Handling Objection: 5th Step of The Selling Process (Made Easy)

What is Handling Objection?

Customer’s objections, in a way, act as a heart of selling. Objection handling by definition is responding to the prospect’s voices during the selling process.

Handling customer objections is the 5th step of the selling process which happens after the successful sales presentation. Customers’ objections can be related to product/service price, quality, features, the timing of delivery, and other factors, and a salesperson should use his objection handling skills to overcome such objections and speed up closing a sale.

Until the salesperson gets customers’ objections, he will not know the real benefits that the customers get using the products he is selling. He may be in illusion regarding the customer’s perception of product/service quality, price, distribution system, after-sales service facilities, company image, etc.

After getting genuine objections relating to these issues, a salesperson move towards overcoming (handling) these to make the customer fully convinced. And, he must handle such customer objections in order to make quick sales deals.

To be successful in handling customers’ objection, a salesperson should be informed about the reasons for customers’ objections, common objections, and be prepared to handle such objections.

Importance of Handling Customer’s Objection

Real customers are always curious about the product a salesperson offers to them and the benefits they get from such offers. Customers can question the salesperson in any way. They may make objections to the salesperson’s presenting style, company image, product quality, product price, product’s benefits, and so on.

How does a salesperson reply to such objections makes whether the customers buy from him or from others. If a salesperson fails to give convincing answers to such objections he will also fail to close a sale.

Prospects buying decisions totally depend upon the seller. If they get answers to what they expect from the seller, they are now ready to make a purchase.

While handling objection, the seller should be confident in his language and body and should not seem confused about what he speaks.

Reasons For Customers Objections

Some of the reasons for customers objections are mentioned below,

Negative Thinking

Some prospects have a negative rooted mind. Whatever a salesperson talks during the sales process such negative mind customers come up with negative thoughts. They may think the price of the product is too high, they may feel insecure about such products, they may have a negative attitude about the seller, etc.

Need For More Information

The need for more information is the most common reason for customers’ objections. Might the seller has talked about the product’s price, the customer might ask how about the distribution system of that product?

It is believed that the customer who needs to know more about the seller’s product/service is one who has the ability and authority to buy.

When Product/Service Does Not Provide A Solution

The real reason customers purchase any product/service is to solve their problems. In fact, a salesperson does not sell a product/service rather he sells solutions. If the seller’s offer does not provide a solution to the customer’s problem, customers will object as to why we buy your product if your product is unable to solve our problems?

Higher Cost

When the product/service has a higher price customers will surely make oppose such matter. Because when a buyer scarifies his money on any product/service in return the buyer must get equal quality or value.

Common Objections

Some common customer objections that arise in the selling process are mentioned below,

Objection Regarding Price: The objections come as “The price is too high?”, “The price you offer is not related to your product quality.”

Objections Regarding Product: “The product is poorly designed”, “The product does not offer any solution”.

Objections Regarding Company: “Aren’t you new in this field?”, Customers may also ask about the company’s yearly income.

Objections Due To Postponing Mentality: It happens when the seller takes more time to think during the sales presentation.

Objections Regarding SalesPeople: It happens when, customers do not like the salespeople when salespeople show aggressiveness, rude behavior.

Tips For Handling Customer’s Objection

Customer’s objections can come in many ways so many objections can also be handled in many ways. To effectively handle customers’ objections, the salesperson needs to be prepared and ready for any objections.

Develop A Positive Attitude

While handling customers’ objections in the selling process a salesperson should have a positive attitude. May the customers ask an aggressive question, the seller should respond properly in a positive way.

He should be patient when customers are trying to ask any question. In addition, he should welcome customers to share their feelings. This helps him to build a long-term relationship with customers.

The respect salesperson shows on customers, helps customers to build confidence while buying from the seller and also to refer the seller’s product to their friends plus relatives.

Anticipate Objections

One of the effective ways a salesperson can handle customers’ objections is by making him prepared about the likely events. He should have learned how to handle customers’ objections effectively.

Rehearsal in advance to overcome customers’ objections by imagining likely customers’ objections. Though the customer’s objections are unpredictable the above-mentioned most common objections can work as a great source to be prepared.

Identify The True Objection

It is sure that all the objections can not be valid. Some prospects may come to sales talks just to spend their time. Those are the prospects who used to ask unnecessary questions.

It is a prime duty of the salesperson to identify which question should be responded to and which is not. Are the objections come from interested customers or not? Are the objections that came is true or just to irritate?

Listen To Your Prospects

While handling customers’ objections, be a connection maker. It is crucial to make prospects feel you are hearing their voices.

Active listening is crucial to understand customers’ goals, motivations, desires, fears, and pain points when they speak which will help a salesperson to perform overcoming customers’ objections effectively. The better a salesperson understands customers’ objections goal the better a salesperson responds.

Mentioned Satisfied Customer

During the process of objections handling, many customers will raise similar objections. Once the salesperson recognizes that the customers have raised similar objections and that objections also matched with the previous happy customer who used to have the same concern.

In such a situation, the salesperson should tell a story relating to that happy customer as to how he is convinced, what benefits he got. Telling a story of a happy and satisfied customer makes obliged to the new customers to take action.

Develop Countering Skills

It is obvious that successful selling depends upon the skills of the salespersons. Only knowing how to do anything is useless unless it is applied in the practical field.

A salesperson should develop relevant skills relating to prospecting, demonstrating, sales presentation, handling objections, and closing a sale. He should be consistent in developing such objection handling skills until and unless the right one is developed to answer any sort of objection effectively.

Also read,

• Sales Prospecting: Definition, Objectives, Process, and Importance
• Pre-Approach: The 2nd Step of Selling Process (Made Easy)
• Approach: The 3rd Step of Selling Process (Made Easy)
• Sales Presentation: 4rth Step of The Selling Process (Explained)
• Closing A Sale: Definition, Importance, and Techniques
• What is Follow Up? Definition, Importance, Methods, and Mistakes