One of the most worrisome steps for a lot of people when pitching a product or idea is the potential customer’s objection. Fear not! An objection is a sign that your customer is engaged in some way. The best way to overcome objections is to be prepared. These steps are key to successful objection handling:
1. Clarify, Acknowledge, and Respond. When you are presented with an objection, always ask if you answered their question or addressed their concern. If you did, move on and don’t dwell. If you did not, clarify again.
2. Knowing your product inside and out is a given. This makes it much easier to address any objection that exists and move your customer back to the benefits of your product.
3. Think about objections you would have to the product and formulate a response ahead of time so that you are prepared. When you practice your sales pitch, practice your objection handling.
4. Sometimes customers present objections that require some thought before you address them. It’s helpful to ask them how they are currently doing things. This gives you some time to think but also allows you to see into their process, which can help you understand the objection a little more clearly.
5. When you have successfully overcome an obstacle, write down what you did. It is important to have a list of tactics that worked and that haven’t worked.
Stop seeing objections as obstacles, create your sales plan, practice, and nail that next sale!
