Nothing takes the wind out of your sails on a call like an unexpected sales objection

Objection handling is a key skill for sales reps. It involves responding to a customer objection in a way that continues to move the deal forward. The right objection handling techniques let you address the prospect's concerns successfully, no matter where they come in the sales process:

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1. "It's too expensive."

When a prospect says your product is too expensive, it isn’t always about price. In many cases, they have the budget for your product, but you haven’t demonstrated enough value to justify your price.

But sometimes it isn’t about price or value. Sometimes your prospects will use the pricing objection to hide their real concerns. The first thing you need to do when you hear the pricing objection is find out what’s really going on.

Example rebuttal: "I get that you're concerned about the price, we all want to make sure we get the most bang for our buck. Tell me: at what price would you buy?"

Wait for their response.

"If I could offer you this product at [price they said], would we have a deal today?"

This response allows you to see if price is the real objection, or if there's something under the surface that's causing them to throw the brakes on this deal.

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2. “We have no money.”

When your lead throws this one out there, it’s hard to press further because it’s likely true that they simply can’t afford you—right now. The best way to counter this is with strategically-placed follow-ups based on their growth.

Track what’s going on over there, and pounce again when you see some growth that might allow for you to sneak into the budget.

Example rebuttal:?"No worries, a lot of businesses are strapped today. Tell you what: I'm going to set a reminder in my calendar to call you up in two months to see how things are going. If you have more wiggle room with your budget, we can talk. Sound fair?"

3. “We’ve already spent our budget.”

This is very similar to the no money objection listed above, yet it differs in one key way you can utilize to change your prospect’s mind: funding will return eventually.

You can counter this problem in 2 ways:

Ask your lead when the cash flow will return to them, and follow-up then

Work with your prospect to brainstorm ways you can allocate some of the budget to your product or service—especially if your service is something that will help them save money

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4. “I need to allocate this budget elsewhere.”

This type of objection means that the potential is there to spend money on what you’re offering, but your prospect just doesn’t see it as a priority compared to other things, so they’re putting the money elsewhere.

The best way to counter this is with specific testimonials or case studies showing companies that mirror your prospect's business and how they benefitted from implementing your solution.?Bonus points if you can show them how they’ll actually save money using you. That'll not only build rapport: it'll make it awfully hard for your lead to object to when it comes to budgeting and resource allocation.

Example rebuttal:?"I know you've seen how our product can save you money. According to my notes here, we discovered that in six months of using our product, you'd be saving $1.5k on other expenses. How important is it for you to be saving that money?"

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5. "Your product looks great, but the price is too high."

Whenever a prospect throws out the idea of getting a discount before they even try your product, don't give in. Instead, refocus the conversation on what matters most: your product, and even more importantly, the value it will create for your prospect.

Example rebuttal: "Why don't you sign up for a trial and give the product a go? If you find out that it's a great fit, I'll take care of you and make sure you get a price that makes you happy. Sound fair enough?"

6. “I don’t want to be stuck in a contract.”

Many people don’t want to get tied into a contract,?especially if it’s for up to a year. This puts their cash flow availability at risk, and makes the commitment they make to you today a lot more serious than signing up for one month, or one quarter.

Example rebuttal:?"I hear you. But let me ask you: do you really want to switch again this year when you already have a solution that works well? You'll still have the flexibility to re-evalulate after 12 months, and you're just making a sound financial decision by taking the discount now."

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7. “The ROI potential just isn’t there.”

If your prospect is telling you that what you’re offering won’t give them the?Return on Investment?they’re looking for, you need to show them exactly how it will. A case study of a similar business seeing ROI from your solution is the best way to counter this.

Example rebuttal:?"Let me ask you: What kind of ROI would you expect to see?" (Then, if their response is reasonable:) "So our customer [name] has a very similar use case to yours. Last year, their ROI from using our product was [number]. Why don't I pass him your number, and you both can chat about what kind of ROI you can expect from using our product?" (Or, if their response is not reasonable:) "I understand that would be your ideal ROI. But I'm curious: Have you seen the lastest industry numbers for ROI in [your type of product]? Most companies are seeing an average of [number]. And just so you know, our average customer gets ROI that's double that number."

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8. “Another option is cheaper.”

Show they exactly why your service costs more—and show them?why that actually means it’s better. Demonstrate how some of your advanced features that they would be paying for will help them increase their own sales and make more money, or how it will streamline processes, saving time for employees. Show how this small investment now will pay off in the long run, and you'll be in a better position to overcome objections like this.

Example rebuttal:?"Okay, I get that you want to explore your best options. But let me ask you: Why do you think [other option] can give you a cheaper price?"

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9. “We don’t have the ability to implement this solution.”

This one can be a deal-breaker in some cases. If your prospect looks at your product and realizes it would require them hiring another person or would take their current employees away from their regular duties, they may write you off altogether.

Example rebuttal:?"I get that it takes an investment of time to get this solution up and running. But based on what we've talked about, you're looking at a [number] increase in [key metric] by using this product, and I know that's worthwhile for you. What would you need to make this happen?"

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10. “I’m happy with the way things are.”

You’ll find that many people are hesitant to change anything when things seem to be going well. However, if you can get them to spill the beans about any issues they’re experiencing that you may be able to solve, then you have an in. If they really think everything is perfect as is, you might want to give up on that prospect and move on.

Example rebuttal:?"I hear you: it's always easier to stick to what you've got. But let me ask you, how is your current solution... [question that shows a specific pain point with their current solution]."

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11. “I don’t see how your product will help me.”

This is another time where the prospect is indirectly asking for more information. The simple strategy here is to explain how your product can solve problems they may be experiencing in their line of business. Use your knowledge of the problems experienced by other similar prospects to guess what their main issues might be.

12. “I’ve never heard of you and your company is too small.”

Though this may sound quite negative at first, what they’re indirectly asking for is more information about your company. Give them some key points about your company, what you do, and how you can help them. Use testimonials and social proof to show that you can deliver on what you promise.

Example rebuttal:?"I get that: We're new in the market, so I'm not surprised you haven't heard of us. But our founders have worked at Google and Microsoft, and we recently raised a Series B round of funding."

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13. “We’re already working with [X competitor].”

If your prospect is already using a similar product/service from one of your competitors, then they already know they need something that serves that purpose. Your goal here should be to gather information about their experience with your competitor.

Example rebuttal:?"A lot of people tell me that. Can I ask: why did you choose [competitor]? What's working well with them? What's not?" After listening to their experiences: "Let me tell you three ways that people tell me our product is different from [competitor], then you can tell me if that sounds at all interesting to you."

14. “I’m already locked into a contract.”

This objection implies that while the prospect is interested in your product, they don’t want to take the financial hit to get out of a contract with your competitor. In this case, see if you can offer them a discount to sign with you instead, or find some long-term financial benefit of making the switch that would make up for the loss they’ll have to deal with in the beginning.

Example rebuttal:?"I get that you don't want to break your contract. Let me ask: how much would you lose by leaving the contract early? If I could make up the difference there, would you be willing to make the switch today?"

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15. "Your offer/product/company is not good enough!"

Don't fall into the trap of the?bully prospect. Their entire mission is to break your confidence and get what they want from you. You already know they're interested in what you're selling (no matter what objections they may bring to the table), but they don't think you know that.

Stand firm and go into the conversation strong, and you're guaranteed to flip things around and get what you want. You just need to keep one question in the back of your mind the entire time: Why are they still talking to us?

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16. “I’ve heard negative feedback about your company.”

Instead of scrambling to defend your company against whatever claims are presented to you, let the prospect know that you’ll pass the feedback on to the appropriate person or department. Then, offer them information on how you can improve or add value to their company with your product/service.

Example rebuttal:?"I appreciate the feedback, and I'll be sure to pass that on to [relevant department or person]. That said, we have plenty of customers that tell us [something positive]."

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17. “We’ll buy soon.”

This objection is another example of good intentions. The prospect may want to buy from you next week, but something’s going to come up. Next week turns into next month, and next month into next year.

When a prospect says they’ll buy sometime soon, find out if there’s?anything?that could happen to derail the deal. If there is, create a?mutual action plan. If there isn’t, walk them through?the virtual close?so you both understand exactly what needs to happen next.

Example rebuttal:?"What needs to happen for this deal to be finalized?"

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18. “I'll think about it.”

When a prospective buyer tells you they have to "think about it, " it means you haven't done your job well enough yet—they still don't know whether to buy.

And when you let them think about it... the result will almost always be a "no", or the prospect will just go MIA and never respond to any of your follow-up attempts again.

Example rebuttal:?“When someone tells me that they have to think about it, they're telling me that for one of these two reasons: They're not interested in us, or they are interested, but not sure. Which is it in your case?”

19. “There’s too much going on right now—call me back next quarter.”

We’d recommend addressing this objection directly: ask what’s going to be different next quarter. Don’t be too aggressive, but don’t let them just brush you off or make excuses. If there are legitimate reasons why they need to hold off, prepare yourself for a follow-up with them.

Example rebuttal:?“Okay, I get that you've got a lot on your plate. But let me ask you: What's going to be different next quarter? If you put this decision off, how will that affect [key metric]?”

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20. “I can’t make a commitment until I meet with [other decision-makers].”

The larger the businesses you sell to, the more common stakeholder meetings will be. They slow down the?sales process, but can also be a powerful sales tool. The trick is getting an invite.

Next time your prospect says they need to meet with other decision-makers, find out if you can be present (even just over the phone). If this meeting is between all relevant stakeholders, you may be able to close the deal on the spot.

Example rebuttal:?“That makes sense. Would it be possible for me to join that meeting with you and [other decision-makers] when you discuss this with them?”

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