We seek customer acceptance, and while rejection is never an appropriate response, it can be handled positively.
Actually, the problem is not rejection, but the way we interpret it.
If we stop seeing it as a dreaded nightmare, and take rejection as a necessary part of a successful sales process, the reaction will be more positive and will have new alternatives to maintain communication leadership and get the customer to say “YES”.
It really is not logical to hear the same objections over and over and not know how to answer and overcome them. There is no reason not to be prepared. After a few months in any branch of industry a vendor has already heard most of the objections he will hear over and over for the rest of his days.
Without objection, the vendors would be out of a job. Instead of a sales force, companies or institutions would have a person or a computer receiving orders from convinced buyers.
But… what are objections?
Some objections are just reflex automatic responses or just attitudes that customers have been conditioned or programmed to tell sellers.
Things like "I'm just looking" or "What discount can you give me?" or "What is your best price?" (When you haven't even seriously analyzed the product or your proposal yet), or "I don't want you to waste your time because I'm just not going to buy anything today."
Experience shows us that these objections are usually just ghosts, and they are really true. Sometimes they are real attempts to get rid of you.
Remember, because you are also a consumer, right?, That the majority of customers have been treated inconsiderately by other sellers and think they should protect themselves from any sellers who approach them.
Some objections are outright lies, such as "I need to talk it over with" the high command "(understood wife) or" I cannot make any decision until "x" thing happens, "or" It is that they do not have the color I am looking for. " We have to remember that these are self defense lies that we should not take personally, but understand and disrupt.
Many times the customer is ready to buy and simply fears the alternative of making an immediate decision. In most cases if the customer's fears were removed, they would buy on the spot, just like that.
Other objections do not necessarily mean "no", they simply mean "not yet", they are simply requests for more information.
A poor determination of a client's needs, an overly fast and pressing approach, or a low level of empathy in communication, will create in the client the need to withdraw from us or create more time, which will express in the form of a objection.
We need to provide our clients with enough relevant information, only sufficient and accurate information. We must focus on the substantial information that points to the needs and desires of the client, expressing them in the way that our client wants to communicate, and selling, in the way that he buys, the advantages that build the value of our offer, in a way that that the benefits of having our product or service far exceed the investment necessary to have it.
Clarifying objections
Often the objections that are voiced do not truly represent the doubts and fears that underlie the minds of customers. In some cases, the customers themselves are unsure about the nature of their objections, or perhaps they simply have not been able to verbally express their concerns and fears so that the seller could fully understand them.
It is also possible that the client is afraid to formulate his true objection, either because of modesty, or because he feels that he could be rude to you, thus producing a filter between what he really thinks and what he says to you. Some examples of hidden objections could be: you dislike the client, the client does not trust your company, the client is a delinquent debtor who does not have credit, anyway.
The seller must be as certain as possible that the objection to which he is responding is in fact the customer's actual objection. Otherwise the seller's responses will have no positive effect, and you will have missed the opportunity to learn what is really bothering the customer.
If you don't discover the real problem, later, when the customer says "no," you won't know why. You must cancel all objections, or reduce them to just one before starting your sales presentation.
You shouldn't stop trying to sell while the customer is objecting to you or if you're offering them buy signals. If you perceive negative non-verbal language, you may need to start asking more questions, or agree to a new meeting or appointment.
Sometimes the customer will present you with more than one objection or concern. If you are going to answer each one of them, ask questions, and apply different techniques, you can spend your life trying to convince him and become a real heavyweight (the client). Experience will help you distinguish between objections that must be answered immediately, and those that you can simply let go.
In the following video How to use customer objections to close the sale, training elements are presented so that you learn some of the strategies to successfully handle the objections for sale.
No, no, no… YES!
A “NO” in the mouth of a client is not a definitive answer, it is only part of the process that leads to a “YES”.
People are sometimes afraid to make a decision, and then they say "NO", even if they really want what you are selling them. You will have seen this many times when a person says "NO" at first, and later seems to suddenly change their mind and says "YES".
You are in trouble if you just give up and leave this process too soon. What you should do is keep selling enough until you overcome the customer's natural fear of making a decision.
The average customer will object or say “no” an average of 4 to 7 times. This means that we, as sellers, how many times will we have to try to finalize the sale? Yes, that is correct, we have to ask them to buy between 5 to 8 different opportunities before the client is in a position to look us in the eye, tell us "no" and really want to say "no".
The average salesperson fears rejection or frustration and knows only two sales closing techniques. Sales managers are usually not much better than that. They know four closing strategies on average.
There is nothing that works all the time and there is not one thing that works for everyone. That is why it is important to have at least seven alternative strategies or different ways of addressing each of the most common objections or situations that we encounter frequently.
Imagine a Formula 1 race where a racer who has led the entire race from end to end suddenly abandons on the last lap a few meters from the finish line of the finish line.
If you are talking to a customer who has a pattern of 6 "NO" responses, and you stop at the fifth "NO", you are only one "NO" away from closing the sale.
Teaching customers to say YES!
If you can get the client to establish from the beginning of the conversation with you the habit of saying YES to a series of questions, and manage to maintain this affirmative response behavior throughout your presentation, when the time comes for the question that defines the sale, the result will be predictable with a high degree of certainty.
This process also allows you to determine if you are going in the right direction, and hitting the real need of the customer.
For example, in the sale of retirement insurance, the seller may be concentrating on the ability of his product to generate additional resources in abundance due to the high profitability of risky investments in emerging markets, when in reality the client is looking for a Solid and secure protection that allows you to keep your savings intact over the years and live a smooth old age. This can make a big difference in closing the sale if you haven't answered the unspoken question the customer has never asked. Obviously, the client will not find in your product a full solution to their need. The worst of the case is that the client will never tell you this, but will simply keep looking elsewhere for something that better suits their real needs.
You need to be an attentive receiver of everything the client tells you, and make a presentation as if it were a tailored suit, with breaks at specific points to allow the client to speak.
Structure your sales presentation so that you not only demonstrate the benefits of the product or service, but also include a series of questions that are likely to produce a “YES” for an answer.
In courses and classes I always say that sales are like playing cards or playing soccer, because for each "king" or "goal" he sends you, you give him two "aces" and two "goals" with that you "win" That is, for each objection the client gives you, you give him two benefits and thus you will have the closing of the sale. I also give the example of the eagle, the most daring and beautiful bird on the planet, when it targets its prey, it launches itself directly at it, and with its sharp claws it catches it never to let it escape. In sales it is something similar, we must be "aggressive" in the sense that when we put the customer in our sights, we must not stop putting the "claws" of the product, when he says "YES" is the signal to "devour him ”With the closing of the sale.
An example of the development of this process:
"Mr. López, something very important about this car is the capacity of the cabin to absorb and resist impacts, which in the event of a possible collision means that the body can be deformed but the interior will remain intact, safeguarding the safety of both the driver and the passengers " (and here comes your question YES): "I think this will give you great peace of mind knowing that your family is going to travel with you much safer in your new car… right?"
And you continue with another feature / advantage / benefit, and then you say:
"Mr. López, do you feel that this is a real benefit for you and your family?
Now you already have the customer in the habit of answering YES to your questions. When you get to the right moment of your presentation, it becomes easier for you to say:
"So, Mr. López, do you think this is the car you were looking for?"
When you answer YES, all you have to do is complete the car sales papers.
Of course, the flip side of this example is when Mr. López says "NO".
Don't despair when this happens. It means that you have omitted something in your customer needs / wishes / fears survey, so you have to, without wasting time or losing your cool consider the steps you have taken and the things you have said and heard. Something has been lost that can be found.
You must get Mr. López to help you. To do this you are simply going to ask him a new question. When he answers, you are going to say the advantages and benefits in other words, or explain them in more detail. This process also gives you an opportunity to make sure you know the customer's real primary buying motivation.
Example:
You ask Mr. López the question. He answers "NO".
You establish frank and direct eye contact and say, “Do you really think that? (pause) Why? Now you have redirected the conversation to Mr. López, and you have given him the opportunity to tell you what he really has in mind. Listen carefully to be sure you understand your answer because you are going to use it to reframe or better explain your point and continue to lead the process towards YES.
“So you consider that this exclusive feature of this model would not be a benefit that adds value to you because …….?
At this point, you use your excellent product knowledge to explain how that feature will specifically satisfy their need. Then you will say:
"then what do you think of this now?" If he replies "good" or a similar answer, continue with your presentation or go directly to the closing. If he continues to disagree, you come back with: "Really?" (Pause) Why? ” and repeat the process until you get to the center of the real real objection, and then you are in a position to resolve it.
Take the objection as a question
When the customer objects, consider that they are asking you for more information.
If you take the "its price is too high" objection as an attack, your natural tendency will be to defend your price. This installs you and the client in an attacker / defender relationship, where it will be very difficult to build trust and respect.
However, if you mentally transform this objection into a question, this puts both of you in a client / advisor relationship, which is a position that allows you more leadership in the situation.
Suppose the customer says, "The price is too high," you can infer that he is actually asking, "Why are their prices higher than those of their competitors?" With this way of thinking, you can tell him why your prices are higher, without being defensive.
Client: "My budget for this year is already exhausted."
Vendor: "What you are asking yourself is is this worth the effort to modify my budget? That is the real question, isn't it?"
Go ahead and disable the most important objections
If you feel that the customer has some reasons not to use your product or service that they have not yet stated, simply ask them what it is about. Once he responds, you ask him if that's the only reason he doesn't make the purchase.
If he says "NO," you keep asking him until all of his objections have been raised.
If he replies that this is the only objection, you can ask him if in the event that you could resolve that objection and give him a satisfactory answer he would buy. This is a question where you need a “YES” for an answer in order to continue. Once you achieve the "yes", the customer makes the commitment to buy if you eliminate that objection. Now you can focus your sales presentation at that point, and once you've gotten it out of the way, you'll have the sale.
Seller: "Could you tell me why you are not buying from me?"
Client: (state your reason)
Seller: "Is that the only reason?"
Client: "YES"
Seller: "So if… (Removes objection)… would you buy me?"
Client: "YES"
It is important to get the customer to answer “yes” to this last question, because it indicates a purchase commitment.
If the client does not answer “YES”, ask them the following:
Seller: "Is that the only reason?"
Client: "YES"
Seller: "So if… (Removes objection)… would you buy it?"
Client: "NO"
Seller: “So there must be some other reason. Could you tell me what it is? ”
Usually this question forces the client to raise the central objection:
1. Client: "My budget is not enough"
Seller: "Is that the only reason you're not buying from me?"
Client: "YES"
Seller: “So, if the budget were enough, would you buy?
Client: "YES"
2. Client: "My budget is not enough"
Seller: “So, if the budget were enough, would you buy?
Client: "NO"
Seller: “So there must be some other reason. Could you tell me what it is? ”
Client: "None"
Seller: "Well, you said you don't make the decision to buy from me because you don't have the budget and yet if you wouldn't buy from me even if your budget did, there has to be another reason for you not to buy, please tell me what it is because maybe I can help you ”
Client: "It is that I need the approval of the owner to make the decision"
As you will see, you would have gone straight to a dead end if you had taken as an objection to overcome the "lack of budget", because your contact is not really the one who can make the decision. Only by limiting objections until you focus on the key and true objection can you request a compromise agreement to close the sale.
Otherwise you will be providing poor customer service and you will be wasting your time.
Eliminate objections with questions
If after your sales presentation you try to overcome objections with arguments and reasoning, you could win in the field of words, but still lose the sale.
Your strategy should not be to fight the objection, but to remove the root objection by asking questions at the beginning of the presentation.
The initial questioning phase in the sales process is typically conducted in a cordial and relaxed manner, and allows you to get closer to having a good time with the customer before he becomes defensive.
If the customer tells you that it is he who can make the purchase decision, for example, and that he should not consult it or ask for authorization from other people, then he cannot use this as an excuse for not buying from you. Many of the more common objections can be removed with the proper use of questions.
You have to remove the objections by asking questions before you start with the presentation of the product.
Let's see an example of selling activities in a gym:
Objection: "The truth that I don't have time"
He asks that he would have rooted out this objection:
"Do you have 30 minutes just 3 times a week to feel good and look more wonderful next summer?"
Match the customer at some point
Find some point of consensus with the customer before you start answering an objection. This is the best way to muffle your response and present it as unobjectionable. The client is not going to “shoot” objections to the extent that he knows that you really understand his problem. You are not arguing or attacking your point of view, you are simply contributing and "bombarding" him with information while keeping the client's self-esteem intact.
Client: "Their rates are very high"
Seller: “I understand how Mr. López feels. Most customers have had that same feeling at first. However, once they use our service and are convinced of our product… ”
Reformulate the objection in your own words before responding
This has three purposes:
1. Let the client know that you are listening.
2. Avoid misunderstandings and make sure you are answering the right question.
3. It gives you a little time to think about what you are going to answer.
Client: "I will not buy if you do not give me a good discount"
Seller: “I understand that you want a discount, and if you also consider that the discounts would reduce the quality of our service, you will agree with me that…. "
Turn objection into reason to buy
If the seller can show the customer that whatever their objection is actually a reason to buy, they can effectively deactivate the objection. When a person objects, they are expressing their main reason for not buying. If the seller is able to turn that objection into a reason to buy, they will have a good chance of making the sale.
This also makes it more difficult for the customer to continue using objections, because the objection he said has become the reason to buy.
You can use this technique to answer practically any objection.
Let's see some cases:
Client: "The money is not enough"
Seller: “This is exactly why you need this. Let me explain. Our product will really save you money. If money is a big deal to you, you can't afford not to buy it. In the medium term and over many years, you are literally saving money if you buy our product now. ”
Client: “I need other people from my company to participate in making the decision”
Seller: “This is exactly why you need this. Let me explain. The best way for you to involve other people in the decision-making process is to get our product now. Our total satisfaction guarantee includes a period of 10 days for the customer to test the product. All the people in your company who are involved in decision-making will be able to participate. ”
Client: "Its price is very high"
Seller: “This is exactly why you need this. Let me explain. Our prices are an indicator of the value you will be achieving by working with our company, which is the company that sells the highest quality products in this industry. If you want to be sure of getting the best value for your money, this is the product ”
Client: "I am very busy"
Seller: “This is exactly why you need this. Let me explain. I know you are very busy and time is critical in this industry.
Client: "With this crisis we cannot make investments of this type"
Seller: “This is exactly why you need this. Let me explain. Its competitors also face this crisis. All companies in their field are fighting in the same context, and some do better than others. Our goal is to help you and your company achieve a competitive advantage, which with this crisis is something that definitely should be done now.
Take a sheet and make a list of the different objections you constantly receive. Then write in your own words what you think would be an adequate response to each objection using as a basis: “This is exactly why you need this. Let me explain… ”, and really explains why the customer needs your product or service. Make sure you fully answer the knot of the objection, and transform it into the reason to buy.
Memorize these sales "scripts" or "routines" and apply them until they become a fluid part of your communication. The first times you use this technique, don't worry about what you are going to say. It only starts with "That's exactly why…", and the rest will emerge only. It's a matter of constantly starting and practicing, but also remember that when saying it to the client it must be natural and as if it were spontaneous, that gives it more credibility instead of hearing false as the commercials about "psychics".
The objection to price
Let's start by saying that most customers have, or can get, the money to buy what you're selling. However they have an objection to its price. Some consider that the price you give them is very high, others believe that they can find somewhere else a lower price offer or one that offers them more value in exchange for their money.
"But, a large part of" my "clients really don't have money to buy what I sell."
Tip: If you are on the phone, visiting or attracting many customers who really don't have, or can't get, the money to buy your product or service, you need to change markets. Segment the market, and focus only on the universe of potential customers who have an intense desire or need for the benefits offered by your product or service… and the money to buy it!
Specific strategies to neutralize objections at your price:
1. Ask the client: "What are you willing to give?"
When the customer tells you that your price is too high, simply ask him what the sum he intended to spend is, and then ask him what part of the benefits and value you offer him he is willing to give to achieve that price.
The truth is that nobody wants to give anything. Sometimes just asking this question you get the customer to withdraw the objection or consider it.
Something you should always keep in mind: Never reduce the price without removing part of the value of your proposal. Otherwise you will be recognizing that the price you are asking for was really too high.
Let's take a few more examples to help us with “Mr. López ”:
"Mr. López, like you and most of my clients, you want three things when you invest your money: the best quality product, the best service, and the lowest price. In all these years I have learned that there is no one who can offer all three things at the same time. No one can offer the highest quality and best service for the lowest price, and so I would like to ask you, in the long run, to be satisfied, which of the three are you willing to lose? High quality? Excellent price? o Lower price?
2. You must know what the client is referring to.
Commonly the biggest problem you have in overcoming a price objection is understanding where it comes from. Is it that the customer simply does not appreciate the value of your solution, or does it have an equivalent offer from the competition at a lower price? To obtain this information, rephrase the objection as a question: "Why do you think the price is too high? And the customer will offer you valuable additional information.
3. Reframe customer cost problem
When the time comes to pay the bill, customers may lose sight of the problem they are trying to solve. When a price objection occurs, do not validate it by being defensive or apologizing. Instead, reframe the customer's problem, get the customer's agreement that he wants to solve their problem, and reposition your answer as the best answer to solve the problem.
Maintain the right mental attitude
Remember that "NO" means: "Explain to me more, I am not yet convinced enough to say" YES ". It doesn't necessarily mean "I DON'T WANT IT."
You are in a sales situation trying to persuade or convince the customer to buy something they need, something that will benefit the customer. You are there providing a service.
If the client raises a number of objections, don't be mad. If you seem angry, you can only reinforce their fears and mistrust that are the cause of their objections.
In the same way, your body language, your appearance, your posture, and the way you speak must consistently express reliability and security.
The way in which the customer perceives your product or service is closely related to the way in which he perceives you.
One of the problems that a negative interpretation of rejection causes us is that it will generate in us apathy and fear of requesting the client to place the order, which will condition us in the future to reduce our average sales closing and with it our productivity..
The self-fulfilling prophecy of apathy:
You think: “Why should I bother selling to this client. Why am I going to waste time telling you all the benefits I have to offer you if you are probably going to say no to me anyway ”, and then you simply say to the client“ These are the brochures, if you are interested in something… call me ”. The client is left alone, with the certainty that you cannot contribute anything to persuade him, and when he does not buy from you, you think: "I knew I was not going to buy myself".
Sellers are constantly faced with rejection, and this can lead to a loss of confidence and self-esteem.
As soon as they begin to believe that they are unable to do something, they unconsciously behave consistently with that belief, so that the prophecy is fulfilled, and this result works as a reinforcement of the limiting belief.
If you have been thinking "I am not going to be able to sell to this customer", change it to "I am a prepared and reliable seller", and when this customer hears what I have to say, he is going to want to buy from me ".
As with positive thinking it is not enough, I ask you:
Do you really believe you are a prepared and reliable seller?
If your answer is YES, excellent!
If the answer is NO, or you are not sure: What can you start doing right now to develop your knowledge in your products and in the market, and your communication and persuasion skills?
If you assume that everything is going to be too easy for you and that you have nothing to learn and improve, each NO you receive is going to be a real unexpected blow, a quick rebuttal of your security, or you will simply blame the customer for not buying you !
Say to yourself, "This may be a little difficult, but I will do my best to do the right thing and I will do it." So, if you do not reach the proposed goal on a first attempt, as you knew it would not be easy, you can try again, modifying your behavior as necessary to achieve an IS.
You will wonder if this always works. No, it doesn't always work. But it works enough to help you sell much more. Don't worry about the few times it won't work, and remember that it's not about rejection, it's about how you react to rejection.
To the king and maximum idol of soccer Pelé at the best moment of his career someone said: "The truth is that you are very lucky" to which Pelé replied: "Yes sir, but do you know something? The more I practice… the luckier I am! ”
These techniques do not guarantee that you will always be able to sell to all people, but certainly they will help you increase your sales and the satisfaction of your customers.
You must know your product or service, understand the customer, and the more you practice… the luckier you will be!
Bibliography
- Nieves, Felipe. Telemarketing, a profession. Ed HiTEK. Mexico.Nieves, Felipe. Motivation and Attitude of Service. Ed HiTek. México.Parker, Peter, Mature sales, Innocent customers. Ed Universe. Mexico.
