You need to prepare for objections as part of your sales process. Manage your deals every step of the way using a simple CRM and sales tracking app like Base.

“I can get the same product at your competitor for less money.”

“You’re too expensive.”

“Let me think about it.”

Do these objections sound familiar?

If so, you’re not alone.

Objections are the bane of a sales person’s existence and they affect small business owners, too. Objections can kill your sales and your business unless you know exactly how to manage them.

If you’re not responding effectively to objections, you miss out on moving that sales opportunity forward. And this affects your top-line sales results not to mention your bottom-line profits.

Here are five strategies that will help manage objections more effectively.

1. Ask more questions

The most common reason objections arise is that we didn’t position our solution as effectively as we could have. This usually caused because we didn’t ask enough high-quality question in the early stages of the sales conversation.

This sounds like a simple concept; in fact, when I mention it in my sales training workshops people nod and smile and agree that asking good questions is an integral part of the sales process (discovery). However, the reality is that most people don’t ask enough of the right questions at the right time.

Resist the temptation to quickly launch into a pitch about your goods, services, products or solutions. Instead, invest more time asking tough, penetrating questions that help you thoroughly understand your prospect’s situation.

2. Pre-empt them

You can actually pre-empt or eliminate some objections before your prospect verbalizes them simply by bringing them up first. For example:

“Mr. Jones, some people tell us that we are more expensive than some of our competitors. I admit that we’re not the cheapest provider of this solution in the marketplace. However, we do offer something that our competitors don’t.”

This approach is proactive and often addresses a concern that is already on your prospect’s mind.
You can also prevent objections from being expressed by presenting your solution more effectively. Part of this relies on your ability to ask great questions (see above point) which gives you insight as to what is really important to the other person.

3. Uncover them

Here’s an approach that is very effective in uncovering potential objections…

Ask!

“Mrs. Wilson, what concerns would you have about moving forward with this project?”

When I mention this strategy in my sales training programs, I am often met with expressions of concern and you might be thinking, “But, I don’t want to bring up any negative, it could affect the outcome of the sale.”

You’re right. But not for the reason you think.

You see, if you don’t uncover a potential objection or concern, the conversation could end with the prospect saying, “Let me think about it” and you wouldn’t have any idea of what concerns might be preventing her from making a positive buying.

I’d rather learn about possible concerns while we’re still talking because it gives me the opportunity to deal with them immediately. Shying away from an objection is setting yourself up for failure.

4. Prepare for them

If you’re like many of the small business owners I know, you likely hear a few—or perhaps several—objections on a regular basis. If this is the case, then one of the most effective strategies you can implement—in addition to the ones already discussed—is to prepare appropriate responses.

One sales person I used to work with had detailed responses to EVERY objection he encountered so when he heard a particular objection, he knew what to say. Because he knew what to say, he didn’t get flustered, his delivery was smooth and his results were terrific.

5. Clarify them

When someone says, “Let me think about it” or “you’re too expensive” do you actually know what they mean?

Probably not.

And that means you may present a solution that isn’t appropriate.

When someone says, “You’re too expensive” learn to respond with, “Compared to what?” More often than not, you will discover exactly why the other person has made that statement.

If you hear, “Your competitor is cheaper” say, “I can appreciate that. Does that mean you don’t see the value in our solution?”

Objections are a natural part of the sale process. However, when you manage them properly, they won’t kill your business and affect your sales.