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Your Complete Guide to Handling Buyer Objections

The process of handling buyer objections is Step 7 of your Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation.

In our last article, Step 6: Your Complete Guide to Flushing Out Buyer Objections, we learned a lot about objections. We learned why we should welcome buyer objections, when and why buyers object, several types of objections, and a roadmap to handle objections.

Now, finally, it’s time to deal with the buyer’s objection. Always remember while you are deciding how to deal with an objection that most buyer’s objections are a request for information. Your role is to answer their questions, so it enables you to close the sale.

Content

In this article on handling buyer objections, we’ll examine:

• When should we answer buyer objections?
• 6-steps to handling buyer objections
• 10 techniques for handling buyer objections
• What comes after the buyer objection?

 

 

When Should We Answer Buyer Objections?

In the last article, Your Complete Guide to Flushing Out Buyer Objections, I said that most of the time, you should handle an objection immediately. However, to determine when to answer an objection, you must consider the type of objection. That includes understanding why it was raised, the mood of the buyer, and the stage of your presentation. Considering these factors, you will answer the objection immediately, anticipate and forestall it, postpone it, or choose not to answer it at all.

Immediately

My view is that almost all objections should be answered immediately when raised. A sincere response to an objection conveys your professionalism and your respect for the buyer’s viewpoint. Besides that, it shows you care, and you’re listening!

Anticipate and Forestall

One key to handling objections is to anticipate them and build answers into your presentation. That way, if a buyer brings up an objection you anticipated, you can use one of the ten techniques for handling objections that we’ll cover later in this article.

Postpone

Objection handling technique #4 is to postpone the objection. There are times when postponing an objection makes sense. Just be sure that if you postpone handling an objection, you don’t forget it. Make sure you handle it later in your presentation.

Nothing grates on a buyer’s nerves more than a salesperson who says, “I’ll cover that in a minute,” and then forgets to answer the buyer’s question or handle the objection.

Don’t Answer an Excuse

Sometimes a buyer’s objection is really an excuse. Most of the time, the excuse objection is unimportant and is just meant to derail you and your presentation. With experience, you’ll sense when buyers may be using excuse objections. You’ll know if the objection is an excuse if you answer it, and the buyer throws out another excuse. Don’t answer an excuse.

That being said, be careful! If the buyer raises the same excuse objection a second time, its best to treat it like a real objection.

6-Steps to Handling Buyer Objections

So, now we know when we need to answer a buyer’s objection let’s examine a 6-step approach to handling the buyer’s objection.

1. Hear the Buyer Out

First, bite your lip and keep your eager mouth shut! The most important thing you can do to resolve a buyer’s objection successfully is to hear the buyer out. Listen to what they say and how they say it.

Remember, an objection is most often a request for more information, so listen carefully to what the buyer tells you. Then you’ll know how to respond.

2. Confirm Your Understanding

Next, ensure you understand the buyer’s objection by confirming what you heard is actually what he or she meant to say! A good way to do that is to employ objection handling technique #3 Rephrase the Objection.

If you rephrase and don’t have it right, or if you didn’t understand the objection in the first place, you should ask the buyer to explain. Say something like, “I’m sorry I do not know what you mean. Can you describe your concern again for me?

Additionally, you should be sure that you have isolated the real issue with a question like, “Other than that, are there any other reasons that you would keep you from buying today?”

3. Acknowledge the Buyer’s Point of View

Most of the time, the buyer’s objections are sincere, and they deserve to be treated with respect. Acknowledge the buyer’s objection, listen carefully, and take responsibility for any misunderstanding or lack of clarity on your part. Say something like, “I understand how you feel,” or I appreciate your concern…”

When you acknowledge the buyer’s objection this way, you demonstrate your professionalism and your desire to solve the buyer’s problem.

4. Decide How to Handle the Objection

Next, you must decide how you will handle the buyer’s objection. In the next section, we’ll cover ten common techniques for handling objections. Before you choose which method to use, think about:

• Whether the objection has been raised by this buyer before.
• What stage of the presentation are you in (just starting, middle, or almost ready to close)?
• The buyer’s behavioral style. Is the buyer an amiable, analyst, driver, or expressive (see here for more on the buyer’s behavioral; style)?
• What kind of a mood is the buyer in (argumentative or receptive)?
• What type of objection did the buyer bring up (see Your Complete Guide to Flushing Out Buyer Objections for more)?

5. Answer the Objection

Finally, answer the buyer’s objection. Be sincere, respectful, and concise. Answer the question as succinctly as possible by considering the buyer’s behavioral style. Then, the next step is moving on to the trial close.

6. Use a Trial Close

The last step in handling the objection is to confirm that your answer met the buyer’s needs with a trial close. (See How to Leverage the Trial Close in Your Ultimate Sales Presentation for more on the trial close.)

10 Techniques for Handling Buyer Objections

Now that you have the buyer’s objection out in the open, you must deal with it. Here are ten common techniques to handle a buyer’s objection. Some of these you will use by themselves, others may be used in combination.

1. Sidestep the Objection

The sidestep is a valuable technique to use when you need to reinforce a key benefit. With the sidestep, the salesperson neither denies, answers, or ignores the objection, but sidesteps it for just a moment.

For example, if the buyer raises a common objection like “Your price is too high” or “We can’t afford that” the salesperson might respond, “Before you make the decision to buy, let me explain the value of everything you get with this product.”

Note the salesperson uses an affirmative response, “before you decide to buy,” then reinforces a key benefit directly related to the specific objection.

The sidestep is an ideal technique to use combined with another objection handling technique like the rephrase, postpone, or the boomerang.

2. Pass Up the Objection

The pass up technique is useful when you believe the buyer’s objection is an unimportant objection or an excuse.

For example, if the buyer says, “I don’t have a need for your product,” you could answer using the customer benefit approach. For exampe say, “If I can show you how this product will save you 20% on your finished product inventory costs would you be interested?”

The key to using the pass up technique is not to put the buyer on the defensive. Do not ignore the objection or challenge the buyer by simply saying, “Why not?”

3. Rephrase the Objection

Rephrasing is one of my favorite techniques. In my opinion, it is one of the most versatile and powerful objections handling techniques.

The rephrase technique, as the name suggests, simply rephrases the buyer’s objection as a question. Rephrasing the objection has two important benefits; you acknowledge the buyer’s objection, and you confirm your understanding of the objection.

For example, the buyer says, “I can’t place an order now. We have inventory at the end of the month.” The salesperson responds by rephrasing the objection as a question. “I understand. Your main concern with placing an order today is that you can’t have it delivered until after your inventory. Is that right?”

The beauty of the rephrase is it naturally allows the salesperson to add a trial close to the end of the rephrased objection. In this example, the trial close is, “Is that right?”.

4. Postpone the Objection

It is not unusual for a buyer to skip ahead of you in the presentation and ask a question or offer an objection you will discuss later in the presentation. If this happens, the postpone is an excellent technique to postpone handling the objection until you are ready.

For example, if the buyer asks, “What is your price?” the salesperson responds, “I’m glad you asked that, and I know pricing is important to you. Bear with me. I will cover pricing in just a moment.”

When you get to the part of the presentation that covers the postponed objection, make a point of referring to the buyer’s question.

For example, “A moment ago, you asked about pricing. Let’s dig into the pricing question now.”

The primary benefit of using the postpone technique is you don’t allow the buyer to derail or interrupt the flow of your presentation. You simply postpone answering their questions to a point in your presentation when it makes sense to provide the answer.

5. Boomerang the Objection

The boomerang technique accepts the premise of the objection but sends it back to the buyer as a benefit. There will be cases when a buyer objects to something about your product or service that is actually a benefit. In this situation, you accept the premise of the objection and send it back to the buyer as a benefit.

For example, I can imagine when Tylenol first introduced the safety cap on their bottles, a buyer somewhere objected, saying, “I don’t like these new bottles! The caps are too hard to remove!” The Tylenol salesperson would smile broadly and say, “I’m glad you noticed the caps. We specifically designed them to be difficult for children to be able to open and take the medicine accidentally.”

Like the rephrase, the boomerang technique provides a perfect opportunity to follow with a trial close. In our Tylenol example, the salesperson might continue saying, “Isn’t that a great way to protect children?”

6. Question the Objection

One of the most important things you can do as a salesperson handling an objection is to be sure you fully understand the objection. The best way to do that is to ask the buyer a series of open-ended questions.

For example, the buyer says, “I don’t like this car as much as the one I saw yesterday.” The salesperson responds, “I see. Can you tell me what was it that you especially liked about the car you saw yesterday?”

Then, depending on the answer, the salesperson continues to ask open-ended questions until the real objection is clear. Once you clearly understand the objection, you handle it using another of the objection handling techniques.

7. Directly Deny the Objection

Occasionally a buyer will give you an objection based on incomplete or incorrect information. In this case, a direct denial of the objection is perhaps your best course of action. However, a direct denial needs to be handled politely and tactfully with facts and logic.

A direct denial should begin by acknowledging the buyer’s objection, then answer with complete or correct information.

For example, a buyer says, “I don’t want your copy machine; my paper supplier says your machines break down all the time.” The salesperson responds, saying, “I certainly understand how important it is for you to have a reliable copy machine in your office. I’m afraid your paper supplier doesn’t have all the facts about our copiers’ reliability.”

Once the objection is tactfully denied, the salesperson will go one to offer the correct information to the buyer.

8. Indirectly Deny the Objection

The indirect denial is a softer, even more, tactful version of the direct denial. The indirect denial begins by accepting the buyer’s objection but then denies the objection.

An indirect denial often takes the form of “yes, but” or “I agree.” Yes, I agree with what you said, but here’s the correct information.

For example, a buyer objects saying your price is higher than a competitor. You respond, saying, “I agree our price is higher than our competitors, but our product is made to exacting specifications that will deliver years of trouble-free operation. Is trouble-free operation important to you?”

The indirect denial works well when the buyer’s objection is factually correct, but their objection is based on incomplete or incorrect information. In this case, you agree with the objection, provide the correct information, and then move on with a trial close.

9. Counterbalance the Objection

There will be times when a buyer’s objection is factually correct and must be counterbalanced by an offsetting benefit. The counterbalance technique is one of my favorites when selling premium-priced products, and the buyer offers a price objection.

For example, the buyer objects, saying, “Your frying oil price is 20% higher than the private label product I buy.” The salesperson says, “You’re right, our price is higher than your private label. The reason is our frying oil lasts longer in the fryer without breaking down, so it saves you money. It doesn’t give food an oily taste, so it looks and tastes better. Are you interested in saving money and having better quality food?”

The salesperson accepts the factually correct element of the objection but counterbalances it with benefits that offset the objection. As with other techniques, the counterbalance technique lends itself to using a trial close.

10. Third-Party Proof

Sometimes your answer to an objection will not convince the buyer. When this is the case, the third-party proof technique can save the day.

If you have read sales advertisements, you have probably seen third-party proof statements in action. In the middle of the sales page, there are pictures of satisfied customers along with their glowing testimonials. Then you see a chart of data that unveils a study supporting the claims made in the ad. Finally, at the bottom of the sales page is a big satisfaction guaranteed, money back, if you don’t like it send it back promise.

Testimonials, study data, and guarantees are all common third-party proof techniques.

You can use them in your presentation in the very same way to prove the point you made in answer to a buyer’s objection.

For example, a potential customer tells a solar salesperson they don’t believe they will save money with a solar system. The salesperson responds with data from the local utility company and testimonials from satisfied customers. Even more powerful, the salesperson gives the potential customer a list of two or three neighbors down the street who are thrilled with their solar system.

Now that you are an expert at using the ten objection handling techniques, the question arises, what’s next? What do you do after the buyer objection is handled?

What Comes After the Buyer Objection?

Remember, as a professional salesperson; you view an objection from a buyer as a request for information because the customer is engaged and interested. You handle the objection professionally, and then it is time to move on with your presentation. Or is it?

Trial Close

The first thing you need to do after handling a buyer objection is gain agreement from the buyer that you have answered their question satisfactorily. The best and most natural way to do that is with a trial close.

We covered the use of the trial close in detail in a recent article. So, if you need a refresher to check it out here, How to Leverage the Trial Close in Your Ultimate Sales Presentation.

Once the objection is handled, you must ensure that you have answered the buyer’s objection with a trial close. You do not be in a rush to finish your presentation and move on without using a trial close after every objection. So don’t rush!

Pick Up Where You Left Off

Once you’ve confirmed the objection is handled with a trial close, the next thing to do is a transition back into your presentation. This transition can be as simple as saying, “Very good; let’s continue then.” Or, “Thanks for asking, that was a great question. Now, as I was explaining (and continue where you left off).”

Close the Sale

If you were at the end of your presentation when the buyer raised an objection, then you’ll want to follow with a trial close and move toward closing the sale. In a future article, we’ll cover techniques for closing the sale, but for now, remember to use your trial close, summarize key benefits, and ask for the order!

What if You’re Stuck?

Every professional salesperson reaches the end of their presentation and hears an objection they cannot overcome. It has happened to me. It is bound to happen to you. Your product is not a perfect fit for every customer. If you think your product will solve a customer’s problem, then don’t be afraid to close and ask for the order. You never know, you may still make the sale. One thing is for sure. You will never make the sale if you don’t ask for the order.

The Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation Series

Step 6: Determine Objections is the seventh in a series of articles, which have been created to teach you how to craft and deliver the Ultimate Sales Presentation in 10-Steps.

If you missed a previous article in this series or you want to review one again, you’ll find them here:

• Kick-Off: The Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation
• Step 1: The Complete Guide to Sales Prospecting for Your Ultimate Presentation
• Step 2: A Complete Guide to Planning Your Ultimate Sales Presentation
• Step 3: A Complete Guide to the Approach Step of Your Ultimate Sales Presentation
• Step 4: How to Create Your Ultimate Presentation (Presentation Part 1)
• Step 4: Key Elements of Your Presentation (Presentation Part 2)
• Step 5: How to Leverage the Trial Close in Your Ultimate Sales Presentation
• Step 6: Your Complete Guide to Flushing Out Buyer Objections
• Step 7: Your Complete Guide to Handling Buyer Objections
• Step 8-10: Coming soon. A new article releases every two weeks.

If you want to make sure you don’t miss one of these articles, you can sign up to receive the series here.

Join the Conversation

As always, questions and comments are welcome. What steps do you take to handle objections in your presentations? Which objection handling techniques do you like the best? Why?

I’d love your help. This blog is read primarily because of people like you who share it with friends. Would you be kind enough to share it by pressing the share button?

Category: Salespeople

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Your Complete Guide to Flushing Out Buyer Objections

The process of flushing out buyer objections is Step 6 of your Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation.

Salespeople tend to have a fear or flight reaction when it comes to buyer objections.

Every salesperson I ever trained initially either feared or despised buyer objections. Those who feared objections eventually stumbled and fumbled their responses, and then failed. Those who despised objections became defensive and domineering, determined to “win the argument.” They also failed.

Neither response to objections is productive nor helpful. Neither will help you close a sale.

The correct response to an objection is to smile and treat it like a request for additional information.

Just in case you either fear or despise objections, my goal today is to help you see why you should welcome buyer objections in your presentation so you can handle them and make the sale!

Content

In this article on flushing out buyer objections, we’ll examine:

• Why should we welcome buyer objections?
• What are objections?
• When does the buyer object?
• Objections and the sales process
• 7-step roadmap to handle objections
• 6 common types of objections

Why Welcome Buyer Objections?

Why in the world would any salesperson welcome objections? Simply because when handled correctly, objections lead to a sale. Objections demonstrate the buyer is engaged in your presentation. They are the buyer’s way of asking for more information. Inside that objection is a clue to what the buyer is concerned about. When you meet the customer’s needs and solve their problems by answering their objections, you will make more sales.

No buyer wants to be taken advantage of or make a poor purchase decision. So, buyers ask questions and raise objections to fill in gaps in their knowledge and assure themselves they are making a good decision. When you answer their questions and handle their objections, you’re fulfilling your responsibility as a relational salesperson to help the buyer.

So, I look forward to the objections. Handling objections is one more way you serve your customers.

What Are Objections?

Buyer objections are defined as any resistance to any information or request you make as the salesperson. Simply put, an objection is just about anything the buyer says or does that interferes with the completion of your presentation.

If a buyer has been properly qualified (see MAD process), an objection is really a buying signal. Objections demonstrate the buyer is engaged, and they help us determine which stage in the buying process the buyer has reached—attention, interest, desire, conviction, or ready to buy.

When Do Buyer’s Object?

Simply put, buyers may object at any point in the sales process from the approach to the close.

So, as a professional salesperson, you need to be ready to handle buyer objections from the moment you see the buyer all the way until you have their signature on the order form.

When I was a young sales representative, our company announced a price increase that would take place almost immediately. I had to call on all my customers within a few days to take orders before the price increase went into effect.

As I approached one buyer, he shouted out to me, “You know I don’t see salespeople on Tuesday. Come back on my regular buying day!

I admit I was more than a little annoyed at his rudeness. However, I took a couple of deep breathes, smiled and said, “Sorry, to bother you. I know it’s not your regular buying day, but I have a price increase to tell you about that goes into effect before your next buying day.”

Then I stopped talking and waited.

He put his papers down, looked up from his desk, and gruffly invited me into his office. Had I walked away at his first objection; I would have lost a sale. In a few days, when he discovered he missed the opportunity to buy before the price increase, he would have been mad he lost out, and he would have blamed me!

Buyer Objections and The Sales Process

Some inexperienced salespeople have a tendency to start their presentation and keep talking without taking a breath until they ask for the order at the end of their presentation. Then, the buyer raises an objection, and the salesperson has no idea what to do next.

That is not the way you, a professional salesperson following the Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation, deliver your presentations!

If you refer to the illustration of the Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation (above), note that Step 6 is Determine Objections. Determining objections comes after using a Trial Close.

You use a trial close after every major selling point. Remember, the trial close asks the buyer’s opinion; it is not a decision to buy.

The trial close will either cause the buyer to agree with what you’ve presented or cause them to ask a question or raise an objection. If the buyer objects you…

1. determine the objection using one of the objection handling techniques,
2. address the buyer’s objection,
3. use another trial close to determine if you have answered the objection satisfactorily, and
4. then transition back into the presentation.

If at the end of step 3, the buyer still has an objection, you jump back up to step 1 and repeat the process until you have addressed the objections to the buyer’s satisfaction. Then and only then do you move on to step 4 and transition back to the main body of your presentation.

7-Step Roadmap to Handle Objections

One of the first things new salespeople need to learn is how to handle objections.

As they get more experience, salespeople realize it’s a lot easier to plan for and build answers to common objections into the presentation. By building answers to common objections into their presentations, you answer the objection before the buyer even raises it.

In this section, we will consider how to plan for objections ahead of time, then how to build answers into our presentation, and finally, how to handle other types of objections as they arise.

1. Plan Ahead of Time

You know what they say, “prior planning pays profits promptly!” This saying is certainly true when it comes to planning for objections. When planning your presentation, you should think of what questions the buyer might have about your product. Also, think about what objections the buyer might have to buying your product. In other words, think about why the buyer might say, “no.”

I always encourage new salespeople to keep track of the questions and objections they get from their buyers and which responses helped make the sale. Similarly, consider which responses did not have the desired effect on the buyer. Improve the good and eliminate the poor responses from your selling skillset.

The more presentations you make, the more times you’ll hear similar objections, and the better prepared you’ll be to handle them.

2. Anticipate Objections

In the previous step, I asked you to consider what objections might arise ahead of time. Now as you develop your presentation, I want you to build answers to all these questions and potential objections into your presentation.

In this way, you’ll deal with the question or objection that may be forming in the buyer’s mind before they even have an opportunity to verbalize it. That is why it is so important to catalog questions and objections you frequently hear so you can build the answers into your presentation!

An objection anticipated is an objection forestalled!

A second way to deal with objections is to discuss your product’s disadvantages before the buyer does. Almost every product has some disadvantages. If you think a disadvantage might be an issue with your buyer, then the best course of action is to address the disadvantage directly in your presentation.

An anticipated disadvantage will never be raised.

A third way to handle an objection is to reframe it as a benefit. For example, price objections are among the most common objections you’ll hear as a salesperson of premium products. I like to reframe the price of a premium product. You can discuss the premium product’s price in terms of investment, lower cost per use, or lower cost over time, etc.

A reframed disadvantage becomes a benefit.

3. Handle Objections Promptly

A common question among new and experienced salespeople alike is, “When should I handle an objection?”

In almost every case, I recommend handling objections as they arise. Ignoring, or not dealing adequately with an objection, will cause the buyer to negatively react to your presentation.

I have one exception to the “handle it right away rule,” and that is if you are just about to address the topic the buyer brought up. If so, I suggest you acknowledge the buyer’s objection with a statement like, “I’m glad you asked that. I am going to talk about that next.” Then finish the point you are making and transition into the question the buyer asked. Say something like, “You asked about (fill in the blank) a minute ago. I want to cover that now.”

So, handle objections as they arise, unless it is something you are going to cover in just a moment. If you delay handling an objection, make sure you acknowledge the buyer’s objection as you transition to handle the objection, and then again as your transition back to your presentation.

4. Remain Positive

By all means, remain positive. Remember, the objection is a request for information that handled properly brings you closer to making a sale. So, smile and handle that objection respectfully.

Remember, you are there to serve the best interests of your customer, including all those requests for additional information that come in the form of an objection.

5. Actively Listen

There is a tendency for salespeople to start answering an objection before the buyer has a chance to finish a sentence.

Inexperienced salespeople want to demonstrate their knowledge, so they answer before they’ve heard the whole question. Experienced salespeople assume they know where the question is going just because they’ve heard it so many times before.

Do not be that salesperson!

Never interrupt your buyer. Listen carefully as the buyer expresses their concern. When they are finished, then you can decide how to handle the objection best. Until then, practice your active listening skills!

6. Seek to Understand

Not all objections are created equal. Before you decide how to answer an objection you must decide whether the objection is a simple request for more information, whether it is an objection based on a specific condition, whether the objection is a functional or emotional one, and finally, whether the objection is a major or minor issue.

Request for Information

Many objections are simple requests for more information. That means the buyer has a desire for the product and is likely already in the conviction stage of the buying cycle. In the conviction stage, the buyer is already convinced buying your product is a good idea. Their questions simply reflect a need to get enough additional information so they can be sure of their decision.

Conditional Objection

A conditional objection is one where the buyer is saying they will purchase if a specific condition is met.

Conditional objections are common in sales fields like automobile and home purchases.

For example, the last time I purchased a car, I offered the dealer a price several thousand dollars under the sticker price. This was a conditional objection. I was willing to purchase the car if the dealer met my condition.

Major or Minor Objection

Whether the objection is relatively important or unimportant to the buyer determines how you will respond to the objection. You want to concentrate your efforts on objections that that is directly related to an issue important to the buyer. An important objection requires your focused attention to deal with the objection satisfactorily.

On the other hand, an objection to a relatively unimportant issue does not require a major discussion to resolve. So, don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.

Often less experienced salespeople will tackle every buyer objection, whether important or unimportant, as though they were planning an assault on Mt. Everest. Experienced salespeople learn to give objections to the attention they deserve to address them satisfactorily, and then they move on with their presentation.

Real or Hidden Objection?

Sometimes, and I know this will come as a surprise to some of you, but buyers don’t always say what they mean when they object to something. Sometimes they will offer a real, tangible objection like “your price is too high.” But their real objection is hidden. What they really mean to say is, “I don’t think I can afford it.”

Price is the stated objection, but the real objection, the hidden objection, is their concern about affordability.

It takes experience to sense whether a stated objection is the real one, or if there is an objection the buyer is hiding.

One way you can tell whether an objection is real or if there is also a hidden is to respond to the stated objection assuming it is real. Then, if the buyer continues the objection to the same issue, you may be dealing with a hidden objection.

I had one buyer who wanted to discontinue a product I was selling him. I tried to determine his reason, and he kept giving me different reasons. I dealt with each objection. Finally, somewhat exasperated, I said, “Look, your business is very important to me, and I feel like you’re not telling me what is really driving your decision to discontinue this product. I can’t help you if you aren’t frank with me.”

Finally, he broke down and told me the real reason he was planning to discontinue the product. Once he finally gave me the hidden objection, we worked together to solve the problem, and I kept the product in distribution.

7. Respond to the Objection

Now that you thoroughly understand the objection, you are ready to respond.

How you respond to the objection depends on your understanding of the objection (what we just discussed), and the type of objection (what we will discuss next).

Six Common Types of Objections

The vast majority of objections you will hear throughout your career will be one of these six types:

• Hidden,
• Stalling,
• No-Need,
• Money,
• Product, or
• Source

Learning about the six types of objections and developing a plan to address each type will enable you to handle them more effectively and efficiently.

1. Hidden Objections

Hidden objection, as the name implies, are objections the buyer hides from the salesperson. The buyer hides his or her true objection either by asking unimportant questions to deflect the salesperson or by their silence.

Buyers hiding their true objections will often pleasantly converse with the salesperson, yet never reveal their true objections.

Overcoming the hidden objection begins with the salesperson listening carefully to the buyer’s tone of voice, observing their body language, and noting their response to the salesperson (either unimportant questions of the silent treatment).

Then, the challenge for the salesperson is to open up communication with the buyer through a series of open-ended questions. Eventually, through these questions, the salesperson may be able to get the buyer to open up enough to reveal their real objection.

When subtle methods fail to get the buyer to reveal their real objection, a direct approach may be effective. The direct approach asks the buyer directly and specifically what the hidden objection is so it can be resolved.

I had one buyer who I had worked with successfully for months suddenly resist my recommendations and showed signs of having hidden objection. After several minutes of asking open-ended questions to get him to reveal the hidden objection, he would not budge.

Finally, I closed my notebook, edged up closer to his desk, looked him straight in the eyes, and said, “Look, our relationship is a bit like a marriage. If you don’t tell me the truth, we can’t solve this problem. But I am confident if you tell me what is really bothering you, we can deal with it together.”

It was a risky move, but I felt our relationship was strong enough to withstand my challenging approach. Suddenly, he relaxed, and told me what was really going on was an issue from upper management he didn’t personally agree with, but he felt he had to follow their direction. Together we worked through the problem in a way that made him look good to his superiors.

2. Stalling Objections

The stalling objection is a common tactic and is usually a false objection.  Common stalling objections are: “I’ll think it over and get back to you,” I think I have enough inventory, check with me next time,” or “I need to check with my boss and get back to you.”

The first thing you need to do to deal with a stalling objection is to determine if the objection is real or false.

For example, if the buyer objects saying they have enough inventory, you need to determine if they have enough inventory to carry them until the next visit.

I had buyers use this stalling technique many times.

• Sometimes they had enough inventory, and I just needed to wait until my next visit. When that is the case, be honest and tell them you agree they don’t need to order this trip.
• Sometimes the buyer didn’t have enough inventory to carry them through until my next visit. When that was the case, I needed to discover why they were reluctant to order. There were times a small customer just didn’t have the cash flow to place an order right then, and it would be bad business to push them to buy when they couldn’t afford the order.
• Other times, they had an inventory coming up, and the real reason they stalled was they didn’t want the order to arrive before their inventory.

As you can see, some reasons for the stall are valid, and some are not. It is up to you to determine which is which and then take appropriate action.

3. No-Need Objections

No-need objections typically arise either when the buyer uses a similar product, and they have no intention of changing, or when they don’t see the need for the product at all.

With either case, the buyer may listen politely and then say, “Thanks, but I’m not interested now,” or “Thanks, but I’m happy with the product I’m using now.”

The challenge with the No-Need objection is, it doesn’t give the salesperson much of a clue what to say or do next.

Overcoming the No-Need objection requires you to open the conversation up and keep it going. If you know the buyer uses a similar product, you may be dealing with buyer loyalty to the product. If so, consider dealing with the objection as though it were a product or source objection.

If the buyer doesn’t use a similar product and they say they have No-Need, then to overcome the objection, you need to be able to demonstrate how your product can solve a problem for the buyer.

4. Money Objections

Money objections are among the most common you’ll encounter as a salesperson: The product costs too much, I can’t afford that, or I don’t have any money.

One difficulty of dealing with price objections is they are false objections as often as they are real objections.

Think about your own buying habits. If you’re like me, I bet you’ve told a salesman you couldn’t afford something when, in fact, you could. The real issue was you weren’t ready to buy, or you weren’t convinced the benefits of the product outweighed the price.

On the other hand, the price objection may be very real. A buyer may be comparing your price against competitors who is less expensive.

Overcoming real price objections requires the salesperson to reframe the value of the product, so the benefits outweigh the price. For example, often the operating cost of a premium product is lower than a less effective, lower price competitor. You can overcome the price objection by showing the buyer per use cost comparisons, or lifetime cost comparisons.

5. Product Objections

Objections to products usually come up either when a buyer is buying a product they are not familiar with, or when they already are buying a competitive product.

Buyers unfamiliar with the product may be unsure of their decision. They may be afraid the product will not perform as expected or that it isn’t all the salesperson claims.

Buyers familiar with the product may already be buying a competitive product and have preconceived notions about your product.

Overcoming product objections requires you to reassure the buyer about the product and the claims being made. This is usually done with some combination of guarantees, testimonials, independent research reports, and demonstrations.

6. Source Objections

Sometimes buyers are loyal to a company or a particular product. Presentations that suggest changing the source or particular product may result in what we call source objections.

Source objections came up frequently when I was selling Foodservice products. Chefs tend to be particularly loyal to both their sources and the products they use. Sometimes that loyalty was because they had a longstanding relationship with a salesperson or a supplier. Their loyalty to products was usually due to the product’s consistent performance.

Overcoming the source objection requires developing a strong relationship with the buyer. Get to know them and their specific needs. The better you understand their unique needs, the better you can serve them.

The Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation Series

Step 6: Determine Objections is the seventh in a series of articles, which have been created to teach you how to craft and deliver the Ultimate Sales Presentation in 10-Steps.

If you missed a prior article in this series or you want to review one again, you’ll find them here:

If you want to make sure you don’t miss one of these articles, you can sign up to receive the series here.

Join the Conversation

As always, questions and comments are welcome. What process do you use to flush out objections in your presentations?

I’d love your help. This blog is read primarily because of people like you who share it with friends. Would you be kind enough to share it by pressing the share button?

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How to Leverage the Trial Close in Your Ultimate Sales Presentation

The Trial Close is both Step 5 and Step 8 of your Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation.

Yes, indeed, the trial close is so important; it is two steps of your Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation!

The reason is simple. If you don’t understand and master the trial close, you might as well look for another career right now. Without the trial close, you’ll never be a top salesperson.

Think about it for a moment. Have you ever been a buyer when the salesperson pitched their product, and they never stopped talking until they asked for the order? So, have I! I didn’t buy their product either!

Here’s what happens. The salesperson starts talking. You have a question, but they keep talking. As they talk, you realize you don’t agree with what the salesperson just said, but they just keep talking.

This goes on for what seems like an eternity.

The salesperson is talking, and all the while, you have questions and objections piling up in your head like a major traffic jam on the freeway!

Suddenly, without warning the salesperson, asks for the order. You can’t wait to blurt out, “NO!,” “HECK NO,” “OH, MY GOSH, NO,” or some other appropriate variant.

However, when used properly, the trial close will keep you from being THAT salesperson.

Instead, as you start talking to your buyer, you will stop after every major point and ask questions. If the buyer asks you a question or raises an objection, you will stop, address their question or objection, and make sure you’ve answered it to their satisfaction before you move on with your presentation.

These questions, when they are correctly constructed, are known as trial closes, and we will learn all about them today!

Content

In this article on using the Trial Close, we’ll examine:

• What is the Trial Close?
• The Four benefits of using Trial Closes.
• When to use a Trial Close.
• Examples of Trial Closes.
• How to Leverage the SELL Sequence.

 

 

What Is A Trial Close?

A trial close is an important tool for every professional salesperson. The trial close allows the salesperson to determine whether or not the buyer is ready to buy.

A trial close is different from the close!

A trial close asks for the buyer’s opinion, while the close asks for the buyer’s decision to buy. By asking for the buyer’s opinion, the trial close gives you, the seller, immediate feedback about the buyer’s state of mind.

Think of this feedback like a stoplight.

• Proceed. The buyer agrees with your proposal.
• Proceed with caution. The buyer partially agrees with your proposal. However, there is something the buyer does not agree with or something they don’t understand about your proposal. So, you need to figure out what the issue is and clear it up before you can move on to your next point.
• Stop! The buyer doesn’t agree with the claims in your proposal. You need to back up and figure out what went wrong, before moving on to your next point.

Without the trial close, you will keep going with your presentation without knowing whether the buyer is stuck on something you said four points back. Then, when you try to close the deal, the buyer says “no” and you have no idea why!

Using the trial close prevents that surprising “no” at the end of your presentation.

4 Benefits of Using Trial Closes

I have explained to you that a trial close is a tool that provides feedback regarding the buyer’s state of mind and specifically their readiness to buy. Here are four benefits to using trial closes in your presentation

1. It reveals obstacles

A trial close can help reveal obstacles that may prevent you from closing your sale. Most often, the obstacle is a question or objection that the buyer has about something you’ve said. The trial close will flush these obstacles out in the open so you can deal with them.

2. It reveals opportunities

Sometimes an obstacle, like the ones I mentioned above, are really opportunities. A buyer may like the main points of your proposal but be concerned about one thing. Maybe they think the order is too small to meet their needs, so there is an opportunity to increase the order. Or, perhaps the buyer wants to proceed but is nervous about signing a long-term contract. Here, there is an opportunity to shorten the length of the contract or provide an escape clause in the contract.

The trial close helps bring these opportunities to light

3. It builds trust and relationships

As I said before, the trial close asks for the buyer’s opinion about something. Don’t we all like to be asked for our opinion? And, don’t we love it when we sense the person asking the question actually listens to us and cares about our answer?

Asking questions and listening to the buyer demonstrates your intention to build a relationship and serve the customer.

4. It increases the likelihood of getting a “yes”

The more “yes’s” you get throughout your presentation, the more likely you’ll get a yes at the end.

Using trial closes throughout your presentation allows you to deal with obstacles while it reveals opportunities and builds trust. So, you come to the end of your presentation knowing exactly where you stand, and with the buyer having said yes to all the major points you discussed along the way.

So far, we learned what a trial close is and how it differs from the final close to our presentation. We also learned four benefits to using trial closes. Next, let’s consider when we should use trial closes in our presentation.

When to Use A Trial Close

There are four distinct opportunities to leverage the power of the trial close in our presentations.

• After every main selling point in our presentation.
• After answering any question from the buyer.
• After answering any objection from the buyer.
• Just before we are ready to close the sale.

Using a trial close at each point in our presentation accomplishes four things.

1. It tells us whether the buyer agrees with a feature, benefit, and advantage of our product or proposal.
2. It tells us whether we have successfully answered a buyer’s objection or overcome some obstacle.
3. It tells us whether or not there are additional questions, objections, or obstacles.
4. It tells us whether the buyer is ready for us to close the sale.

If inexperienced salespeople have one glaring weakness, it is the tendency to get so wrapped up in giving the presentation; they forget to use trial closes to make sure the buyer is tracking with the presentation. In effect, they are pushing forward without realizing they left the buyer behind!

Generally, when salespeople tell me they failed to make a sale, it is almost always because they didn’t use enough trial closes. In all my years of selling, I’ve never seen a salesperson lose a sale because they used too many trial closes.

Examples of Trial Closes

Remember, the trial close asks for the buyer’s opinion. So, the trial close is always posed as a question.

Here are a few examples of common trial close questions.

• How do you feel about what we have discussed so far?
• What do you think about the solution I’ve shared with you?
• How does what we’ve talked about sound to you?
• Based on what you’ve heard so far, what are your questions?
• If you had your way, what changes would you make to the proposal?
• Does the product/solution make sense to you?
• What do you think about this (insert idea/benefit)?

The trial close question you ask needs to be tailored to the opportunity. For example,

• Did you just deliver a major selling point? Then you might ask, “What do you think about this (insert benefit)?
• If you just answered a question from the buyer, you might ask, “Does that answer your question?” Or, “Does that make sense to you?”
• If the buyer just raised an objection and you answered. Then you might ask, “What do you think about this solution?”
• When you are just about ready to close the sale, you might ask, “Does the product/solution we’ve been discussing make sense to you?

One of the most common places where we lose a buyer during a presentation is when we explain a feature, advantage, and benefit of our product or proposal. That is why it is so important to use a trial close after every major selling point in our presentation.

So, let’s review the SELL sequence to see how the trial close should be used when discussing features, advantages, and benefits.

How to Leverage the SELL Sequence

In the last article, 6 Key Elements to Use in Your Ultimate Sales Presentation, I introduced the concept of the SELL sequence. As a refresher, the SELL sequence stands for:

• Show the feature,
• Explain the advantage,
• Lead into the benefit, and
• Let the customer talk!

The last “L,” let the customer talk, is where we leverage the power of the trial close. We show a feature, explain the advantage of the feature, and discuss how it benefits the buyer. Then we use the trial close to ask a question and let the customer talk!

The response from the buyer at this point tells us whether the buyer accepts the point we’ve made or whether he/she has some concern that we need to address.

The SELL sequence is especially important to use after every major selling point in the presentation where you introduce a feature, advantage, benefit combination.

The trial close is deceptively simple yet is among the most powerful tools in the salesperson’s arsenal. I urge you to master the trial close. Use it in every selling situation as often as you can until it becomes second nature.

You won’t have a better friend helping you to close sales than your trial close!

The Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation Series

Step 5: The Trial Close is the sixth in a series of articles, which have been created to teach you how to craft and deliver the Ultimate Sales Presentation in 10-Steps.

If you missed a prior article in this series or you want to review one again, you’ll find them here:

• Kick-Off: The Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation
• Step 1: The Complete Guide to Sales Prospecting for Your Ultimate Presentation
• Step 2: A Complete Guide to Planning Your Ultimate Sales Presentation
• Step 3: A Complete Guide to the Approach Step of Your Ultimate Sales Presentation
• Step 4: How to Create Your Ultimate Presentation (Presentation Part 1)
• Step 4: Key Elements of Your Presentation (Presentation Part 2)
• Step 5: How to Leverage the Trial Close in Your Ultimate Sales Presentation (you’re here)
• Steps 6-10: Coming soon. A new article releases every two weeks.

If you want to make sure you don’t miss one article, you can sign up to receive the series here.

Join the Conversation

As always, questions and comments are welcome. What questions do you have about using the Trial Close in your Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation?

I’d love your help. This blog is read primarily because of people like you who share it with friends. Would you be kind enough to share it by pressing the share button?

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6 Key Elements to Use in Your Ultimate Sales Presentation

The Sales Presentation is Step 4 of your Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation.

There is an old proverb that goes, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink!”

The same meaning is true for buyers. You can lead them to the right product or solution, but you can’t make them buy. Your job as a professional salesperson is to make the buyer “thirsty.” Show them why and how your product or solution is best. When you do that effectively, the buyer will buy.

Now, how do you make the buyer “thirsty?” The answer lies in how you craft your ultimate sales presentation.

Contents

In this article on crafting your ultimate sales presentation, we’ll examine:

• Three steps essential to your presentation.
• The sales presentation mix.
• Using persuasive communication to persuade.
• How to use visual aids to tell your story.
• Creating drama in your presentation.
• Using demonstrations to prove your point.
• Get ready for Murphy’s Law!

 

 

3 Steps Essential to Your Presentation

There are three essential steps to almost every presentation.

• You begin by discussing your product or idea. What are the features, advantages, and benefits of your product that will solve the buyer’s problem?
• Next, you present your marketing plan. If you are selling to a reseller or wholesaler, you discuss how they can resell your product. If you are selling to an end-user, you discuss how they will use your product.
• Finally, you need to explain your business proposition. Answer the questions: “What’s in it for your customer?” “How does the value of your product or idea outweigh its cost?”

Example

Here’s a simple example to demonstrate those three steps. In this example, I am selling Sterling Vegetable Oil to an Executive Chef who buys through a foodservice wholesaler.

• Product Features. Sterling Vegetable Oil is 100% premium Soybean oil. It is nearly colorless, and tasteless, and has been “winterized.”
• Product Advantages. Sterling Vegetable Oil’s clarity and non-oily taste make it an excellent base for your signature dressings and marinades. The winterized formula means it will remain clear even when refrigerated, unlike most other oils that get cloudy when refrigerated.
• Product Benefits. The clarity and taste of the oil mean the colors and taste of your spices will stand out in your recipe. Customers will see the bright colors of your ingredients and taste the flavor of your spices, not just oil. Additionally, you may find you can use less spice in your recipe and still have a great taste carry through in your dressing!
• Marketing Plan. Sterling Vegetable Oil comes in 1-gallon bottles, 4 to a case. It is stocked by both your primary foodservice wholesalers. With weekly deliveries from both distributors, you don’t need to carry a large inventory. Since you can reorder weekly, you don’t have to worry about running out of stock.
• Business Proposition. In the business proposition, I would discuss comparisons to competitive products, pricing, etc. I would also stress the value of using a premium oil in his signature dressings.

It’s important to note the features, advantages, and benefits are discussed when talking about the product. It is equally important to use the same feature, advantage, benefit technique when discussing the marketing plan and business proposition.

The Sales Presentation Mix

Every presentation is different, but every presentation shares six common elements. These six elements are known as the Sales Presentation Mix. The professional salesperson utilizes some combination of these elements (to a greater or lesser extent) in every presentation.

First, I’d like to introduce you to these six powerful elements. After a brief introduction, we’ll spend some time examining several elements of the sales presentation mix in more detail.

1. Persuasive Communication

Persuasive communication is critical to your success as a salesperson. You must be able to transmit your message to another person so they support your proposal. Plus, you also need to be able to persuade people to adopt your viewpoint.

2. Visual Aids

There is nothing worse than sitting across from a salesperson whose entire presentation is them talking. How boring is that?! So, as a professional salesperson, you must bring some interest to your presentation to capture the buyer’s attention and engage them. One way to do that is through visual aids.

3. Drama

Buyers see salespeople one after another, all day long. If you were a buyer, who would you look forward to seeing today? If you’re like me, the answer is someone who brings their presentation to life in some dramatic fashion. Someone who entertains me while they present.

That’s the power of adding a dramatic element to your presentation.

4. Demonstrations

Demonstrations are a great way to add drama to your presentation and engage your buyer. Good demonstrations are short, concise, and dramatically prove a point you are making in your presentation. The best demonstrations go one step further, getting the buyer into the act by inviting the buyer to participate in the demonstration.

5. Participation

Getting a buyer involved in your presentation increases their engagement and interest. So, finding ways to have a buyer participate in some way is important.

6. Proof

Buyers want to be convinced that what you are telling them is the truth, whether they say it out loud or not. The easiest way to do that is through proof statements. Proof of your claims can be provided in several forms, including testimonials, guarantees, company research, outside research, and the customer’s own past experiences.

So, there you go. We have now finished the quick introduction to the six presentation mix elements. Now, let’s take a deeper dive into using persuasive communication, visual aids, adding drama, and conducting demonstrations.

Using Persuasive Communication to Persuade

As I said before, persuasive communication is critical to the success of every salesperson. You must be able to persuade people to adopt your viewpoint. If you can’t do that, your career as a salesperson will be short-lived!

There are libraries of books on the “how to’s” of persuasive communication. In this article, I can only give you a topline look at some of the most powerful elements of persuasive communication:

• The SELL sequence,
• How to use logic,
• The power of suggestion, and
• The importance of trust.

SELL Sequence

The SELL sequence is one of the most versatile and powerful tools in the persuasive communication arsenal. Every professional salesperson must master the use of the SELL sequence.

SELL is an acronym that stands for:

• Show the feature,
• Explain the advantage,
• Lead into the benefit, and
• Let the customer talk!

You should use the SELL sequence when discussing any of the three stages (product, marketing plan, or business proposition) of your presentation.

For Example, I might ask an executive chef if the quality of the salad oil he uses in his signature dressings is important. I know he’ll say yes, of course, it is.

• Then I’ll hold up a small vial of Sterling Salad Oil and explain one feature of Sterling is it is the purest, 100% Soybean Oil available on the market.
• The advantage of Sterling’s purity is it is nearly colorless and tasteless.
• The benefit of being colorless and tasteless to you, chef, is the color and taste of the ingredients in your signature salad dressings will stand out, not the flavor of the oil.
• Then, I will let the customer talk by using a trial close. Knowing the taste of his signature dressings is important to him, I ask, “Is that important to you?”

The key to using a tool as powerful as the SELL sequence is to use the feature, advantage, benefit combination that is most important to the buyer first. Don’t start off by explaining something that isn’t that important to the buyer. Focus instead on the feature, advantage, and benefit that is most important to the buyer.

Another important tip in using the SELL sequence is to complete the sequence for each feature, advantage, and benefit before moving on to the next sequence. I’ve seen it over and over with less experienced salespeople. They are so excited they vomit out everything they know about a product in some random order that makes no sense and confuses the buyer.

Don’t be that salesperson! Be organized and follow your plan to talk about the most important thing first, then the next most important, and so on.

Logical Reasoning

Using logic as a persuasive communication tool is especially effective with analytical buyers. Analytical buyers appreciate the thought process that goes into the logical flow of establishing a premise followed by a conclusion.

A simple form of logical reasoning in a presentation calls for the salesperson to establish a major premise, then a minor premise, and finally, a conclusion.

For example. A major premise is, “Your trucking company wants to increase efficiency while reducing costs.” A minor premise is, “Brand X Trucks will increase efficiency while reducing your costs. And finally, the conclusion, “Therefore you should buy Brand X trucks from me.”

Another form of logical reasoning is called SCQA.

• Situation. Describe the current situation.
• Complication. What is the problem?
• Question. How can the problem be solved?
• Answer. Deliver your brilliant solution.

For example. You want to expand your trucking company business (situation). However, you can’t afford to expand because profits are down (complication). How can profits be increased to allow the business to expand (question)? Buy my new high-efficiency trucks that get 50% better mileage than your current fleet of trucks (answer).

These are just two of the many forms of logical reasoning that can be employed as part of a persuasive communication presentation. The important thing with these, or other logical reasoning tools, is that you adapt them to your buyer.

Suggestions Persuade

I don’t know about you, but usually, I don’t like being told what to do. If a salesperson tells me I need to do something in that “or else” tone of voice; my reaction is a hard “no!”

On the other hand, if a salesperson, respectfully suggests a course of action that will benefit me, then chances are good, I’ll take his or her suggestion.

That’s the power of persuasion through suggestion. You use suggestions to get the buyer’s attention, interest, desire, conviction, and action!

Here are six of the most common suggestion techniques you can deploy in your persuasive communication.

1. Suggestive Propositions

A suggestive proposition simply proposes the buyer should act now. It is particularly effective with buyers who procrastinate when making a decision.

For example, “Do you think it is beneficial for you to order before the price increase.?

2. Prestige Suggestions

The prestige suggestion appeals to the aspirational desire of the buyer. The buyer visualizes the prestige of a famous product or person associated with your suggestion applying to them.

For example, “Would you like to be like nine of the top ten manufacturers in your field who use Brand X?”

3. Autosuggestion

The autosuggestion technique asks the buyer to imagine themselves using or benefiting from the product. Almost every television commercial uses some form of autosuggestion.

For example, “Imagine how you will look when you lose that last 20-bs. You will be the envy of all your friends in the gym with your new physique!”

4. Direct Suggestions

Salespeople use the direct suggestion technique frequently because it is so effective. With the direct suggestion, you simply suggest what the buyer should do next.

For example, “Based on your recent sales volume, I suggest you purchase 20-cases of Brand Z.”

5. Indirect Suggestions

The indirect suggestion is also used to recommend a course of action. Often the indirect suggestion is used to assume the buyer will buy but give them a choice in how much or when to buy.

For example, “Do you think 50 cases of Brand Z will be enough for your next promotion, or would 75-cases be better?” Or, “Would you like delivery as soon as next week or would you prefer to take delivery at the end of the month?”

6. Counter Suggestions

The counter-suggestion is my least favorite technique. The idea is you make a suggestion counter to what you know the buyer wants.

For example, “Are you sure you really want the quality of these 1,000 count Island Cotton sheets?”

When you know a customer wants a specific product, the counter-suggestion can get them to defend their purchase decision. That is why I am not much of a fan of this technique. It tends to put the buyer in a defensive position, and that can easily backfire on the salesperson.

Build Trust

Trust is what I call a “hidden” element of persuasive communication. If the buyer trusts you, he or she is more likely to believe what you say. If the buyer doesn’t have a trusting relationship with you, they may take what you say with a grain of salt or disbelieve what you tell them.

For that reason, I always tell young salespeople for long-term success, be honest in all ways with everyone.

When I was a brand-new sales representative, I called on small independent grocery stores. I had trouble breaking through and selling a group of my customers. I kept calling on them every two weeks and finally got an order from one customer. Then two weeks later, I got an order from another customer in this group, and then another. Suddenly, I was flush with orders!

It turned out all these independent grocery store owners were part of a group, and they all talked to each other. The first owner ordered from me because I had quoted exactly the same prices and promotional offers to every one of my customers. Eventually, he had come to trust me. Why? Well, because I delivered exactly as I said I would, word got around, and the rest of the group ordered from me because they now trusted me.

If I hadn’t been honest with every one of the owners, I never would have gotten the first order. If I hadn’t delivered exactly as I said, I would never have gotten the other owners to order.

So, you always need to be honest with everyone all the time if you want to build trust. Trust that derives from honesty is a valuable tool in your persuasive communication.

How to Use Visual Aids to Tell Your Story

A visual aid is any physical item you use in your presentation to illustrate a key point. A visual aid leverages sight to reinforce the point being articulated. So, you appeal to two senses, hearing and sight, linked to make your point. Often visual aids are used to emphasize features, advantages, and benefits of the solution you are presenting.

Some of the common visual aids I’ve used over the years include

• Samples of the product itself.
• Photographs of the product.
• Testimonials from current users of the product.
• Product brochures and catalogs.
• Sample advertisements.
• Flip charts and posters.
• Printed presentations, including charts, graphs, and feature, advantage, benefit summaries.

I’m sure you can think of other visual tools you might use. The key to using a visual element is to use elements that support the point you are making in the presentation. You’ll just confuse the buyer if what you say doesn’t match what you show them in the visual!

Creating Drama in Your Presentation

Think about how you would feel if you were a buyer listening to one salesperson after another all day long, every day, day-after-day. How engaged would you be if the salesperson simply sat across the desk talking through a presentation, flipping through pieces of paper?

Or, would you be more engaged if they found a way to present their product in some striking, entertaining, or extravagant way?

I remember one sales rep that spoke about the quality of Iams Canned Dog Food to a buyer. He showed the buyer the can, then popped the top off the can, grabbed a spoon from his bag, and ate a big spoonful of Iams. He did this to make the point with the buyer that Iams is so pure it is fit for human consumption.

If you gagged a little bit just now, you know how I felt as he pulled this surprise move with his buyer.

I guarantee you that moment of drama engaged the buyer in the presentation. And I suspect, the buyer talked about this crazy salesperson eating dog food the rest of the week!

That’s what adding drama does for a presentation. It takes what might be a routine presentation and makes it stand out in the mind of the buyer!

Using Demonstrations to Prove Your Point

Another way to create drama in your presentation is to use demonstrations. Demonstrations are one of my favorite tools as a sales representative because the demonstration proves the point I am making in the presentation.

I have found that employing more of our senses when making a presentation always makes the story you are telling more powerful. Most salespeople talk all the way through their presentations. However, talking only employs the hearing sense, and we all know we tend to forget most of what we hear.

On the other hand, if what we hear is reinforced by a demonstration that dramatically makes the same point, we are much more likely to believe the point and to remember it. So, if you can use a demonstration to engage sight, touch, taste, and smell besides hearing your presentation will be far more memorable and convincing.

Example

I was presenting at a convention of restaurant owners about the importance of using high-quality dish soap to clean their dishes and utensils. Does that sound like a snooze fest or what?!

The topic itself is important since a restaurant’s rating from the health department is based in part on how clean all those dishes and utensils are. But most restaurant owners think soap is soap, so who cares?!

I knew I had a great story to tell because institutional Joy Dishwashing liquid is far superior to just about everything else on the market. It is a little more expensive per gallon, but it is so much more effective you can use less and still end up with sparkling clean dishes.

So, to keep my audience from tuning out, or worse, falling asleep, I conducted a demonstration to prove my point.

I filled two beakers with some water, put in equal amounts of dirty oil, and shook them up.

Then I put ten drops of a competitor’s dish soap in one beaker, and five drops of Joy in the other beaker. I shook them both up, and the results were dramatic.

The competitor’s product still had oil floating on the water and no suds. The Joy beaker had all the oil trapped in the suds and lots of suds remaining.

That demonstration proved my point far more effectively than anything I could have said! The only thing I would do differently is getting an audience member to participate by doing the demonstration as I talked him or her through it.

Demonstration Checklist

As I said, I love doing demonstrations, but to be convincing, you must spend some time planning your demonstration. Here are five things to think through as you plan your next demonstration.

1. Will the demonstration reinforce my presentation?
2. What is my objective with this demonstration?
3. Have I planned how I will conduct the demonstration?
4. Have I rehearsed every element of the presentation, so I know it will flow smoothly and achieve my objective?
5. Is there anything that can go wrong with this demonstration, and if so, how will I recover?

Remember, the whole reason for doing a demonstration is to increase the effectiveness of your presentation. You need to do three things.

• Capture the buyer’s attention and interest.
• Engage them through participation in the demonstration.
• Reinforce the features, advantages, and benefits of your product as a solution to the buyer’s problem.

One final note on demonstrations. You spend all this time and energy, creating and conducting this demonstration. Take advantage of the powerful conclusion to your demonstration by incorporating a trial close. In my Joy Dishwashing example above, a trial close might be something as simple as saying, “Do you all agree that Joy has done a better job of trapping the grease than the competitive product even though I used half as much Joy?” (We’ll talk more about the trial close and how to use them in your presentation in the near future.)

Get Ready for Murphy’s Law!

I suspect you are aware of the adage known as Murphy’s Law. Murphy’s Law states, “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.”

You’re my friend, so let me assure you Murphy is alive and well, and his law is still in place!

As a professional salesperson, you might as well get used to the idea that things will go wrong when you are giving a presentation. However, I’m sure that you understand that I can’t possibly cover everything that can go wrong (that would be another book). Although, I know that there are two of the most common things that can and will go wrong at some point in your sales career.

Interruptions

You will be just about ready to close on a major point, and the phone will ring, or the boss will stick his or her head in the door and interrupt your presentation. What do you do? If the discussion is personal (like a spouse is on the phone) motion you will step outside to give the buyer privacy.

Meanwhile, wait and gather your thoughts. Quickly think about exactly where you left off in your presentation. Also, while you are waiting, decide how you will reengage the buyer when you resume.

Once you are ready to resume your presentation, give the buyer a moment to clear their head and focus their attention back on you and the business at hand.

Next, I like to restate the last point I made to help get the buyer’s attention back on track. In the Sterling Oil presentation, I mentioned before; I might say something like, “As I was saying, Sterling Oil is nearly clear and tasteless, which means the color, and the taste of your spices really stand out. Does that sound good to you?”

Technical Fails

Technology is often a vital element in our presentations today. Sadly, technology has a way of breaking down and not working right when we need it the most. I try to protect myself from technology failures ruining a presentation by having duplicate systems.

I don’t like to rely on internet downloads when I am in someone else’s’ office. So, I make sure that I have downloaded the videos, presentations, and everything else I need on my computer hard drive. Often, I will make another backup of all those important files on a second device like a thumb drive.

If my computer won’t run, I always have paper copies of my presentation so I can go old school if needed.

The point is, be prepared. Interruptions will happen. Technology will fail. Don’t get upset. Don’t let your frustration show. Just smile and get back on track as fast as you can and close that sale!

The Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation Series

Step4: The Presentation is the fifth in a series of articles, which have been created to teach you how to craft and deliver the Ultimate Sales Presentation in 10-Steps.

If you missed a prior article in this series or you want to review one again, you’ll find them here:

• Kick-Off: The Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation
• Step 1: Customer Prospecting
• Step 2: Pre-Approach Planning
• Step 3: The Approach
• Step 4: The Presentation – Part 1
• Step 4: Key elements of the Sales Presentation Mix to Use in Your Presentation (you’re here)
• Steps 5-10: Coming soon. A new article releases every two weeks.

If you want to make sure you don’t miss one of these articles, you can sign up to receive the series here.

Join the Conversation

As always, questions and comments are welcome. What questions do you have about the Sales Presentation Mix elements of the Ultimate 10-Step Presentation model?

I’d love your help. This blog is read primarily because of people like you who share it with friends. Would you be kind enough to share it by pressing the share button?

Category: Salespeople

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How to Create Your Ultimate Sales Presentation (with examples)

The Presentation is Step 4 of your Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation.

So, you are a dedicated sales professional who has been following my Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation formula! Thus far, you have completed your sales prospecting, so you know the customer is a qualified prospect. You have also spent time developing a strategic presentation plan. Plus, you have even planned your all-important approach to begin your presentation.

Now. At last. It is time to plan a killer presentation; a presentation sure to bring success and well-deserved hearty congratulations from coworkers and bosses!

So, no more delays, let’s get started!

Content

In this article on creating your ultimate sales presentation, we will cover:

• Types of Common Selling Situations
• 4 Sales Presentation Methods
• Basics of A Group Presentation
• Win-Win Negotiating
• Which Presentation Method is Best?

 

 

Types of Selling Situations

When I first started as a sales representative, I only had to master one selling situation. It was me selling to a single buyer. However, as I gained sales experience, I found that I had to present in a variety of selling situations.

As a professional salesperson, you need to be aware of the types of selling situations that you might encounter over the course of your career. Here are five of the most common selling situations.

• Salesperson to the buyer. A single salesperson presenting to a single buyer. This is how most of us start in our selling careers.
• Salesperson to the buyer group. A single salesperson presenting to a buying group or committee. You may present to a buying group when the information is technically complex or when the dollar value of the product is above a single buyer’s authorized level.
• Sales team to the buyer group. A selling team presents to a buying group or committee. The selling team and buying committee is often made up of people from different departments with different skillsets. For example, I led selling teams comprising myself as a sales manager, along with people from sales, finance, product supply, operations, and logistics. We presented to customer buying teams comprising people with the same areas of expertise.
• Consultant selling. A lead salesperson assembles company personnel to deal with specific opportunities or solve specific problems for a customer. For example, when I was a sales manager for Procter& Gamble’s Foodservice division, I was frequently called on to work with customers as a consultant to solve a specific problem. “Why don’t our pie crusts bake evenly?” “Why are the scallops cooked at lunch lighter than the scallops cooked for dinner?” I brought in teams of experts to work specifically on these problems.
• Seminar selling. Seminar selling is often educational in nature. In the “old days,” seminar selling was often held in a hotel meeting room. For example, attorneys put on an educational seminar about wills and trusts. When they were done with the seminar, they sold their services. These days a lot of seminar selling is done via “webinars.” A salesperson presents educational material via a live stream over the internet, and when they are done, they sell their services.

Now that we have a handle on the most common selling situations, we must determine which sales presentation methods we will use for our presentation.

4 Sales Presentation Methods

Your sales presentation is a combination of persuasive verbal and visual communications of your business proposition that will solve a customer’s problem. Although to deliver a compelling presentation, you also need to match the presentation method to the specific buying situation.

There are four basic presentation methods most salespeople need to master. They are the

• memorized,
• persuasive selling,
• needs-satisfaction, and
• problem-solution method.

The primary difference between the methods is the percentage of time the salesperson is speaking. In the memorized and persuasive selling methods, the salesperson dominates the conversation. In the needs-satisfaction and problem-solution methods, both the salesperson and buyer share in the conversation.

You can think of these methods as being on a continuum from highly structured to completely customized.

 

Memorized

The memorized sales presentation method is the most highly structured method. The salesperson does 80-90% of the talking. The buyer’s participation is generally limited to responding to questions posed by the salesperson.

The memorized presentation is a “canned” presentation; delivering the same basic presentation to every prospective buyer. The salesperson discusses the same features and benefits hoping they will stimulate the buyer’s interest.

The most common use of memorized presentations today is door-to-door and telephone sales.

The memorized presentation method has several advantages.

• It increases the confidence of inexperienced salespeople.
• It ensures that a salesperson or entire salesforce delivers the same features and benefits to prospective buyers.
• It is most efficient when selling time is short.

Drawbacks of the memorized presentation include:

• It is impersonal.
• It may present features and benefits that mean nothing to the buyer.
• It has limited participation with the buyer and, therefore, may be perceived as a high-pressure sales presentation.
• It is not effective for complicated selling situations or technical products.

Persuasive Selling

The persuasive selling presentation method is a powerful tool for both new and experienced salespeople. It is less structured than the memorized presentation. The salesperson typically controls the approach and beginning of the presentation but then engages the buyer more and more as the presentation continues.

The persuasive selling method has several advantages.

• It provides an opportunity for more buyer/seller interaction.
• It provides a logical framework and flow of information.
• It allows the salesperson to handle anticipated questions and objections.

The primary drawback of the persuasive selling model is that the structure is less flexible than the need-satisfaction or problem solution methods. Its more formal structure makes it less suitable for complex selling situations.

With the persuasive selling method, the presentation follows a formula or outline. A typical outline for a persuasive selling presentation includes five steps.

• Summarize the Situation
• State Your Idea
• Explain How it Works
• Reinforce the Key Benefits
• Suggest an Easy Next Step

Summarize the Situation

Summarize the situation that leads to the purpose of your presentation.

For example, “Last time we met, you mentioned needing to increase sales by 5%. Is that still the case?”

State Your Idea

State your idea regarding a solution in clear, simple terms.

For example, “My idea is for you to feature Product X in your advertising and support the feature with a display.”

Explain How it Works

Share the details of your proposal. Include information about the product, pricing, timing, and etc., so the buyer understands how your proposal will solve his/her problem.

For example, “We know features and displays on Product X increase sales volume by 5x. I suggest you feature Product Super Duper Extra Large Size in your feature on (date). I will come in the week before the ad and build a display for you.”

Reinforce Key Benefits

Reinforce the key benefits by restating why your proposal solves the buyer’s problem. Focus on the key benefit(s) that are most important to the buyer.

For example, “As I said, a feature and display of Product Super Duper usually has a significant impact on sales. I estimate your sales will increase to (estimate) during the week of the feature and display.

Suggest an Easy Next Step

Close the sale by suggesting the next steps, which are needed so you can successfully follow through in your proposal.

For example, “If you submit Product Super Duper for a feature on (date), I will order X number of cases of Super Duper to arrive the week before the feature. Then, on the day before the ad breaks, I will come in and build a display for you.”

Need-Satisfaction

The need-satisfaction presentation method is the most difficult to master. The entire presentation is often a back and forth conversation between buyer and seller. For this reason, the salesperson needs to be able to adapt their style and the information they convey to the seller throughout the presentation.

The need-satisfaction method has several advantages.

• It is highly flexible and customizable.
• It is particularly well-suited for the sale of complex, highly technical products.
• It is most effective at uncovering and prioritizing buyer needs.

The primary drawback of the needs-satisfaction method is the open-ended conversational nature of the presentation process. This makes it a difficult method for less experienced salespeople to master.

As the name suggests, the salesperson begins by discussing the buyer’s needs, then clarifies and summarizes the buyer’s greatest need, and finally, demonstrates how their product will meet the buyer’s needs.

Need Development

The presentation begins with the salesperson, asking a probing question to begin the process of ascertaining buyer needs. The salesperson asks a series of these probing questions to understand as much as possible about all the buyer’s specific needs and problems.

It is not uncommon for half or even more of the presentation time to be spent in the need development phase.

For example, a probing question for a computer salesperson is, “What tasks do your employees use your computers for? Or, “What software do the people in your company use the most?”

Need Awareness

Once the salesperson understands the buyer’s needs and problems, it is time to narrow down the needs/problem to the most important one to solve. The salesperson should then restate the need/problem and confirm with the buyer.

For example, “From what you’ve told me, the biggest problem your accounting staff has is they need to be able to see what people in other departments are spending. They use the Super Deluxe Accounting software package, but they are not on the same network, so they cannot see what various departments are spending. Is that correct?”

Need Fulfillment

The need fulfillment stage is the final phase of the needs-satisfaction presentation method. In this stage, the salesperson demonstrates how their product will meet the buyer’s needs or solve their problem.

For example, “I can certainly understand the importance of having your accounting staff computers networked with common software so they can see what each department is spending. My company makes an internet hub specifically designed to link seamlessly all the computers in the accounting department. It is fast, reliable, and is expandable so it can grow as your company grows. I suggest our training team come in and train your accounting department the week before the technical crew installs the new system Is next week good for the training or would the following week be better?”

I’ve used the needs-satisfaction method numerous times throughout my career.

Often, with complicated situations, I’ve had to spend an entire appointment on just needs development and needs awareness phases. When this happens, I will take the time between appointments to think through all the buyer’s needs/problems and select the best features, advantages, and benefits. Then in my next meeting with the buyer, I will use the persuasive selling method to present my solution because I already know the problem I need to solve for the buyer!

Problem-Solution

The problem-solution presentation method is a completely flexible, customized presentation that requires full engagement between buyer and seller. It is like the need satisfaction method because it is designed to uncover specific buyer needs or problems and then provide the appropriate solution. The primary difference is the problem-solution method is designed to handle a situation where the buyer may not even understand the problem or know how to solve it.

The problem-solution presentation method has several advantages.

• It is highly flexible and completely customizable.
• It is best suited for highly complex technical situations.
• It provides an in-depth analysis of specific needs or problems.

The problem-solution presentation method also has several disadvantages.

• Its complexity makes it difficult for inexperienced salespeople to manage the entire process.
• It is time-intensive, often taking several appointments involving multiple disciplines, over a period of weeks or even months.

Multiple Steps are Needed

The problem-solution presentation method consists of multiple steps. Here are eight steps I follow using the problem-solution presentation method.

• Agreement between buyer and seller to complete the analysis.
• Assemble the seller team and identify the customer’s mirror team.
• Agree on a timeline and the scope of the analysis.
• Conduct the actual analysis.
• Form conclusions and recommended courses of action based on the analysis.
• Develop the sale presentation based on the analysis, conclusions, and recommended course of action.
• The sales team delivers the sales presentation to the customer mirror team.
• Implement the agreed-upon actions.

Example

I can’t give you a verbatim example of a problem-solution presentation, or this article would likely run several hundred more pages than you would want to read! However, I can give you an example of a situation where I used the problem-solution method.

I was in a role where I led teams of salespeople, finance, and product supply experts to analyze entire departments of a grocery store. The goal was to maximize department profits by optimizing the product assortment and layout of the department.

The analysis required the retailer to provide months’ worth of detailed financial and volume information for every product carried in the department. We combined their information with complicated psychographic information to determine the mix of products that would maximize profits and customer satisfaction. Then, with the optimized assortment, we designed shelf layouts that incorporated each product in its most logical and efficient location.

Once the analysis, conclusions, and recommendations were developed, we assembled all the information in presentation notebooks. With all the data these presentations typically ran over 100-pages!

Finally, when everything was printed, our selling team comprising of salespeople, finance, and product supply folks, presented to the customer’s mirror team. Often these presentations ran over two hours.

Once all the agreements were made, we established implementation teams responsible for making the changes in every store.

All-in-all it was not uncommon for this process to take 2-3 months for every retailer we worked with. However, we only committed to this kind of work when there was a significant long-term upside for our company! Given all the time, energy, and expertise to do the analysis and make the presentation.

Both the need-satisfaction and problem-solution presentation methods may involve presenting to a group of people. So next, let’s look at some of the nuances of presenting to groups.

Basics of A Group Presentation

There are two types of group presentations I participated in or delivered over the years. One type is what I call the one-to-many, where I present to a customer’s group. The other type and the one I liked the most is the many-to-many, where a group from the seller company presents to a group from the buyer company.

Delivering successful group presentations is complicated because many people are involved, you cover a lot of material, and the material itself is usually complicated.

I can’t possibly cover everything about running a successful group meeting in this article. Nonetheless, there are a few basics you must understand to conduct successful group presentations.

Get plenty of space

These group presentations are often conducted in a large meeting or board room. There’s nothing worse than stuffing 15 people into a room that holds ten.

Arrange for more time than you think you’ll need

If you need 90 minutes, ask for two-hours. No executive will complain if you finish 30 minutes early, but you stand the risk of losing people if you go over your allotted time.

The more people, the more structured the presentation method. Controlling the attention of any large group requires a presentation that is highly structured and organized.

Start with introductions

Chances are individuals who know each other, but not everyone else in the room, so start with simple introductions of name and role.

Publish an agenda

Let the people know what will be covered and in what order. This is also a perfect time to let people know what to expect for the rest of the meeting.

Have a designated question and answer time

Open questions and answers throughout a presentation with large groups are too distracting. If there are major sections to your presentation you can have a question and answer session for each section. Otherwise, you may elect to have one question and answer section at the end of the presentation.

Assign a timekeeper

For very complicated, long presentations, have someone on your team serve as a timekeeper to help keep you on track and from going over your time limit.

Appoint a designated note-taker on your team

The note taker needs to capture key comments, questions, and agreements for reference later.

Get engagement and agreement as you go

I know I said not to have open questions and answers throughout the presentation, but that doesn’t mean you make the presentation like a robot from the front of the room. If you see head nods, ask if they agree. If you see someone with a concerned or quizzical look on their face, ask if they have a question. If the issue is simple, handle it. Otherwise, say you’ll answer their question in just a moment (or in the Q&A at the end).

Focus on benefits

Talk about and reinforce the key benefits of your solution throughout your presentation. If there is a product supply person in the room, mention the benefits that accrue to that department. If there is a finance person talk to them about financial benefits. And so on! Make sure every person in the room hears the benefit of the proposal as it pertains to them!

Summarize the benefits

Just as you’re getting ready to close, summarize, or restate the key benefits you mentioned throughout your presentation. Again, make sure everyone hears the benefit that your solution brings to them in their work!

These tips are just the basics of running a successful group presentation. I can’t guarantee your success by following them, but I can just about guarantee failure if you ignore any of them!

As you approach the close, you will almost certainly have points the buyer wants to question or negotiate. So next, let’s talk a little bit about how to set yourself and your team up for successful negotiations.

Win-Win Negotiating

I knew a few salespeople over the years who had a “take it or leave” attitude. They had one proposal, and one way of doing business and they were prepared to walk away from business if the buyer didn’t meet all their demands.

On the other hand, I also ran across a few customers who had a “take it or leave it” attitude. They made whatever demands they felt they could get away with pressuring suppliers to meet their demands. They figured if one supplier didn’t meet their demands the next supplier probably would.

I didn’t like working with either sellers or buyers who took that hardline approach.

In my opinion, a relational salesperson should be prepared to negotiate whether you are talking to a single buyer or a buying group. Over the years, I found the trick is to plan your points of negotiation ahead of time. By planning ahead of time you’ll know where you can compromise and where you cannot.

For example, you should know:

• What extra services can you provide that competitors do not?
• Is your price firm, or is there some flexibility?
• Are there payment terms or a payment plan?
• Can you provide any free services (like training) or equipment upgrades?
• Can you offer flexible delivery dates?

At Procter & Gamble (and most other large companies), our prices and terms were fixed, so I had to create negotiating flexibility in other ways. I could easily offer different shipping dates, different quantities and product assortment, and in some cases, product training.

The point is that I was clear about the things I could not negotiate. Likewise, I clarified that I was happy to negotiate where I had flexibility.

Which Presentation Method is Best?

So far, we have covered the five most common selling situations and the four presentation methods. Now, it is time to determine which presentation method is best for you and your situation.

Your selling objective is the starting point in deciding which presentation method to use. If you are making a sales presentation, you will take a different approach than if your objective is to gather the information you can use later to develop a sales presentation.

Generally speaking, if you are making a sales presentation, the memorized or persuasive selling method is best. However, if you need to understand buyer priorities or uncover buyer needs or problems then the needs-satisfaction or problem-solution methods are best.

Yet, there is no single best method. When selecting your presentation method you must consider

• the experience of the salesperson,
• your objective,
• the nature of the product,
• the information about the buyer’s need or problem,
• and a host of other variables.

We’re Not Done with our Sales Presentation!

Although we’ve made a lot of progress, we’re still not ready to see the buyer yet!

Sure, we’ve done our prospecting, some approach planning, and we’ve decided on a presentation method. However, we still need to create that all-important presentation! In the next article, we’ll take a hard look at the important elements we must include in our presentation.

The Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation Series

Step4: The Presentation is the fifth in a series of articles, which have been created to teach you how to craft and deliver the Ultimate Sales Presentation in 10-Steps.

If you missed a prior article in this series or you want to review one again, you’ll find them here:

Kick-Off: The Ultimate 10-Step Sales Presentation

Step 1: Customer Prospecting

Step 2: Pre-Approach Planning

Step 3: The Approach

Step 4: The Presentation – Part 1 (you’re here)

Steps 5-10: Coming soon. A new article releases every two weeks.

If you want to make sure you don’t miss one of these articles, you can sign up to receive the series here.

Join the Conversation

As always, questions and comments are welcome. What questions do you have about the Approach step of the Ultimate 10-Step Presentation model?

I’d love your help. This blog is read primarily because of people like you who share it with friends. Would you be kind enough to share it by pressing the share button?

Category: Salespeople