Why Objection Handling is Important in Sales

Handling objections is an important part of sales because it gives you a chance to resolve your prospect's concerns. This will make them more comfortable with your product and close a deal.

The first step to objection handling is acknowledging the concern. This can be as simple as a nod or a restatement of the objection.

1. Educate Yourself

As a salesperson, it’s important to understand what a prospect is really saying when they raise an objection. This can help you better anticipate what to expect during a call and prepare your response accordingly. In many cases, prospects have genuine concerns about your product or service that can be addressed.

It is tempting to brush off a prospect’s concerns and move on, but this can be dangerous for the sale. If a buyer’s doubts go unaddressed, they may adopt a negative opinion about your company and product. The longer this opinion persists, the harder it will be to dispel.

By taking the time to understand a prospect’s concerns, you can respond in a way that will alleviate them and allow the sales process to continue. For example, if your prospect is concerned that your solution is too expensive, you can address this objection by explaining the value of your offering and how it will save them money in the long run.

Often, prospects will raise objections because they don’t fully understand your product or how it could improve their business. This is a great opportunity to educate them and build rapport with your prospect. You can do this by asking open-ended questions and providing them with relevant testimonials or case studies, according to HubSpot.

Some reps will try to persuade their prospect into changing their mind by arguing with them or pressing them for a change in viewpoint. This type of strong-arming is counterproductive and can damage the trust you have built with your prospect. Instead, you should focus on acknowledging the prospect’s concerns and using a technique like repeating back what they’ve said to show that you have been listening to them.

2. Listen to Your Prospect

When you're able to anticipate objections, it helps ensure that you can address them quickly and effectively. You'll also find that prospects are more willing to listen to you if you know that they will likely hear a response that addresses their concerns and allows them to make an informed decision.

Objections are a normal part of the sales process and, in most cases, reflect legitimate concerns. Whether they're about your company, pricing, or other competitors, it's important to understand where the objection is coming from so you can effectively address it.

Often, prospects aren't sure if your solution is right for them or if they will see a return on investment (ROI). Your job is to explain how your product solves their unique problem and demonstrate how it can be used. This is a critical step in building a relationship of trust and establishing credibility with your prospect.

Your prospect may be concerned about the time it will take to implement your solution or that their existing technology will not be able to handle the volume of data. To help them feel comfortable with your solution, be sure to discuss how it will reduce their time-to-value and address any concerns about scalability.

Some prospects are hesitant to buy from you because they believe that your product is expensive or won't fit with their budget. To avoid this objection, you need to establish a price that will be acceptable to your prospect. You can do this by using your research and the information you have gathered about their business to determine an appropriate value proposition. Then, you can use your objection handling skills to convince them that your product is worth the investment.

3. Acknowledge Their Point of View

Objection handling involves responding to a prospect’s concerns in a way that alleviates them and allows the sale to move forward. This is often done by reemphasizing the value of your product, but it can also be a great opportunity to learn more about your prospect’s pain points and make sure that your solution is a good fit for their requirements.

Generally, buyers raise objections because they are concerned that you can’t meet their needs or that your solution isn’t appropriate for their business. Some objections may be legitimate, while others might be a simple brush-off or attempt to secure a discount. To get to the bottom of a prospect’s objection, it is important to listen closely and ask open-ended questions.

When your prospects are concerned that you can’t meet their requirements, the best thing to do is to take a step back from the sales call and ask them more clarifying questions. This is a great opportunity to explore new requirements and show that your solution is truly different from your competitors.

Some of the most common sales objections involve price. You can address this by asking your prospect whether they believe that they will receive a return on investment and making it clear that the value is in your product, not in the amount you charge for it.

If your prospects are concerned that your solution isn’t appropriate for them, it can help to show that you have existing happy clients in their industry or company size who have successfully implemented the product. This can help to show that you have experience overcoming similar objections and can provide the evidence your prospects need to make a decision to purchase.

4. Paraphrase Their Concerns

As salespeople, it’s easy to get defensive and close up shop at the first sign of an objection. But objection handling doesn’t have to be a painful process—it can actually be a chance to improve the sales conversation and strengthen your relationship with your prospect.

When a potential customer raises an objection, it’s important to understand that they aren’t necessarily rejecting your product or service; they may simply be concerned about the implications of a purchase. To help them feel comfortable enough to move forward, it’s helpful to paraphrase their concerns. This will show that you care about their feelings and aren’t trying to steamroll them into a sale.

By changing up the context of the objection, you can also show that you’re taking it seriously. For example, if a prospect objects to the price of your solution, ask them how they would rate that on a scale of one to ten. This will give you an idea of how serious their concern is and help you determine if you need to offer a discount or alternative.

It’s also important to avoid brushing off a prospect’s concerns as trivial. This will make them feel dismissed and will prevent you from gaining their trust. In his book Never Split the Difference, former FBI negotiator Chris Voss advises that you should repeat back a person’s statement to them to establish empathy and gain trust at the negotiation table.

As a final tip, salespeople should also use objection handling as an opportunity to demonstrate the value of their product or service. By sharing relevant customer success stories and providing data-driven evidence, salespeople can reassure prospects that their solution is worth the investment.

5. Repeat Back

Regardless of whether they’re valid or not, objections should never be seen as deal-breakers. Instead, they’re simply a roadblock that your sales team must overcome to close the deal. To do so, it’s important to proactively seek out objections and use well-thought-out strategies that can handle any scenario.

One of the most common objections that your sales team will face is that the prospect doesn’t see the value in your solution. To counter this, it’s important to reemphasize the value and ROI of your product, as well as demonstrate how you’re different from competitors.

Another common objection is that the prospect doesn’t have enough capacity to purchase your product at this time. This can be addressed by asking open-ended questions to determine the specific needs of your prospects and aligning your solution with their requirements.

Finally, some prospects may object that they’re getting the same thing from a competitor for cheaper. To counter this, your sales reps should avoid bashing their competition and focus on learning more about the prospect’s pain points to create a more compelling offer that addresses these pains.