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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.

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Category: Salespeople