How to Handle Sales Objections - ClearSales.io

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How to Handle Sales Objections

How to HandleSales ObjectionsEvery salesperson has his or her own way of practicing

a sales pitch: some write a script, some practice out loud,

some just stand and deliver. However, when thinking

about your own pitches, it’s important to remember

that your client isn’t going to let you deliver a perfect

monologue, nodding along. You will inevitably face

objections. So how can you prepare yourself ahead of

time to handle these sales objections? Read on!

Let’s work on your techniqueBefore we touch on specific objections, let’s go over good

general practices to have when addressing objections. To

start, make sure that you’re open to objections. It’s very

important that when objections arise, you don’t become

defensive by shooting down every point they make with

a long list of your service’s qualities.

But don’t back down either: the last thing you should do

is hang up or give up when you hear an objection. Find a

middle ground of both confidence and approachability.

One way to achieve this is to welcome objections

when they arise. In later meetings with prospects,

you can even ask upfront what concerns they’ve have

since you last saw them. You don’t have to come in

unprepared—start making a script of answers to

About the authorAsh Patel heads up business development and customer success at ClearSales. When he’s not talking to sales executives about sales issues, he’s writing about them.



objections. Begin writing down common objections

you’ve faced in the past and your successful responses

to them. If you didn’t have a successful response,

brainstorm what could have gone down better with

your prospect.You can take turns practicing these

responses by role-playing sales scenarios with your

colleagues.

Now that you’re in the right mental state concerning

objections, consider following these five steps to

handle any confrontation in a meeting:

1. Let them lead: you will see signs, either verbal or

visual, that the client has an objection. Ask them

about it—don’t try and force your own flow by

pre-empting their objection (even if experience

has taught you what it most likely is).

2. Listen fully: don’t listen half-heartedly just

to give a lip service answer. Really try to

understand what they are trying to convey.

3. Reiterate: this not only gives you a chance

to clarify if you’re on the wrong path, but

it shows them that you are really listening.

Acknowledge their objection, but never

in a confrontational manner. For example:

“Okay, so you’re mostly concerned about the

maintenance costs, is that right?”



4. Explore their reasoning: try to find out if their

objection is actually at the root of the issue. It

could be an excuse, because they just aren’t

interested or can’t afford the product. Ask

related questions that would require them to

justify their objection in more detail.

5. Answer the objection: your job is to allay your

prospect’s fears about buying your products

and services. Ideally, use stories from your

company’s past work to show how you’ve

handled this objection in the past and can do

so again. If you don’t have a relevant story,

make a promise that alleviates their concern.

Make sure it’s a promise you can keep.

A few other tips: to deal with more specific objections,

quantify their pain. Gather as much evidence of possible

pains (e.g. lost opportunity cost, increased costs, key

staff attrition). Then use this information to come up

with how you can specifically address their objections.

A prospect may not have numerous or intense

objections until they are just about to sign the deal.

In this situation, strongly consider using customer

references to reassure them. Ask your existing clients

if your near-closing leads can contact them to ask

about their buying process with you. Assure them

that you’ll only send a few prospects their way, and

not take up their entire schedule with reference calls.



Make sure to notify your references straightaway if

you plan to call them during a prospect appointment

or if you share any contact information.

The last technique involves dealing with non-verbal

objections. Sometimes your prospects won’t say

anything, but their body language—usually crossed

arms and an unimpressed face—and silence indicate

that they have an issue. In this case, be different

from what they’d expect from a typical salesperson.

Sales experts like Steli Efti have tried this technique

successfully: apologize and suggest that, maybe, you

aren’t a good fit. Sometimes, this openness will help

them change their minds about making a deal.

Common objectionsNow that you know how to deal with objections,

let’s review some common challenges and possible

responses that you can add to your arsenal. This list

is just a start—try mentally adding to this list other

objections you’ve come across and how you can

overcome them.

Lack of knowledge:“We don’t need this.” or “This isn’t a priority for us

right now.”

Response tactic:They don’t know how your product can fix their



problem. Paint that picture for them as clearly as you

can. The best salespeople achieve this by visualizing

the problem, solution and key backing data.

First, see if you can qualify what the prospect’s real

challenges are. Then, showing how the product or

service can address this challenge, show them how

addressing the problem is a priority. Show how

their competitors are using your product to succeed,

referencing news articles or a customer list in their

industry. But make sure to address this issue in a

curious, non-confronting tone: “Sorry, help me out

here. I’m struggling to see how we’re not a priority.”

or “I’ve shown how this can help with your concern.

Do you still have some doubts?”

Price:“Your price is too high.” or “The competition is cheaper.”

Response tactic:On the surface, this is a pretty reasonable objection

for people to make. If you’re being compared to a

competitor, try to figure out how your competitor can

offer a lower price. It’s usually because your products

and services are not directly comparable. Point this

fact out to your prospect and breakdown the costs

and value of your product’s unique features.

Note about price objections: This common objection



might be a mask for another issue the prospect has.

Perhaps they are fine with the price, but they might not

like the product, company, or even you. Probe them:

“You know what, I have a feeling there’s something

else. Is there an issue beyond the price? Do you really

love the product?”

Preference for other product:Prospects won’t mention this upfront. You’ll need to

ask and listen to determine if this is the case. If your

prospect won’t budge on their preference for another

product, at least try to figure out why they are so

enamored by it. You’ll get feedback on what prospects

really want to pass on to your management.

Perception of inferiority:“The public cloud isn’t secure. We only do private

deployments behind our company firewall.”

Response tactic:Allay this concern with past data that shows otherwise.

This is also a good opportunity to try and connect these

prospects with existing customers who expressed the

same concern, but overcame their issue and saw good

results. Remember to only do this for prospects who

would sign if it wasn’t for that one pesky objection.

Trust:Let’s be honest. Maybe they just don’t trust you.



Response tactic:Trust is something that takes a long time to establish. If

it’s a deal-breaker for your prospect, you can overcome

the hurdle by being as transparent as possible. Be

forthcoming with information. Provide referrals and

testimonials from existing happy customers and case

studies. This should help alleviate uncertainty and

give your prospect confidence in your abilities.

Reliance on external input:“I have to run this by a business partner/colleague.”

Response tactic:This can be good for your sale, assuming that the

prospect is genuinely interested and not making an

excuse. Suggest a meeting with everybody. Ask them,

“Would it be helpful if we all met together so we can

address these questions directly?” It will look like

you’re doing them a favor by helping their decision-

making process.

Keep learningYou’re now prepared to handle common objections

during sales meetings with a list of tried-and-true

techniques. It’s a great start—just keep practicing and

updating your list of objections. Before you know it,

you’ll be an expert and handling objections will be a

walk in the park.



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How to Handle Sales Objections - ClearSales.io