Learn How to Discover Objections
Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:
- Clarify your customer’s objections.
- Ask open-ended questions.
- Prepare to respond to your customer’s objections.
Clarify the Objection
At this point in objection handling, you’ve:
- Heard your customer’s objection.
- Tapped into the emotion behind the objection.
- Shared a matching statement.
Sure, you’ve listened to and thought about your customer’s objection, but don’t assume you know what it really is. It’s time to clarify the objection.
Leo asks, "You're concerned about whether our product is a good fit for your business, right?"
To make sure you and your customer are on the same page, you can paraphrase what they said or restate the objection with a different word order. When you do this, your customer has a chance to:
- Restate the objection.
- Modify the objection.
- Give more information about the objection or business in general.
When you take time to clarify the objection, you show your customer that the objection is important. This further establishes your rapport, and signals the start of the second step of our objection handling process: Discover—ask questions to find out what’s really going on.
Curious? Ask Questions
You probably have some questions about your customer’s objection by now. Go ahead, be curious! Clear up any uncertainty you have about the details surrounding the objection or the business in general.
What’s the best kind of question? An open-ended one.
Unlike a closed-ended question, An open-ended question encourages a full, meaningful answer and invites a deeper conversation.
Here are a few examples of open-ended questions next to similar closed-ended questions.
Open-ended questions often begin with How, What, When, Where, or Why. Unlike closed-ended questions, they cannot be answered with a simple yes or no (or any single word for that matter).
Close-ended question | Open-ended question |
|---|---|
Does your current provider meet your needs? | What key feature does your business require and why is it important? |
Do you want to store your data in the cloud? | What are your concerns about storing your data in the cloud? |
Do you have a good way of measuring your current productivity? | How do you measure your current productivity? |
Are you concerned about cost? | If all costs were equal, what concerns would you have? |
Notice how only one or two words can make a close-ended question open-ended. Keep that in mind when you ask questions.
After your customer answers your questions, pause and think carefully. Discuss the details further if necessary, but avoid asking so many questions that your customer feels overwhelmed or loses interest.
What Does Your Customer Need?
At this point you have enough information about your customer’s objection to respond. However, you should hold off a moment longer, so you can get a few more details about your customer’s expectations. This is when you ask your customer what requirements are necessary for working with your company.
Let’s see how Leo finishes the Discover step. He asks, “That's great information. How can we assure you that our product is right for your business?”
Joan’s answer to this question sets the stage for how Leo can successfully respond to Joan’s full objection. The details she provides helps Leo know:
- More about what kind of solution Joan seeks.
- How to respond to the objection in a way that makes sense for Joan’s business.
Huzzah! Like Leo, you now have the information you need to wrap up the Discover step. You’re now ready for the step you’ve been waiting for: Delivery.
Resources