The Right Technique For Answering Objections | Professional Selling Skills Sales Training

Here are three ways to strongly answer objections.

1. Feel, Felt, Found

This practical technique overcomes a stall or a very personal objection. It can counter prospect hostility, pacify an unhappy client, or inform someone who does not yet clearly understand the value of the product or service. Answer the objection with this language:

I can understand how you feel. . . . I have had other clients who felt the same way until they found out that . . .

This approach serves several purposes. It shows the prospect that the seller understands the objection, and it reassures the prospect that having this kind of objection is normal. Then the stage is set to introduce information that can change the prospect’s way of thinking. This technique says that other people who are now clients had similar misgivings but changed their minds after they considered new information.

2. The Compensation or Counterbalance Method

In some instances, an objection is valid and unanswerable. The only logical approach is to admit that you cannot respond to the objection and exit as gracefully as possible. This individual is not a qualified prospect (for example, no need, no money). Do not waste your prospect’s and your time trying to prove otherwise.

At times, however, a prospect may buy in-spite of certain valid objections. Admit that your service does have the dis-advantage that the prospect has noticed and then immediately point out how the objection is overshadowed by other specific benefits of the service. Your job is to convince the prospect that the compensating benefits provide enough value that the disadvantage should not prevent the prospect from buying. By admitting the objection, you impress the prospect with your sincerity and sense of fair dealing. This method works because the prospect is approached positively with an acknowledgment of expressed concerns, and then given a series of logical, compensating benefits to counterbalance the stated objection

3. Ask “Why?” or Ask a Specific Question

Asking questions is helpful not only for separating excuses from real objections but also for handling objections. You can use questions to narrow a major, generalized objection to specific points that are easier to handle. If the prospect says, “I don’t like to do business with you,” ask, “What is it that you don’t like about our firm?” The answer may show a past misunderstanding that can be cleared up. If the prospect complains, “I don’t like the look of your reports,” ask, “What do you object to in their appearance?” The objection may be based on a relatively minor aspect that can be changed or is not true.

Conclusion

Being prepared to answer objections will make you more comfortable developing this important skill.