Hearing no from your prospect while doing a sales call is not something that anyone wants to hear. Especially when you have done all the research, practiced hard, and know it was a qualified lead. But they have said something along the lines of “no lines, which raises the objection, and it can become difficult to overcome them. With enough experience, you would be able to point out these objections and how to handle them. Though, whatever you sell, some common objections are being raised all the time. Let’s take a look at them:
Objection 1: Can you mail me the information? I’ll take a look at it later.
This is one of the most common types of objections, also known as “brush-off” objections. Depending upon the prospect, the level of intent can vary. For example, if the prospect raises the objection before you finish your sales pitch, then it’s clear that they are not much interested. And if the prospect raises the objection after you deliver the value proposition but before you can ask any qualification question, then they are interested but don’t want to discuss it. Lastly, if the prospect mentions this at the end of the call, then, the prospect somewhere thinks that it isn’t worth it to them.
It doesn’t matter at which stage the prospect expresses disinterest, and it’s up to you to read the signs and solve them as soon as you can. Some ways to respond to prospects depending on the level of intent are:
- Before you’ve finished your sales pitch: “can I explain in 30 seconds what we do, and then you can think about whether you want me to follow up or not?”
- Before you’ve asked any qualification questions: “can I ask some follow-up questions to understand better how we can cater to your needs?”
- When the call is about to end, “usually, at this point, people find it useful to see a demo about the product. Does this sound good to you?”
All of these points will give you a starting line to deal with the objections.
Objection 2: The decision-making is not in my hands.
This is another common objection used by prospects to avoid talking further. But if handled properly, this can itself prove quite useful. It can give you an opportunity to get introduced directly to the decision-maker, which saves a lot of time and also quickly accelerates the sales process.
You can respond to the objection by: “Hello Ryan. Thank you for letting me know that you’re not the right person to discuss this with. Who in your team makes the decision? Can you introduce me to them?”
Objection 3: We already use the given product from (Competitor).
This one is an important objection which gives you an opportunity to show the prospects how your products are different and what makes your company unique and to sell against the competition knowledge of both product and competitor . They are already using a similar product and without any solid reason, they will not change the company, just because you said so.
You can use the following response to answer their question, “many companies similar to yours already use the competitor’s product. By any means, we aren’t trying to change the product you’re already using, and we just want to showcase some of the use cases of companies like yours who use competitors’ products. When is the good time to follow up with you?”
Objection 4: We don’t have enough budget.
In this objection, it’s important to understand what exactly ‘not having enough budget’ means. Here, instead of offering a solution, try to get more information from them, and depending on the response when it comes to pricing conversations, you can plan out the next steps.
Here’s how you should frame your response: “Thank you for letting me know. I was hoping you could tell me what your current plans and goals for this quarter are. Of Course, I don’t expect you to buy anything. Can we schedule a follow-up call to discuss the same in the next couple of days?”
Objection 5: Does your product do A, B, and C things?
This is not an objection rather than a question that indicates that your prospect has some requirements and wants to know whether your product offers or not. Here, you should clearly answer their questions and solve each of their queries.
So you answer their question by, “thank you for asking the questions. Can we schedule a call anytime soon? It would be better to discuss the questions with an expert.”
Objection 6: Can we discuss it next quarter?
The objection indicates that prospects are busy. They have other priorities to complete today, and clearly you’re not the one. The key here is to make yourself the priority but not push too much, which you do by using the following response:
“Sure. If it’s not good timing, we can talk later. Though, I still think we should do a five-minute call, so you can know what we do and how it can be valuable to you. If it’s not useful to you, then we will not chase after you. When’s a good time to discuss more with you?”
Raising an objection by a prospect is surely daunting as they are very busy and don’t often give you a chance to explain the value proposition. Put your value upfront but also learn not to push hard. Just focus on providing value, delivering personalized sales demos, and track call metrics to plan out your next steps.
