How to Handle Objections Like a Pro

Your sales team needs to know how to pivot.

Anyone can memorize a sales script – but it’s an essential skill for salespeople to be able to handle all elements of a real-world conversation, including those dreaded objections.

An unexpected answer, question or concern is no grounds for a sales rep to lose their composure. Their expectation should be to carry right on the with the conversation and pivot with another question.

No, a “deer in the headlights” look does not bode well with instilling confidence in a buyer’s mind.
Sellers need to always be prepared and expect the unexpected.

Let’s look at a very simple scenario. Perhaps a sales rep asks a prospect:

“Where are you experiencing problems or challenges in the marketplace?”

To which the prospect responds:

We aren’t experiencing any problems or challenges in the marketplace.”

Upon first glance with an untrained eye, there’s nowhere for the rep to take the conversation. The natural inclination is to back off, and respond with nothing more than a blank stare.

But, there are actually many ways to handle a scenario like this. Here are a few pivot questions which can take the conversation to a place that the salesperson can leverage:

  • “Where are you having your successes?”
  • “What kind of return on investment are you getting?”
  • “How is your business running so seamlessly?”

While either one of those questions has the potential to open an entirely new and more encouraging thread of dialogue, it’s not the question itself that holds the power alone. It’s the seamless flow of conversation, quick response, and confidence displayed by the seller that often wins the day in the buyer’s mind.

Role play with your sales reps, teach them to prepare for the unexpected with scenarios like the one highlighted above and with practice, they’ll handle objections like a pro.

What’s one way you teach your sales reps to handle objections?

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