Almost every call center operator has encountered objection in sales in his work. Sometimes it is not easy to deal with them, but such practice hardens and is an integral part of the list of useful skills of a call center specialist. To work with objection in sales more effectively, it is worth relying on some effective techniques, as well as use certain knowledge on which the effective work of each operator of a professional contact center is based.
So, how to deal with sales objections? Is overcoming sales objections a hard task? What are the common sales objections in sales process? How can sales reps deal with these common objection?
Basic steps in working with objections
The client is not an opponent, but a partner. When a client approaches you with a controversial situation, it is worth remembering that now you are “in the same boat”. There is no point in getting angry or offended at him, because now both of you are interested in solving the issue, and the easier and friendlier will be all your communication, the higher the probability that the issue will be solved very quickly. Working with objection in sales is much easier with this approach. Good emotional rapport. If the operator manages to evoke sympathy from the interlocutor, the whole further conversation will be built much easier. It is much easier to work with objections in such conditions, so do your best not to waste the first minutes of the conversation, because you will not have a second chance to make a first impression. Listening. Such an uncomplicated, at first glance, skill, will help at the initial stage, because nothing so disposes as a person listening to us. To work with objections without the ability to listen, the operator simply will not succeed. Accepting objections. The next step, which many may not seem obvious, is to accept objections. Thus, you will show the client that his words are not for you something unimportant or unimportant. With all this, the voiced situation may well happen in reality, so work with the objection in sales should take into account the fact that anything can happen – to exclude the probability in any case is not necessary. What is behind the refusal. In working with a large number of different people, the operator should catch the nuances that “hide” behind their words. For example, the client wants to refuse the goods for a completely different reason that he voices. In this situation, you can bring the interlocutor to sincerity, giving the example of other customers who also wanted to return the same product for a different reason, while objecting in a similar way. Working with objections with the help of such techniques is greatly simplified. Clarification and specificity. This tactic is valuable for two reasons. First, by asking clarifying questions and allowing the client to speak out, the operator shows that the situation is really important on the one hand, and on the other hand, it gives the operator an opportunity to understand the situation more deeply, leading the client to more sincere answers with the help of precise clarifying questions. Secondly, the client can evaluate this approach in the work of the operator, making conclusions about the reputation of the company, leaving a positive feedback on the work of the contact center. As a rule, experienced operators can work with objections in this way. Absence of a dispute. Whatever and in what form the client says, arguing with him is not only senseless, but also fundamentally wrong from the point of view of the possibility of solving his question in principle. Dispute always provokes opposition, which can lead to conflict. In the process of communication with customers, the operator must remain calm and look at the problem with an open mind – only in this way can work with objections be effective. Argue and talk about facts. When talking to customers, be persuasive – never talk about assumptions or good wishes. In dealing with objections, facts, statistics, relevant arguments and other tools are important to make your entire speech more persuasive. Some operators use metaphors and proverbs in their work, but their use deserves special attention – perhaps your interlocutor is not a fan of Russian folklore, which is certainly worth considering.
Observing and identifying patterns
Undoubtedly, at first glance, it may seem that all people argue about different things. Different needs dictate different nuances of choice, raise different questions and dissatisfaction for different reasons. In reality, this is not the case. Often, people want very ordinary things – comfort, inexpensive purchases, minimal time spent on solving issues and the like. You should not “make a big deal out of it” and look for pitfalls where, in all likelihood, they simply do not exist. For this it is worth at least a day to spend in the supermarket, watching how people buy different products – you will be surprised, but when buying food, and when buying furniture interests can be similar: often, people want to maintain their health in every way possible – both with the help of healthy food, and settling on a comfortable sofa. At the same time, a considerable number of people will focus on the price and, as a rule, for such customers the price is important for both bread and TV, because saving is already in their habit. Scrupulous customers will ask how good the wine they have chosen is as much as they will ask about the smartphone model they are interested in. All of this can be revealed to you through simple observation, and taking into account all these facts, you will always be able to find the right words in working with objections from a variety of customers. At the same time, you will learn to “look” into the depth of the situation, throwing aside unnecessary details that customers sometimes fixate on, thus distracting you from seeing the whole picture of what is happening.
Handling objections in sales may look a tough task, but yet it is possible. Also, handling objections in sales hardly depends on the skills of the agent, so there is no better way to improve your performance in handling objections than to train sales agents and analyze past campaigns in order to find improvement areas and mistakes to be eliminated.
What are the common types of sales objection?
Price objections (budget objection) – this happens when current customers have (or want you to believe they have) lack of budget.
Lack of trust objection – happens during sales conversation with a prospect who isn’t aware enough of your company.
Authority objections – happen when prospect can’t or don’t want to make final decision.
“Not interested” objection – this objection can refer to the fact that prospect already uses similar product, or to any other reason by far.
Lack of urgency objection – this objection requires you to follow-up with the customer.
Objection after objection – this is a real objection, which shows that prospect is trying to get rid of you.
All these types of objections have one same characteristic – all typical sales objections open an opportunity for your to ask open-ended questions and use these actual objections in order to convince customer if not to agree on the deal, then to continue communication.
Buying process in outbound telemarketing requires numerous follow-ups, includign asking follow-up questions, and sales professional should be ready that sales cycle can take months to be closed successfuly. Even the best sales pitch will face objections, both in B2B sales and in B2C sales, and you have to adapt to current situation and manage selling process to convince potential buyers – this requires making numerous calls on daily basis, active listening skills, and other aspects to make you successfuly deal with customer objections.