Defuse those dreaded sales objections

March 07, 2014 at 11:00 PM
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If you're like me, you dread talking to prospects about certain things, because they have always caused you problems in the past. But deep inside, you know it's just a matter of time before you'll be asked about them. And then you'll stumble through a lame response that makes you sound like a total loser.

So what should you do? Raise those dreaded sales objections yourself. But before you do, figure out what you're going to say to counter them. You might even need to experiment with different versions of your response before you find one that works.

For example, let's take pricing. If this is a sales objection you often hear, then you'll want to address it early on. Ask your prospects if price is the key factor in their decisions. They'll probably say it's important but not the only thing. That's when you can say "That's good because we're not the lowest cost provider, and there's good reason for it." (Of course, you'll need to be able to clearly articulate your value to make your point.)

Here's another example: Let's say you're a small company competing against the giants. It's a situation you can't change, so you need to address it. Bring it up early, and then talk about what you have to offer instead (i.e., personalized service, faster response time, greater customization). There are benefits of being small, and it's your job to convey them.

So what are the elephants in the room that you're trying to avoid? What subjects do you dread being mentioned?  Once you identify your most common sales objections, start working on how to proactively address them with your prospects. Getting them out in the open is the best way to rob them of their impact.

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Jill Konrath is the author of SNAP Selling and Selling to Big Companies. If you're struggling to set up meetings, click here to get a free Prospecting Tool Kit.

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