(To get a 60-Minute Sales Team Meeting Agenda on Objection Strategy with Role Plays, visit our STORE.)

As salespeople, we hear objections, pushbacks and questions during a sales cycle.  Our goal must always be to provide our customers with the best possible solutions to get them the results they desire.  With that in mind, it is our responsibility to effectively address objections and pushbacks.  By “effectively address”, I mean that we need to be prepared for our most common questions or objections and make sure we understand what is driving the concern.  We must get to the real need or issue that the objection is raising.  Only when we thoroughly address issues can the customer make the best possible decision about what is best for their company.

To do this, a salesperson must first identify all the objections they hear.  It is helpful to list these by stage of the sales cycle.  For example, create a chart that lists the steps in your sales cycle from suspect to negotiation and then list the objections you typically hear at each stage of the sales cycle.

Then, based on the stage of the sales cycle, determine why they may have that objection, concern or question.  What might be driving that concern or objection (they are afraid the solution costs too much, they work with your competitor already, they really don’t have authority to take it any further, etc).

Then, determine the best way to learn the reason behind the objection.  What questions will you ask?  How will you communicate in a way that does not cause the customer to become defensive?  How can you open them up to share their thoughts behind the concern?

Now, that you have gone through this exercise for each objection you hear, you are prepared for the next time those objections arise – and you know they will.  You’ll actually look forward to addressing these objections as an important part of helping your customer make great decisions for them and their company.  In many cases, you’ll be able to address the objection before they even raise it.

Being prepared to help our customers is our responsibility as sales professionals.  So, we know we get objections and pushbacks. There is no excuse for not being prepared for them.

Look forward to objections this week!

(To download the Objection Strategy & Role Plays Sales Team Meeting Agenda, visit our STORE here.  This 60-Minute Sales Team Meeting Agenda will leave your sales team with a strategy for handling your most common objections leaving them more equipped to win that very day.)