Virtually
every person in sales experiences price objections. Unfortunately, the
majority of sales people take the wrong approach and try to box
customers into a corner by asking questions such as:
“If
I can do that price do we have deal?”
“Is
that the only thing holding back?”
“What
do I need to do to earn your business?”
“If
I can offer a solution would you be willing to buy today?”
“What
do I have to do to get you into that unit?”
Give
me a break! These are nothing more than manipulative sales tactics
that, ultimately, make a customer feel uncomfortable and coerced into
buying the product or service.
The
real key to solving objections is to work at eliminating them
altogether. You can accomplish this by investing more time qualifying
your customer. Salespeople who ask more questions generally face fewer
objections during the selling process. The reason is simple…they
uncover potential objections early in the sales cycle. Questions that
will help you uncover potential objections include:
“Who
else is involved in this decision?”
The purpose of this question is to establish who else has input in the
decision making process. If someone else has influence on the final
decision you may end up spinning your wheels trying to close the sale
without her present.
“What
time frame are you working with?”
This question is much more effective than asking, “When were you
looking to buy?” which can put people on the defensive.
“Who
else are you talking to?”
This helps you understand what other vendors or companies are bidding
on the project. This can assist you in differentiating yourself from
your competitors.
“What
was your experience with…?”
Based
on the customer’s previous experience(s) you can now position your
product or service to exceed their experience at your competitor.
These
questions will draw out information from your customer. This
information then allows you to position your product or service in a
manner that best suits the customer’s needs and wants. I’ve had
many salespeople in my workshops question this line of thinking and
approach with objections such as:
“Asking
all these questions takes too long.”
“People
won’t give me the answers I’m looking for.”
“I’ve
tried this and it doesn’t work.”
“I’ve
been given a script to use for every objection so I don’t need to do
this.”
“My
customers care only about price so it doesn’t matter what questions
I ask.”
I
certainly understand and appreciate each of these objections because
they are valid. Here are my responses:
“Asking
all these questions takes too long.”
You’re right, qualifying DOES take time. However,
proportionately speaking, it takes less time to ask these questions
than it does to overcome an objection because a customer is less
defensive. Many salespeople actually spend more time trying to
overcome objections than they would have asking questions.
“People
won’t give me the answers I’m looking for.”
People
will tell you anything you want to know providing you give them a good
enough reason. Once you establish a safe, comfortable environment
customers will open up and tell you things you never dreamed of. Your
goal is to ask questions in a non-threatening manner, to listen to
their responses, and to help them relax and feel comfortable.
“I’ve
tried this approach and it doesn’t work.”
I
won’t dispute the fact that some salespeople have a difficult time
applying this concept. In fact, many actually experience a decline in
sales when they first try to implement this concept. I suggest that
you keep practicing until you become comfortable asking questions such
as these. Once you become relaxed your customers will also become more
comfortable and this will result in more sales.
“I’ve
been given a script to use for every objection so I don’t need to do
this.”
Many
businesses give scripts to their sales staff. However, this approach
seldom addresses the real concern a customer has and can sometimes
offend them.
“My
customers care only about price so it doesn’t matter what questions
I ask.”
This
is not an uncommon perception among salespeople. However, this
perception may be incorrect. Although price is a factor in virtually
every sale it is seldom the primary issue. Many people look for
overall value, not price. When you ask them quality questions, you
begin to differentiate yourself from your competitors. Once you begin
separating yourself from other similar businesses you give people a
reason to focus on issues other than price.
Asking
questions such as these will help you prevent some objections from
arising. The goal is to learn enough about your customer’s situation
to present a product/service that fits his or her needs and want so
closely that you give them a compelling reason to buy from you, today,
at your price.
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