Selling eloquence

Chapter 23 Dealing with Objections and Turning Customer Concerns into Sales Opportunities (1)
As the saying goes: "Praise and criticism are buyers, applause is idlers." If customers have objections to your products, the salesperson must not resist, but recognize this from a positive direction as a signal for a deal.Therefore, when facing objections from customers, salespersons must be calm, come up with comprehensive ways to resolve them gracefully, and turn objections into sales opportunities.This chapter introduces several eloquence skills when dealing with objections, for reference by salespeople.

1. Eight basic types of customer objections

Customer questions and objections are opportunities for salespeople.

— Frank Bettger

An objection is an objection raised by a customer.This is undoubtedly an obstacle to the transaction, but if handled properly, the objection will turn into a signal for the transaction.Objections are almost inevitable, and almost every customer will raise their own objections. Therefore, how salespeople handle objections is one of the necessary sales skills.Here we first focus on the basic types of objections.

(1) Price objection.This is the most common type of objection that salespeople encounter during the sales process.From the specific situation of the market supply and demand relationship, customers are generally the most sensitive to the price of the product, because it is directly related to the customer's immediate interests, so many customers first raise objections to the price after they have a desire to buy.The most common objection people hear is: "Your price is too high!"

(2) The salesperson objected.This is the customer's complaint about some specific salesperson's defects, such as poor verbal communication of the salesperson, poor reputation, lack of due sales etiquette, etc., which may lead to objections from customers to the salesperson.

(3) Product objection.During the negotiation process, when the customer raises objections to the quality, specification, variety, design style, packaging and decoration of the product promoted by the salesperson, the customer has objection to the product.Product objection is a common customer objection. Once the customer has understood their real needs, but is worried about whether the current product can meet their needs, some objection will naturally arise.The reason for this objection is also complicated. It may be due to the shortcomings of the product itself, but most of it comes from the subjective factors of the customer, such as the customer's cultural quality, level of understanding, consumption habits, purchasing methods and various other social stereotypes.

(4) Demand objection.When the customer says to the salesperson: "I don't need this thing!" Or simply tell you: "I already have it!" Words like this show that the customer has objections in terms of needs.The root causes of demand objections are: first, customers really don’t need the products you sell; second, customers’ prejudices and prejudices; third, for some excuses.If the root cause lies in the first situation, then the salesperson should stop promoting the introduction in due course.If the root cause lies in the latter situations, then the salesperson should use effective objection resolution techniques to remove these obstacles.

(5) Objection to purchase time.This is an objection raised by customers who deliberately delay the purchase.For example, a customer said to the salesperson who came to the door: "Let me think about it and give you an answer next week." "We can't decide right away, let's talk about it after researching!"

When customers are faced with sales promotion by salespersons, they may wish to delay and postpone the purchase time due to various reasons. Some are due to insufficient funds at hand, some have not yet considered whether to buy, some have stocks around them, and some are just a kind of dodging. Excuse.In this regard, the sales staff should make a specific analysis and treat them differently.

(6) Objection to ability to pay.This refers to an objection raised by some customers on the grounds that they have no money to buy.For example, a customer with a good income bought a high-end stereo system imported from Japan, and he encouraged another young man who just graduated to buy one, and the latter told his friend frankly that although the suggestion was good, he could not afford it now .This situation is a bona fide capacity to pay objection.Of course, the reasons for the customer’s objection to the ability to pay are complex and diverse, not only because of financial resources, but also because of various excuses from the customer, resulting in a false objection to the ability to pay.

(7) Objection to supply of goods.The source of goods objection is the customer's different views on which company and which salesperson the promotional goods come from.In the process of sales promotion, customers often say: "The quality of this product is not reliable, I prefer branded products!" These are objections to the source of goods.Poor corporate reputation, fierce competition among peers, and poor after-sales service may cause customers to raise objections to the source of goods.Sometimes, certain stereotypes and misunderstandings of customers will also affect the evaluation of the overall image of the enterprise.

(8) Objection to decision-making power.When a salesperson makes a sales call, the customer sometimes says to his face: "I can't make a decision on this matter, and I need to discuss it with my superiors before making a decision." Some customers will also say: "I have no right to make decisions about ordering." Something like this In his own words, he calls it a decision-making powers objection.This kind of objection is the same as other objections, which can be divided into true and false. The salesperson should be good at identifying and making accurate judgments. Maybe the other party really does not have the purchasing decision-making power, or it may be because of other reasons.For example, customers need time to understand information and investigate market conditions, so that they can use reasonable strategies to bargain at the negotiating table and strive for greater advantages.

2. Find out the real intention behind the objection

The objection is not necessarily the real intention, and the "implication" behind the customer must be clarified.

Customers will always question you in one way or another when faced with a salesperson’s promotion. Customers raise objections because they want to know why this product is worth buying, and this is what they are subtly conveying to you about your product interested in.These objections are a signal that they are going to buy.If this is handled properly, then subsequent transactions are promising.

In fact, behind some of the objections are the real intentions of customers eager to learn more information.Below are some such examples.

Objection: I don't think the price represents "you get what you pay for".

Real intent: Unless you can prove that your product is worth the money.

Objection: The size doesn't look right to me.

Real intentions: unless you can prove that I am wearing the right size and length.

Objection: I've never heard of your company.

Real intention: I am willing to buy your product, but I want to know whether your company is reputable and trustworthy.

Objection: I'm cutting back so I don't want to buy any new products.

Real Intent: Unless you can convince me that your product is exactly what I need, I won't pay for it.

If the salesperson can't figure out the real intention of the customer's objection, then you will miss a lot of business that could have been closed.

The best way to spot a client objection is to watch the other person's reaction when you offer an affirmative answer.Generally speaking, if they are indifferent, it means that they did not tell you the real objection.

Another thing to note is that when a client makes a series of unrelated objections to you, they're probably glossing over what's really bothering them.If you understand the truth that no one will raise so many real objections if they don't want to buy, then you can ask questions that will reveal the true intentions of the customer.

3. Identify the authenticity of customer objections

Replace fiction with reality, attack with defense, and play hard to get, so as to stimulate customers' desire to buy.

— Dave Dotholson

For the customer's objection, the salesperson does not have to be afraid, and should try his best to distinguish the true and false of the customer's objection, and then take appropriate countermeasures.

(1) The performance of true and false objections.It is very important to distinguish the type of objection, which will help the salesperson to adopt countermeasures in a targeted manner.In general, objections fall into two types:

A. Genuine objection.The customer is very dissatisfied with your product, or he has no need now, or has prejudice against your product.Or he has used your product and knows that your previous product was prone to failure.These are all real objections.

For this kind of objection, the salesperson can consider the timing of handling it according to the situation, whether it is immediate or delayed.If the customer's objection is the key to the entire sales issue, and if the objection cannot be resolved and the order cannot be obtained, the salesperson must deal with the objection immediately to ensure smooth further communication.In other cases, deferred processing may be considered.Such as: when the customer has too much prejudice against your product and needs a long time to communicate and explain; when encountering a problem that cannot be solved by your authority; objection when you cannot be persuaded in a more certain way...

B. False Objection.False objection mainly refers to the way that customers use some excuses to perfuse the sales staff, so as to achieve their own goals.According to the purpose of the customer, false objections can be divided into two categories: one is to deal with the salesperson, the customer does not have much interest in the product or service, just because he does not want to communicate with the salesperson, does not want to intervene in sales activities, just to dismiss the salesperson personnel.The second is to confuse the sales staff with objections. This objection is not what the customer really cares about. This objection is also called "hidden objection".For example, customers may raise objections in various aspects such as product quality, style, function, and color.What the customer said is not his real idea, but to use this illusion to obtain concessions from the sales staff to achieve the purpose of reducing prices.

(2) Judgment on true and false objections.It is very important to judge the true and false objections of customers.If the customer's objection is a false objection, just to lower the price, and he proposes that the color of the product does not meet his requirements, but you think it is a real objection from the customer, your method of solving the problem will naturally be very different from the customer's real idea, and you will Let the communication between the two parties be poor.Therefore, it is very important to judge whether the customer's objection is true or false.

When judging the true and false objections of customers, the salesperson can use the method of asking questions, or judge the customer's body language.Specifically, body language can be divided into the following categories:
A. Emoji.People often transmit information to each other through facial expressions. Expressions such as eye movements, smiles, anger, and sadness can all play a role in conveying information. Expressions can not only convey a person's emotional state, but also reflect a person's happiness, anger, Sorrow, joy and other inner activities.

B. Paralanguage.The so-called paralanguage refers to the voice, intonation and tone of speech.They accompany language to express the real meaning of information, so the relationship between paralanguage and language is very close, and paralanguage can better express a person's emotions and attitudes.

C. Body language.The so-called posture refers to the body posture shown by people in the communication process, such as leaning forward, leaning back, crossing arms, etc.People’s attitude towards others is difficult to cover up and hide in terms of posture. Therefore, salespersons should be good at observation and analysis, and then accurately judge the different information revealed by different postures, so that it is easy to know whether the objection expressed by the customer is true or false. up.

After judging the true and false objections, the salesperson should adopt corresponding solutions to the real objections.As for the false objection, the salesperson should judge the real meaning of the customer by asking questions or making indirect remarks, so as to better deal with it and be targeted.

4. Win the understanding of customers with honesty

If you want to correct your shortcomings, you must first know where your shortcomings are.

—— Yuan Yiping

"God of Sales" Yuan Yiping once told about an incident he personally experienced.

Since the work has been going well for a few days, I am a little bit smug while being complacent.Seeing that the time agreed with the client had arrived, I walked towards a tobacco shop.

When I went in, I lifted the well-worn hat back of my head, looked very relaxed, said good night, opened the glass door and went in.The owner of the Nayan Hotel came out to answer the door.When he saw my face, he blushed and growled thickly:

"Hey! What's your attitude! Wearing your hat crookedly to greet guests, what kind of politeness is that? What a big bastard!" Then, he uttered a series of angry reprimands and bombarded him indiscriminately:
"I believe in you, and I also believe in Meiji Insurance Company, that's why I took out the insurance today. Who knew that the employees of a company I trust would be so nonsense!"

After hearing this, I woke up like a dream, and immediately knelt on the ground. "I'm really sorry. Just because I have accepted your insurance during the day and become a member of our Meiji Insurance Company, I am full of intimacy, but I am too capricious. Please forgive me."

The little boss was stunned for a while, looked at me and didn't make a sound.I continued to kowtow and said: "My attitude just now is really inappropriate, but what I want to ask you to forgive is that I did it with the mood of asking my closest relatives, and it is definitely not that I have any feelings for you. The meaning of frivolity."

"It's all my fault. Please don't be angry, shake my hand, okay?" I stretched out my hands as I spoke.

The other party was taken aback at first, and then suddenly turned into a smile and said, "Hey, don't keep kneeling on the ground, okay. In fact, it's not right for me to shout out loud all of a sudden. Now stand up and talk." So he held my extended hand Hand, pull me up.

After walking into the store, we talked very speculatively.

When the customer saw Yuan Yiping, he didn't feel any objection to the product, but instead felt disgusted with Yuan Yiping himself.This kind of strange and strange objection can really be called "emotional".So, what should salespeople do when faced with such objections from customers?You should consider changing your bad impression in the other party's heart and allowing the other party to accept you, thereby improving the effectiveness of interpersonal communication.

Getting along with people is really a mysterious science.In the above case, Hara Ippei got a blessing in disguise because he had the courage to admit his mistakes to the client. In the end, the client increased the insured amount from 5 yen to 000 yen.

It is easy to leave a bad impression on customers, but it is really difficult to change a bad impression.Therefore, when the customer points out the mistake of the salesperson, you must know how to admit the mistake. Admitting the mistake is a candid and responsible attitude. If you admit the mistake to the customer properly, you can still win the trust of others.

5. Resolve customer objections with sincerity
Sincerity can be exchanged for customers, trust can turn customers into partners, friendship can turn partners into friends, and friends can bring you more customers.

— Frank Bettger

(End of this chapter)