you are making outbound sales calls, remember that the phone is by nature an interruption. You’ll need to start your selling by showing the customer why this interruption is worthwhile. When you hear a Barrier objection, a good way to respond is to try to create the interest you need in the customer’s mind if you are to succeed. For example, if a customer says he is not interested, respond with, “If I could provide you the same semicon- ductors, with the same delivery times, and at a lower price, would you be interested?


BRUSH-OFFS


The second category of objection is the Brush-off. These objections are more likely to occur after you have tried to close the sale. Brush-offs are the prospect’s way to avoid making a decision. Brush-offs allow the pros- pect to postpone having to say yes or no. For example, “Could you send me some literature on that?” may be a Barrier objection if it occurs in the first 30 seconds of the call. However, if it comes up after you have had a five-minute discussion about the prospect’s needs and your service’s benefits, then it is an attempt to brush you off and avoid a decision. Brush-off objections are always false


objections and should be handled accordingly. You will first need to find out if there are any real objections (Legitimate objections). “I understand I may be catching you off guard with this, and perhaps I haven’t explained clearly how this will improve your productivity by 25%. What questions do you have?” If the objection is just an attempt to avoid making a decision, then you need to show what the customer will gain by making a decision now – or would lose by waiting. If money will be saved by using your product or service, how much – and how soon will the savings start? Put the poten- tial gain in specific figures, if possible. Show the customer why a decision right now is in their best interest.


LEGITIMATE OBJECTIONS The third objection type is the Legiti- mate objection. These are objections that offer the greatest challenge to you, but, in many ways, they are the easiest to overcome. A Legitimate objection is a specific reason the pros- pect feels that your product or service is not right for their needs. Legitimate objections may come in many forms: “Your price is too high,” or, “I really don’t think that would be of use in our situation.” A Legitimate objection is a challenge for you to show what the customer will gain by saying yes. If the Legitimate objection is price,


then you will need to show that your higher price is worth it because of lon- ger product life, better delivery times, or other valid features. If the prospect is unsure about how they’ll benefit from the product, then you’ll need to demonstrate that by words or actions.


TO OVERCOME, GET COMMITMENT There may be no way to overcome some Legitimate objections imme- diately. For example, having to get another brand put on the buy list may be an objection that can only be overcome through a second call. But you can still close the customer on the commitment to take the steps necessary to eventually get a sale. “Would you agree to take these prod-


‘‘


When problems surface, insights disappear. When insights surface, problems disappear. Problems and insights rarely make a joint appearance. GERHARD GSCHWANDTNER


uct specs to your engineers to see if they will approve this so you can save some money?”


When you hear an objection, the


first thing to do is determine what type it is. “I’m not interested” could be a Barrier, Brush-off, or a Legitimate objection, depending on when and how it is presented. Once you know the objection type you’re dealing with, then you can determine the best way to overcome that objection and move forward. As you sell over the next few weeks, try and think of objections in this man- ner. It will help improve your success in turning objections into sales. 


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