How to Avoid Customer Objections with these Powerful Sales Techniques

I've noticed that a lot of sales people are of the opinion that customer objections are all part and parcel of the natural sales cycle. Well of course they are right to a certain extent but it could be dangerous thinking to expect objections as the norm. There are many ways to significantly reduce or even totally eliminate objections if the correct procedures and techniques are adopted early on in the process. A lot of it comes down to having as much knowledge as possible about the industry you are working in, and even more importantly, what the typical customer is looking for. When you have this level of understanding, objections can be avoided by offering the customer exactly what they are looking for.

Planning the Objection Response

I first came across this when I worked in Insurance Sales. The company I worked for had all the most common objections worked out in advance. This can be powerful but no matter how much you prepare the response to an objection, it will never be perfect and will always need some form of tweaking.
Let's say a person objects to price, firstly it's very important to understand what the immediate competitors are charging. Secondly it's necessary to justify cost with value because people rarely object to price alone, they are often looking to justify to themselves the value in the purchase.

Powerful Branding and Professionalism

People have more faith in products or services when they see a well polished and professional business image. This can be a whole range of stuff that could be anything from the design on the business card, the website, the way people speak or dress, right down to something as simple as the name of the business. People are less likely to object when they trust the business and this will often come from the overall branding package that they experience.

Great Customer Reviews

This is a tried and tested system that obviously works with lots of customers. The only problem I have with testimonials is how we can be sure that people aren't paid to say all these wonderful things. To avoid this it may be better to make one customer review a bit more balanced with a small amount of positive criticism. Lots of businesses would be very afraid to do this kind of thing but that's all the more reason why we should try. Consumers are less likely to be suspicious of what an existing customer says if there is some kind of human element. If a business advertises itself as flawless, it becomes less believable and almost comes across as arrogant and annoying to some of us.

Removal of the Ego

I wanted to say "leave your ego at home" but that wouldn't work if you have a home based business. Anyway this one seems easier to teach than to put into practice. It must be something to do with the way we are wired but sales people just can't seem to resist the temptation of giving their opinion when it doesn't help their case. People don't like to swallow their pride and tell the customer that everything they say is wonderful. It's a bit crazy really because it can make the difference between getting and not getting a sale at the end of the day.

Cancel out the Objection in the Presentation Phase

Doctors often tell us that prevention is better than the cure and I believe the same rule should apply for customer sales objections. The reason is pretty simple when you think about it. If you remove the doubt beforehand there will more time to allocate to the positive beneficial aspects of the product or service. In other words we get the bad stuff out of the way at the beginning and concentrate on the good stuff towards the bottom of the sales process funnel.
During the sales process there will be negative and positive moments. Most of the negativity comes from objections that come about through miscommunication between the sales person and the prospect. This is why communication capabilities and objections are often interconnected. In other words, when the communication is fluent, the objections will fade.

David Lynch is a Sales Training Designer & Accomplished Author. He has more than 20 years experience in a variety of industries including software, insurance & hospitality. If you would like to learn more sales skills from David you can download a Free Copy of his E-book "25 Mistakes To Avoid When Selling" at http://www.saleswillgrow.com/freesalestraining2.html