How to Overcome Sales Objections – with Response Scripts

"An objection is not a rejection; it is simply a request for more information." – Bo Bennett

The major roadblock in sales is often the objections customers throw your way that stop them from buying and you from selling. These should never be seen as the door being shut in your face. The best way to overcome sales objections is to identify and remove the friction that’s acting as a hurdle for your client. Do this by asking pertinent questions to uncover the real problems and address them, calmly, one by one to move forward in a mutually beneficial way.

 

7 common sales objections with the best responses for each:

1. The Blow-offs

 Customer: “I am not interested”

This kind of sales objection is generally an impulsive response to a sales pitch and almost never has anything to do with you. These types of objections are not very serious either. Prospects tend to do this when they feel the salesperson is taking away their time.

Rebuttal:

The best way to deal with this is to not contradict them. First empathize with them, telling them that you understand how they feel. Then tell them about somebody who felt the same way. Next, tell them how that other person found buying the product was actually a very beneficial thing to do.

Response script #1:

“That’s all right, Mr. Prospect, I understand why you may feel that this is not of any interest to you; CLIENT XYZ told me the exact same thing and now he is using our solution to improve their closing rates. I understand that improving closing rate is an important KPI for your business as well — can you share with me why improving these metrics is not of any interest to you at this time?”

 

Response script #2:

“I didn’t expect you to be interested; you don’t know enough about this yet. But like everyone else, I do know you’re interested in (provide a benefit here – reducing driving time, increasing customer meetings, close rate) and that’s why I’m calling. If I could show you how you can (provide your unique benefit here) and even save you (time, money, etc.) wouldn’t you be happy you took a few minutes to find out how?”

 

Response script #3:

“Believe me, I hear you. The good news is that talking for 30 seconds with me right now could change the way you do business, and could help you meet more customers, save hours of time – whatever your product or service will do for them. In fact, let me share briefly with you how we’ve helped hundreds of companies just like yours…”

2. The cold shoulder

Customer: “Send some information over”

Customers resort to this when they have made up their mind (prematurely) about you and decided that what you have to offer might not be relevant to them. By asking you to send information over, they’re just hoping to cut the conversation short (and spare your feelings).

Rebuttal:

A seasoned salesperson will see right through it and not fall for the trap. By simply sending over your marketing material, you leave the responsibility of follow-up with your prospects, i.e., you’re basically surrendering the deal. Instead, agree to send them more information, but don’t hang up yet. Ask them open-ended follow-up questions with the intention to lower their guard enough to start a conversation and also to qualify them.

 

Response script #1:

 “I’d be happy to email our information over to you. (Prospect’s name), I have a 100-page product feature eBook that I can email you, but do you mind if I ask you just a couple of quick questions so I can only send you that part that you’d be most interested in?”

 

Response Script #2:

“I’ll be happy to do that Mr. Prospect, but If you’re serious about learning how this can help you improve productivity, then I’d suggest we take a couple of minutes right now to discuss your situation. After that, if you’re really interested, I’d be glad to get something out to you – sound fair?”

 

Response Script #3:

“Of, course, but before I do that, I want to make sure this is actually a good fit for your business processes. Let me ask you a couple quick questions: (Ask qualifying questions on budget, decision-making process, etc.)”

 

3. The Stall Wall

 Customer: “Need to speak to my partner first”      

More often than not, this is simply a stalling tactic that is really used to just get you off the phone or out of their office. The prospect is stalling because they are too nice to say “No” to you. Yes, customers are actually afraid to say no. The problem is that they don’t plan on saying yes either. Sales reps that don’t take the hint keep calling. It could also mean they still have some reservations about your product and need to be convinced further.

 

Rebuttal:

Never challenge a stall. Doing that only creates conflict, not sales. Instead, try to minimize the risk for the buyer. Circle back to your value proposition and demonstrate how you’ve solved similar problems for others. As Greg Woodley from Sales and Persuasion Techniques said, “The key to dealing with these objections is to recognize the customer’s statement is a stall, so you know what to say.”

 

Response script #1:

“That’s all right, and let me ask you. If your partner says, ‘Do whatever you feel is best,’ then based on what we’ve gone over, and what you understand about this, what would you do?”

 

Response script #2:

“I understand that you like feature X and Y about our product. We have helped X client improve their key metrics by 20%. You don’t have to take my word for it. We offer a free trial, so you can be the judge. No satisfaction, no charge”

 

Response script #3:

“Mr. Prospect, we have been discussing this for a couple of weeks. In your opinion, what is the chance of this going through? I wouldn’t want to waste your time if you feel there isn’t a strong possibility of this happening.”

 

4. Complacency 

 Customer: “I don’t see the need for your service”

True to human nature, many people are lured into a false sense of security and will not make a change or decision unless it is absolutely necessary. You need to create a sense of urgency, make the client aware that if something is not changed now, they might not like the result down the line.

 

Rebuttal:

Lead by showing some research you have done on a competitor, and how not changing caused terrible results. Additionally, if a competitor has made a change and witnessed significant success, showing these results will motivate the client to not want to be left behind.

 

Response script #1:

“Ms. Prospect, the industry has witnessed (some change). These shifts are the reason CLIENT X just signed with us last month to increase ABC. Since you mentioned ABC as a key metric the last time we spoke, it would be great to discuss how our product can add value for your business.”

 

 Response script #2:

 “Thank you for the insight, Mr. Prospect. I understand why you may be hesitant to open up your budget for a solution you have no experience with. The reason I am calling you, however, is to open up some initial dialogue. Our product was specifically built to tackle problem ABC faced by companies in your industry. Even if you do not purchase our solution, it would be prudent for us to connect and discuss the benefits for you when the budget does open up.”

 

 Response script #3:

 “What I hear you wondering is, ‘what benefits are there for me in this product?’ (Then proceed to explain the most relevant feature of your product)”

 

5. The Price Squeeze

Customer: “It’s too expensive”

The price objections are the best type of objection questions you can get. Questions and comments about price indicate a prospect’s intention of buying. After all, you wouldn’t ask for a lower price or run a price comparison unless you are interested.

 

Rebuttal:

The moment you start justifying the price for it being the selling price, you reduce yourself to a transactional middleman. As John Doerr, Co-President, Rain Group advised, “Communicate a clear picture of the value of the solution you established in the selling process – the right buyer can usually “find” the money.” Link the price to the value rather than discussing it in isolation.

 

Response script #1:

“Our app helps sales reps meet more customers, drive less and close more, and is beautiful and easy to use. I can refer you to any number of customers we’ve helped make successful. But don’t just take our word for it—sign up for our free trial now and see for yourself.”

 

Response script #2:

“Let’s say money was no object. Would our product/service help solve your problem? Is price the only thing that’s keeping you from signing?”

 

Response script #3:

“In your own business, is your product/service always the least expensive option available? [Prospect’s name], I would rather inconvenience you with a high price today than with a cheap solution that isn’t really solving anything. Now, let’s not let a few dollars keep us from doing business together.”

 

6. The Competitor Tussle

Customer: “We already work with your competitor”

Every salesperson is far too familiar with this objection. As Jill Konrath, an internationally recognized sales strategist, advised, “Unless your product or service is truly groundbreaking, you should always assume that your prospect is already working with a competitor. What you don’t know from the outside is how they feel about their current provider.” While overcoming this objection is tricky, it’s not entirely impossible.

 

Rebuttal:

The best approach is to look for any cracks in the existing partnership. Your prospects might detest change but planting doubt in their mind might compel them into considering changing vendors. They probably haven’t re-evaluated their decision in a while. Ask questions that’ll have them wondering whether it’s still the right choice.

 

Response script #1:

“That’s good to hear — [competitor] is a great company. In fact, we share a lot of mutual customers. Companies that use both of our offerings often find that accomplishing [X goal] is much easier with our product since it has [unique benefit #1] and [unique benefit #2].”

 

Response script #2:

“Of course — many of our current customers have used different suppliers in the past. But I’m reaching out to discuss ways you could meet more customers, increase sales conversions and reduce daily administrative tasks. Would you be interested in scheduling another call to talk about that?”

 

Response script #3:

“That’s great. I’m wondering, however, if you’re still struggling to overcome the challenges caused by manual route planning. I actually have a couple of suggestions for you related to that challenge — would it make sense to schedule a call to discuss them?”

 

7. Sales Inertia

This is more of a mental block and less of an actual obstacle. We are bombarded with advertisements and sales pitches all the time. As a result, we develop a natural resistance to any sort of sales pitch that comes our way. Although this isn’t an objection the prospect is going to raise, it’s important to neutralize it, to ensure that your pitch doesn’t just bounce off prospect’s natural wall of resistance.

 

Rebuttal:

Before you start with your product presentation, try to make the prospect see that the meeting is about finding a solution for his/her problem and not about you trying to make a sale. What you’re doing is helping them let their guard down so that they actually listen to your pitch with an open mind.

 

 Response Script:

 “I’m not going to try to sell you anything. I’ll just demonstrate some of the reasons why thousands of companies are using this product. After that, you can decide if it’s applicable to you or not. You be the judge. Sounds fair?”

 

Overcoming Sales Objections is tricky but not impossible

Sales and objections are intertwined. Therefore it’s necessary to understand and be prepared for these common sales objections. While knowing your product inside-out helps, unearthing the true reason for the customer’s objection is what will truly help you cross the hurdle. Ask your prospects open-ended questions and try to build a sense of trust and credibility at every step.