photo credit: Jay Erickson

Are you tired of objections stopping your sales progress?  Effectively handling objections is a quick way to increase sales.  One of the best ways to overcome objections is to acknowledge and address them before the prospect does.

Most sales people fear bringing up objections because they don’t want to fuel the flame.  The reality is that when you bring up the objections you know a prospect is likely to have before they do, you have the power to direct what you want the prospect to focus on.  Plus the prospect begins to respect and trust that you understand them, and have their best interests in mind.

To do it effectively you must properly prepare. 

• What are the objections you know your prospects commonly have?
• What questions must they have answered to make a buying decision?
• What must they believe to buy what you have to offer?
• What other options do your prospects have?

Stories are among the most powerful multi-purpose tools you have in your sales tool kit.  Stories are highly effective and very non-threatening.  They engage the prospect and they’re an easy way to make your point.  Develop a story to overcome the objection.

The way you structure, or how you tell your story makes all the difference.  Your story must be in alignment with the beliefs your prospects already hold.  They should demonstrate the actions you want the prospect to take.  The story itself could be based on a case study or a seemingly unrelated story that makes the point you’re trying to make.

Clarification is another powerfully effective tool to eliminate objections.  You know your prospects have options and so do they.  However, being the expert you are in a position to make it easy for the prospect to compare the outcomes each option is likely to produce.  The features each option has or doesn’t have.  When a simple chart, table, or graph can tell your story by all means make one and use it.

The more you remove objections by working with your prospects the more your sales will increase.  

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 6th, 2008 at 6:00 am and is filed under coaching. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.