Prepare for Objections
Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:
- Identify objections.
- Recognize why objections are a valuable part of the sales process.
- Explain why customers object.
- Define the 3 Ds of the objection handling process.
You’re in the Objection Business
Every prospect or customer you meet can sometimes have objections to your recommendations. If they didn’t, they’d have every one of your company's solutions already, right?
Managing customer objections is key to the sales process. First, let’s define what an objection is.
An objection is a statement or question that indicates a barrier in the buying process.
Meet Leo. He’s an account executive (AE), and he’s meeting with Joan to talk about how his product can help her health insurance company. After a quick intro, Leo asks Joan what she thinks about working with his company. Joan says, “I don’t know if your product is right for our business.”
Let’s look at how Leo handles this objection.
Leo thinks Joan feels that his product doesn’t work for her industry. Without clarifying the reason for Joan’s objection, Leo launches into the details about how many healthcare businesses find success with his product.
The trouble is, Joan thinks of his product as only a sales product and she’s looking for help with marketing. Leo’s hasty response answers the wrong objection. So, even though Leo has the best intentions—and maybe even the best product for Joan’s business—he loses the sale.
Leo doesn’t know what you know, at least not yet. Objections are key to understanding customers and developing trusting relationships with them. In fact...
You {Heart} Objections
Customers object all the time, and that’s OK. In fact, it’s a good thing. Objections can be great because they:
- Give you clues to what customers really care about.
- Help you determine whether to move forward in the sales process. This is called qualification.
- Show you that customers want to hear more—if customers are completely uninterested, they won't bother to object.
Think of objections as obstacles—like detours—that you find on the road toward opportunities.
The Nature of Objections
The best way for us to understand customer objections is to recognize what they sound like and why customers object.
The good news is that most objections fit into a handful of categories. Here are some of the types of objections you might see, what they sound like, and the possible reasons behind them.
Objection type | What it sounds like | Possible reasons |
|---|---|---|
Product or Feature: An objection that relates to a specific product or feature | “I need this feature that you don’t provide.” |
|
Price: A cost-based objection | “Your product is more expensive than other vendors’.” | |
Business: An authority-based objection that prevents the customer from making a decision | “I don’t have the authority to purchase your product.” | |
Implementation or Integration: An objection that’s specific to how the customer’s business operates | “I’m not sure our current system will work with your product.” | |
Hidden: An objection you have to ask more questions about to uncover—it can be any of the other objection types | “Your company isn’t right for our business.” | |
Stalling: An objection customers use to block progress in the sales process before revealing their real objection | “I’m too busy to make a decision right now.” |
As you can see, there are only four reasons for objections, and they can apply to any objection type. This means nearly every objection is solvable, and finding the opportunity behind the objection depends on how you respond.
Sometimes a stalling or hidden objection indicates your customer is a gatekeeper—a contact who blocks access to key decision makers. Don’t be alarmed when you meet the gatekeeper. Ask more questions to determine whether you have a gatekeeper situation, and look for clues for how to break through or find another way to the key decision makers.
Defuse, Discover, Deliver
There are three steps for handling objections: Defuse, Discover, Deliver.
Here’s a little more about each step.
- Defuse—acknowledge the objection and address the emotion behind it.
- Discover—ask questions to get more details about what’s really going on.
- Deliver—respond to the objection.
In the next unit, you take a closer look at each of the 3 Ds.
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