Buyer....Please object!

Many sales people, managers and sales leaders spend a lot of time and energy worrying about “buyers’ objections”; making this even a worse problem, is the fact that much of that time and energy is spent on trying to avoid “buyers’ objections”.

Realistically however, there is only one way to avoid objections, it works every time, with the only side effect being a lack of revenue; the secret is to stop interacting with the market. If you don’t make or go to the call, you will not face rejection. Surprisingly, many is sales have chosen this path, and have maintained employment with some pretty lackluster companies. But assuming you are looking for revenue, growth and success, the above is not the strategy for you, you are much better off dealing with or managing buyer objections as they come up.

The fact is, I don’t really understand why it is sellers want to avoid objections to begin with, after all objection indicate the beginning “engagement” at some level, and isn’t engagement what we are after? Ideally quality engagement, but without a beginning, it is hard to build quality.

Once you accept that objections are not the enemy but an opportunity to leverage and expand on a point or a line of discussion. How you do that will differ slightly based on you current relationship with the buyer, and when in the cycle the objection surfaces.

Early in the cycle, the initial call, maybe even a cold call, you are likely dealing with two dynamics, first their need to avoid yet another interruption from a sales person. The one thing you and the buyer have in common is the 24 hour day, how you use it will determine success, our call, is an attempt by an unknown party to steal some of that time, so unless you are calling the exact right person, at the exact right time, you are an interruption, a time thief, something to be avoided.

Second, the basic instinct of reluctance to change. Even if you can get past the point above, change requires time, money and effort. What you hear as an objection, often is a vocalization of their weighing the pros and cons of considering and/or acting on the change. If you can look at it that way, you can also understand what you have to do to help them take on the consideration for change, and move the process from prospecting to selling.

Late in the cycle, objections are manifestations of another factor, but one that extends from the risks and realities associated with change. Even though you may have effectively dealt with this earlier, it comes up again just before they agree to move forward. In other words, the objection is good, and ripe with opportunity. Unless you blow it by getting defensive and start “justifying things”. If you executed the discovery stage well, and used what you learned to gain commitment, there is no need to be defensive. Just reiterate points you agreed to and gain agreement before moving on or glossing over the point.

Remember, they are about to bring on a change, while they may be comfortable with it, they carry the risk if something goes slightly wrong, even if only a temporary glitch, they are in the spot light in their organization and in front of customers. Their objection is more a cry for reassurance than indication that they do not want to commit. Give me that objection any day, as it is a clear opportunity to reassure and win.