SALES - Getting Rid of Objections

SALES

Getting Rid of Objections

By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting – September 2010 .

When you are out and about, trying to peddle your wares and your are getting the same negative answers all the time, you clearly need to turn these negatives into positives.

You know the objections that I mean, I am sure that we have all heard them before. The objections of “I’m not interested” or “I’m happy with my current supplier” or “the price is too high” or “there’s no budget” or “send me a proposal . . .” How are you currently responding to these statements? Do you just mutter something under your breath and slink away rejected and dejected? If so – why?

For me, writing stuff down usually helps me to clarify. My usual “MO” is a knee jerk, then I take a big breath and listen/read it again. Take a walk around the garden and have a coffee. Go back, write down my perception of the requirement and go through each item one at a time, calmly, logically and very definitely – unemotionally.

In this particular instance – what are the objections? Go back for a couple of weeks (or even months if you want to), list every person you saw and write down the objection that they gave you and how you responded to them. What did you say? How did you say it? What is the problem? If you know what the problem is, do you have a solution to that particular problem? Is there some sort of trend that you were perhaps not even aware of? Is there something in your sales pitch that you have left out or is your sales pitch as tired as you are of repeating it? Are you developing/maintaining your relationship with the customer correctly? Are you in fact providing your client with a product/service that they want or is it all about “you” and what you have decided that they need?

Perhaps it is time to look at things from a different perspective, a different angle, a fresh approach. Try being proactive to their requirements instead of reactive to their problems – yes there is an opportunity in both, but as a consumer I would prefer to avoid a potential problem.
Be honest with yourself when you answer the question. Chances are you have been trying to changing your client’s mindset instead of understanding their requirements and changing your own mindset.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za