What are the best ways to identify potential objections before they arise during an IT Sales meeting?

1 Research your prospects

Before you meet with your prospects, you should do some research on their background, needs, goals, challenges, and preferences. This will help you tailor your solution to their specific situation and address any concerns they might have. You can use various sources of information, such as their website, social media, industry reports, referrals, or previous interactions. The more you know about your prospects, the better you can anticipate their objections and craft your value proposition.

2 Ask open-ended questions

During your sales meeting, you should ask open-ended questions that encourage your prospects to share more details about their pain points, expectations, budget, decision-making process, and objections. Open-ended questions are those that cannot be answered with a simple yes or no, such as "What are your main challenges with your current IT system?" or "How do you measure the success of your IT projects?" Asking open-ended questions will help you uncover the hidden or underlying objections that your prospects might have and address them before they become deal-breakers.

3 Listen actively and empathize

Another way to identify potential objections is to listen actively and empathize with your prospects. Listening actively means paying attention to what your prospects are saying, as well as their tone, body language, and emotions. You should also paraphrase, summarize, and confirm what you heard to show that you understand their perspective. Empathizing means showing that you care about their problems and feelings and that you are not just trying to sell them something. You can use phrases like "I can see how frustrating that must be" or "I appreciate your honesty" to build rapport and trust. By listening actively and empathizing, you can discover the real reasons behind their objections and address them with empathy and confidence.

4 Use the feel-felt-found method

One of the most effective techniques to overcome objections is the feel-felt-found method. This method involves three steps: acknowledging how your prospect feels, relating to how others have felt in a similar situation, and showing how they have found a solution with your offer. For example, if your prospect says that your solution is too expensive, you can say something like "I understand how you feel. Many of our customers have felt the same way when they first heard our price. However, they have found that our solution pays for itself in the long run by reducing costs, increasing efficiency, and improving customer satisfaction." By using the feel-felt-found method, you can validate your prospect's feelings, provide social proof, and highlight the benefits of your solution.

6 Prepare for common objections

Finally, you should prepare for some of the most common objections that you might encounter in IT sales, such as price, timing, authority, competition, or satisfaction. You should have a list of possible objections and how to respond to them with facts, benefits, testimonials, or case studies. You should also practice your responses and role-play different scenarios with a colleague or a coach. By preparing for common objections, you will be able to handle them with ease and professionalism.

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?