Don’t wait for the sales objections – Pre-Empt them and gain more sales!

At the beginning of each sales training programme I ask the delegates what they want to learn from the programme. Invariably ‘overcoming sales objections’ and ‘closing the sale’ are the two main subjects that are put forward yet they are so interlinked that it is really one subject.

When discussing the stages of the sales sequence, from Preparation to Analysis, each stage needs to be understood; however they should not be treated in isolation, rather they should join together to form a conversation where the requirements of the customer are identified, even challenged, through a rigorous needs analysis to determine whether the solution can be provided through your products or services.

Successful sales people will understand their existing and potential customers and will know what objections to expect, after all there are only about 8 to 10 potential objections that can stand in the way of a sale. So if you know what to expect pre-empting & overcoming sales objections in the needs analysis is relatively easy rather than hoping that they won’t be raised by the customer later in the process.

POSSIBLE OBJECTIONS

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An example of this could be emphasising the value that your product or service will add to the business early in the needs analysis conversation and confirming your customer’s agreement will overcome a possible price objection further down the line.

THE OUTCOME

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It takes preparation, confidence and knowledge to close off objections before they are raised by guiding the conversation, using your good questioning and active listening skills, to then show that you understand the your customer’s issues and are able to present your solution and benefits them with the result that they have the confidence in you to place the order. The end result, a win-win situation for you and your customer.