How do you prepare for and anticipate potential objections before a sales call?

1 Research your prospect

Before you pick up the phone, do some homework on your prospect. Find out their goals, challenges, needs, and preferences. Use sources like their website, social media, industry reports, and previous interactions. This will help you tailor your pitch, avoid irrelevant or insensitive topics, and anticipate some of the objections they might have.

2 Identify common objections

You can also draw from your own experience and knowledge of your industry to identify the most common objections you face. These could be related to price, value, timing, competition, authority, or trust. Make a list of these objections and rank them by frequency and impact.

3 Prepare your responses

For each objection on your list, prepare a clear, concise, and confident response that addresses the underlying issue and provides evidence or benefits. Use the STAR technique to structure your responses: Situation, Task, Action, Result. For example, if the objection is about price, you could say: "I understand that price is a factor for you. In a similar situation, we helped a client reduce their costs by 25% by using our solution. Would you like to hear how we did that?"

4 Practice your delivery

Once you have your responses ready, practice delivering them out loud. Use a friendly and empathetic tone, and avoid sounding defensive or aggressive. You can also practice with a colleague or a friend and ask for feedback. The more you practice, the more confident and natural you'll sound on the call.

5 Listen actively

During the call, listen actively to your prospect and try to understand their perspective and emotions. Don't interrupt them or jump to conclusions. Ask open-ended questions to clarify their objection and uncover their needs and motivations. For example, you could say: "What makes you say that?" or "How does that affect your decision?"

6 Confirm and move on

After you've responded to an objection, confirm that you've addressed it satisfactorily and move on to the next step in the sales process. You can use a trial close to test their readiness, such as: "Does that make sense?" or "Are you comfortable with that?" If they agree, you can move on to the next topic or ask for the sale. If they disagree or raise another objection, repeat the process until you overcome it or reach an impasse.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?