“Dear obstacle…Don’t take it personally. I do appreciate you. The challenge. The growth.”

from Fearless Motivation

 

 

Starting this article, I decided not to reinvent the wheel. Leslie Ye put a great list of 40 common sales objections together. I will start with those, and then I will provide you my own twist on how to handle them. 

 

Every prospect you speak to has sales objections or reasons they are hesitant to buy your product. Sales objections are unavoidable. And a salesperson that wants to be successful absolutely needs to know how to discover and resolve those objections.

 

“Objection handling is when a prospect presents a concern about the product/service a salesperson is selling, and the salesperson responds in a way that alleviates those concerns and allows the deal to move forward. 

Objections are generally around the price, product fit, competitors, and good old-fashioned brush offs or excuses.

Objection handling means responding to the buyer in a way that changes their mind or alleviates their concerns.

Some reps argue with their prospects or try to pressure them into backing down — but this is not true objection handling.”

In training a new sales hire, having a list of common objections and responses is invaluable. Continually collect new objections and share them among the team, together with the recommended (or prescribed) responses. Use role-play among your team to practice how to respond in the context of an actual conversation. It makes everyone more confident in their responses.

40 Common Sales Objections:

1. It's too expensive.

2. There's no money.

3. We don't have any budget left.

4. I need to use this budget somewhere else.

5. I don't want to get stuck in a contract.

6. We're already working with another vendor.

7. I'm locked into a contract with a competitor.

8. I can get a cheaper version somewhere else.

9. I'm happy with your competitor.

10. Competitor X says [false statement about your product].

11. I'm not authorized to sign off on this.

12. I can't sell this internally.

13. [Economic buyer] isn't convinced.

14. We're being downsized/bought out.

15. There's too much going on right now.

16. I'm part of a buying group.

17. I've never heard of your company.

18. We're doing great in this area.

19. We don't have that business pain.

20. It's just not important right now.

21. I don't see what your product could do for me.

22. I don't understand your product.

23. I've heard complaints about you from [company].

24. We don't have the capacity to implement the product.

25. Your product is just too complicated.

26. You don't understand my challenges. I need help with Y, not X.

27. You don't understand my business.

28. Your product doesn't have X feature, and we need it.

29. We're happy the way things are.

30. I don't see the potential for ROI.

31. It's just a fad.

32. Your product doesn't work with our current set-up.

33. Your product sounds great, but I'm too swamped right now.

34. Click

35. I'm busy right now.

36. I'm not interested.

37. Just send me some information.

38. Call me back next quarter.

39. How did you get my information?

40. I hate you.

 

When it comes to handling these objections, there are a number of recommended processes. And whoever the author is, they all follow a very similar step-by-step approach.

 

Step 1: Listen – demonstrates interest and care, do not interrupt, briefly pause when the client is done.

Step 2: Show Gratitude – say “Thank You”, it diffuses, it provides the opportunity to address an obstacle, and it makes the client feel good.

Step 3: Empathize – say e.g. “I hear this a lot”, “I’m sorry you feel that way”, “it sounds like this has been very frustrating”, “I hear what you’re saying”, “I think I can help.” 

Step 4: Acknowledge – at a minimum nod your head - or better, restate the issue you heard. It demonstrates active listening and ensures there are no misunderstandings.

Step 5: Discover – ask questions to uncover all underlying concerns, all individuals that have contributed to the objection, how the customer expects the concern to be addressed, and what happens after you have done so, aka are there further objections.

Step 6: Respond – use the response that is consistently used in your organization and deliver it as if this is a personalized golden goose for this one client.

 

Now, let’s discuss responses to the 40 common sales objections above:

 

1. "It's too expensive."

Ask for context. The comment can indicate the perception that “it’s not worth it”, so circle back to your product's value. Stay away from making the price a selling point.

 

2. "There's no money."

That is a lie (unless they are under chapter 11). Likely, there are very limited funds and you are not a priority. Your choice is to walk or make yourself a priority.

 

3. "We don't have any budget left this year."

You can help (argumentatively) to secure a budget from another source or come back before they expect to have a new budget available. Don’t be late.

 

4. "We need to use that budget somewhere else."

It's your job to make your product/service a priority that deserves budget allocation now. Ask what they plan to spend the budget on and show them e.g. a better ROI option.

 

5. "I don't want to get stuck in a contract."

Ask for context and then become creative with contract language and payment terms. If you are confident in your value, offer an opt-out clause.

 

6. "We're already working with [Vendor X]."

Ask for details, make sure they compare apples to apples, probe the relationship: What doesn’t work? And take it as good news, someone else already did the education.

 

7. "I'm locked into a contract with a competitor."

This is your time to become a knight in shining armor. Help your new client to cut the chains from their past vendor. Explore jointly, and you will learn a lot about your competition.

 

8. "I can get a cheaper version of your product somewhere else."

Ask for details, make sure they compare apples with apples, play your differentiation and value. If the price ends up being the only accepted selling point, walk.

 

9. "I'm happy with [Vendor X]."

Ask for details, make sure they compare apples with apples. Where there is light, there is also shadow. Identify weak spots where you can do better.

 

10. "[Vendor X] says [false statement about your product]."

Respond with, "That's not true," then pause… If the buyer is still unsure and does not move on, ask another question to lead the conversation (away).

 

11. "I'm not authorized to sign off on this purchase."

Ask for the name of the right person to speak to. And learn a lesson on how to identify a decision maker up front.

 

12. "I can't sell this internally."

Well, your prospect might not be able to, but you can. Ask about anticipated objections and jointly prepare for the sale.

 

13. "[Economic buyer] isn't convinced."

If you've already addressed all objections and provided your contact with all arguments, it might be time to walk away. The Hail Mary: Ask to see the [Economic buyer] in person.

 

14. "We're being downsized / bought out."

Wrap the relationship professionally. Stay connected and where possible, be supportive. You always meet twice in life. 

 

15. "There's too much going on right now."

Ask for context, understand that you are not a priority, and if you are unable to become one set a time in the future for a follow-up.  

 

16. "I'm part of a buying group."

Ask for details and introduction to the other members of the group. And learn a lesson on how to better prepare for a sales call. Never be surprised again.

 

17. "I've never heard of your company."

Treat this objection as a request for information and provide it. Do not apologize. With confidence, share social proof and clients you work with. Drop names.

 

18. "We're doing great in X area."

Ask for more information, and why this is keeping the buyer from signing the deal. Where there is light, there is also shadow. Identify weak spots and go from there.

 

19. "We don't have that business pain."

If you have done your homework, you know it is a brush-off. Ask questions to which you know the answers already, leading the conversation towards the pain.

 

20. "X problem isn't important right now."

Try “Oh?” … and see what happens. If necessary, ask for more details and listen carefully, see if you can instill a sense of urgency.

 

21. "I don't see what your product could do for me."

Treat this objection as a request for information and provide it. For the future: did you not clearly identify the challenges, or present the solution?

 

22. "I don't understand your product."

Not a good sign for your ability to present clearly. Try one time to re-phrase, and then offer to bring in additional resources (who can do a better job explaining).

 

23. "I've heard complaints about you from [company]."

Say “Thank you”, do not defend. Change the subject to something that the customer has already acknowledged as something positive.

 

24. "We don't have capacity to implement the product."

Ask for context, understand that you are not a priority, and if you are unable to become one set a time for a later follow-up.  

 

25. "Your product is too complicated."

Not a good sign for your ability to present clearly. Try one time to re-phrase, and then offer to bring in additional resources (who can do a better job explaining).

 

26. "You don't understand my challenges. I need help with Y, not X."

Restate your understanding of their situation, then align with your prospect's take and move forward from there. 

 

27. "You don't understand my business."

Ask for details, be humble, be candid if you indeed missed the boat, and ask your prospect for help: “Can you tell me a little bit more?”

 

28. "Your product doesn't have X feature, and we need it."

Ask for details, make sure how ultimate the “need” is, and walk if there is no alternative you can make available.

 

29. "We're happy the way things are."

Carefully ask for details, make sure they compare apples with apples. Remember light and shadow. And if you cannot find any shadow, walk.

 

30. "I don't see the potential for ROI."

Show them! Nothing sells quite like hard numbers. Share other clients’ ROI calculation (anonymized) and see if you can get the same base data from this client.

 

31. "X is just a fad."

If you're pioneering a new concept or practice, you'll have to show that it works. Share data that shows that X is not a fad.

 

32. "Your product doesn't work with our current [tools, set-up]."

Ask for details, and if there is no work-around, walk. Learn a lesson on how to prepare for a sales call.

 

33. "Your product sounds great, but I'm too swamped right now to handle [implementation, roll-out]."

Carefully ask for context. Empathize with focus on how you or your company can help.

 

34. "*Click.*"

Brush-off. Call back and say, "Sorry, looks like we got disconnected! Do you have a few minutes?" Alternatively, try calling someone else in the same organization.

 

35. "I'm busy right now."

Brush-off. Apologize for the interruption. Get a commitment on when to call back.

 

36. "I'm not interested."

Brush-off. Offer to follow up, to share additional material. Ask if there is another contact potentially interested and be prepared to move on.

 

37. "Just send me some information."

Brush-off. Ask what they would like information on by providing brief highlights of your product / service: “What are you interested in learning about?”

 

38. "Call me back next quarter."

Brush-off. Ask politely, "What's going to change next quarter?" 

 

39. "How did you get my information?"

Brush-off. Answer briefly and truthfully, then move on. Do not get defensive.

 

40. "I hate you."

Brush-off. It is not personal; it is just business. “*Click.*”

 

 

You can easily see at least two very common responses: 

1.     Ask questions!!!

2.     Know when to walk away!

 

 

__________________

Leslie Ye – The Ultimate Guide to Objection Handling

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