use these simple 4 steps as the basic framework for handling objections, and closing more sales, and add all your other sales skills and sales training to the process.
1. Define the objection
The first step is to look through the customers frame and define the real objections from their perspective. Their sales objections may not be real. They may be based upon false evidence, past experiences, or their beliefs. You want to see the sales objections on their map of reality and from their viewpoint, even if they are not real or are based on false evidence. Then you can handle the objections confidently. The key is to understand what the buyer believes are the consequences of buying. This is where the real objection lies, how it was formed, and where it has to be dealt with.
Imagine a customer that thinks your product is too expensive because they bought a similar item at a cheaper price some years ago. The customer is comparing an old price to the one you are asking them to pay. Their beliefs about what it should cost have not taken inflation and rising costs into account. Maybe your product is superior and has more features and benefits. Although the sales objection is based on false information, it is real to the buyer and must be challenged to get past the sales objection.
With good questioning skills you should define the real objection as seen by the customer. You should also define the beliefs and evidence that the customer has used to form their objection. It is their beliefs and evidence that you have to challenge if you are to handle objections based in the buyer´s mind. Many objections, concerns, and questions, exist only in the buyer´s mind, but to the buyer they are very real and will stop the sale if not defined and dealt with.
2. Gain agreement to the definition
Many less experienced sales people would now go charging in with the most fantastic sales presentation they can give to handle the objection. They are then shot down as they realize that they haven´t answered the objection as viewed by the customer, or another objection arises that could stop the sale. They have used their best sales presentation to answer the objection, and now there are more to answer.
There are two really important actions that you can take at this stage before trying to present your sales solution. First, gain agreement to the sales objections you have defined. Then second, ask if there is anything else that could stop the customer buying from you today. Before giving your great sales presentation to overcome the objection, you want to make sure you are answering the objection that is real to the buyer, and that there are no more objections to stop the sale. If there are more objections, or you haven´t defined the real objection, then go back to step one and start questioning again. Until you have all the questions, concerns, and obstacles that could prevent you closing the sale you should not start presenting answers to objections..
3. Present the answer
You have defined the objection, and gained agreement to the definition, and to there being no more sales objections stopping the sale. Fantastic, now you can present your solution and answer the sales objections. As with the above stages, remember you are presenting to overcome sales objections that exist on the buyer´s map of reality, not yours. Only present the benefits that will handle the objection. You don´t need to give a full presentation of all the features and benefits of the product. Challenge any false evidence or beliefs the objections are based upon. Give them what they need to see and hear to change their beliefs and agree to a sale.
4. Close the sale
Now you can gently and smoothly close the sale, or gain agreement to the next stage of the sale. You don´t need trick closes or clever linguistic manipulation techniques. You have earlier gained agreement that you had defined their objections, and that there were no more preventing a sale. That is where the main closing of the sale took place. Now all you need to do is ask two gentle questions to gain their agreement to the sale.
The first question is to ask if the benefits you have presented have answered their concerns, their objection to the sale. If it hasn´t go back to step one and re-define their concerns, and start the process again. Once they have agreed that you have answered their objection, the second action is to use a simple direct question to close the deal. You can relate the question to what happens next. For example, you could ask, shall we complete the paperwork? Or, can we agree a delivery date? You have done all the major closing earlier when you gained agreement to there being nothing else stopping the sale. A gentle question to ask for the order is all that is now required to gain you the sale, and the commission payment.
You've had a brief taste of a sles objection process that could increase your sales results and make you money. If you would like to see more sales training on how you can put this process into action open How to overcome sales objections and consider if it's right for you.
I´m a working sales manager and sales trainer for a major company. I have developed this process because my sales teams needed to be able to handle objections in real situations, not just in the classroom. My job, and my income, depend upon the results my teams achieve using this objection handling sales training.
The sales objection process
Define the objection
Gain agreement
Present the answer
Close the sale
Use these simple 4 steps as the basic framework for handling objections, and closing more sales, and add all your other sales skills and sales training to the process.
1. Define the objection
The first step is to look through the customers frame and define the real objections from their perspective. Their sales objections may not be real. They may be based upon false evidence, past experiences, or their beliefs. You want to see the sales objections on their map of reality and from their viewpoint, even if they are not real or are based on false evidence. Then you can handle the objections confidently. The key is to understand what the buyer believes are the consequences of buying. This is where the real objection lies, how it was formed, and where it has to be dealt with.
Imagine a customer that thinks your product is too expensive because they bought a similar item at a cheaper price some years ago. The customer is comparing an old price to the one you are asking them to pay. Their beliefs about what it should cost have not taken inflation and rising costs into account. Maybe your product is superior and has more features and benefits. Although the sales objection is based on false information, it is real to the buyer and must be challenged to get past the sales objection.
With good questioning skills you should define the real objection as seen by the customer. You should also define the beliefs and evidence that the customer has used to form their objection. It is their beliefs and evidence that you have to challenge if you are to handle objections based in the buyer´s mind. Many objections, concerns, and questions, exist only in the buyer´s mind, but to the buyer they are very real and will stop the sale if not defined and dealt with.
2. Gain agreement to the definition
Many less experienced sales people would now go charging in with the most fantastic sales presentation they can give to handle the objection. They are then shot down as they realize that they haven´t answered the objection as viewed by the customer, or another objection arises that could stop the sale. They have used their best sales presentation to answer the objection, and now there are more to answer.
There are two really important actions that you can take at this stage before trying to present your sales solution. First, gain agreement to the sales objections you have defined. Then second, ask if there is anything else that could stop the customer buying from you today. Before giving your great sales presentation to overcome the objection, you want to make sure you are answering the objection that is real to the buyer, and that there are no more objections to stop the sale. If there are more objections, or you haven´t defined the real objection, then go back to step one and start questioning again. Until you have all the questions, concerns, and obstacles that could prevent you closing the sale you should not start presenting answers to objections..
3. Present the answer
You have defined the objection, and gained agreement to the definition, and to there being no more sales objections stopping the sale. Fantastic, now you can present your solution and answer the sales objections. As with the above stages, remember you are presenting to overcome sales objections that exist on the buyer´s map of reality, not yours. Only present the benefits that will handle the objection. You don´t need to give a full presentation of all the features and benefits of the product. Challenge any false evidence or beliefs the objections are based upon. Give them what they need to see and hear to change their beliefs and agree to a sale.
4. Close the sale
Now you can gently and smoothly close the sale, or gain agreement to the next stage of the sale. You don´t need trick closes or clever linguistic manipulation techniques. You have earlier gained agreement that you had defined their objections, and that there were no more preventing a sale. That is where the main closing of the sale took place. Now all you need to do is ask two gentle questions to gain their agreement to the sale.
The first question is to ask if the benefits you have presented have answered their concerns, their objection to the sale. If it hasn´t go back to step one and re-define their concerns, and start the process again. Once they have agreed that you have answered their objection, the second action is to use a simple direct question to close the deal. You can relate the question to what happens next. For example, you could ask, shall we complete the paperwork? Or, can we agree a delivery date? You have done all the major closing earlier when you gained agreement to there being nothing else stopping the sale. A gentle question to ask for the order is all that is now required to gain you the sale, and the commission payment.
You've had a brief taste of a sles objection process that could increase your sales results and make you money. If you would like to see more sales training on how you can put this process into action open How to overcome sales objections and consider if it's right for you.
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