A. Objections

B. Apologies (disguised as objections)

What is the difference?

The objections have to do with real questions, problems, misunderstandings, points of view and perceptions of the product or service that we sell, from the prospect. Once you have those objections from the customer, then you KNOW that there is a real possibility of having a potential customer or that there is NOT an opportunity, if the objection the customer has reflects a reality that your products or solution cannot satisfy.

Let me share with you a real life example from my own experience.

When I was selling phone cards in the Greek islands, I heard all kinds of different objections. By doing this work every day for years, I gained the experience to be able to distinguish real objections from false ones.

I was once in a Minimarket on the island of iOS, a well-located place that tons of tourists passed by every day. The owner of this business, a smart young entrepreneur, although he understood the benefits of my product, said this: “I understand the USP (Unique Selling Point) of your product, however, I will not buy it because, the Mini The opposite market It is owned by my brother-in-law, and he sells similar products, and I don’t want to compete with him. ” This statement of yours was as honest as it could be and I think it no longer makes sense to try to convince you because your argument is a real argument.

Also, another thing that happened to me often was that the guy I was talking to didn’t admit to his lack of authority in the business. Very often when I saw a 21-year-old behind the ATM saying he was the owner of the business and saying no to the product, I suspected he was lying, so I visited him during rush hour to meet and speak with the real. manager.

On the other hand, False Objections (Excuses) are said for various reasons and have nothing to do with your product or service, but hide other reasons behind it. Those reasons can be politeness, lack of trust, financial reasons, authority reasons, and even time reasons.

For example:

Maybe the potential customer likes your product or service, but doesn’t have the money to buy it and is embarrassed to tell you.

The prospect may not be the one to make the decisions.

Perhaps the potential customer did some research and found the same or a similar product that is cheaper and is not telling you for courtesy reasons.

Perhaps the potential client is prejudiced about their ethnicity or because they had a bad experience with people of the same background as you in the past.

Maybe even though you like your product or solution, your social environment doesn’t.

This may not be the right time for the prospect.

What can you do?

Let’s take the examples above and try to find a solution that clarifies the situation, addresses the matter, and tries to close the sale.

If you think the prospect does not have the money to buy the product you are selling, ask him if now is the right time to buy it or maybe in the future when it is more mature. That way, you keep the door open and don’t push for an answer that the potential customer doesn’t want to give you anyway.

Always find out if the potential customer is the decision maker. If you sell B2B, ask directly: “Are you the decision maker?” Now if you’re selling B2C, often the decision maker might not be the person you’re talking to. When I was selling timeshare, we would always invite couples and introduce them to our service. The sellers who managed to have a good report with the couple and not individually with the husband or wife were the ones who made the sale. The mistake many colleagues made was that they gave all their effort to the husband thinking that he was the one making the decisions and ignored the wife. So when the decision time came, and he said yes, guess what the wife said …

Do you think that is the case? Then get right into it because maybe the perspective is assuming when comparing oranges to apples. Or even better to prevent the potential customer from reaching this assumption by explaining in advance that your product or service is different from your competitors based on specific reasons that you know.

Prejudice is a human reality, and while it’s obviously wrong, it makes sense. Coming from the most corrupt country in the European Union, I know exactly how it feels to have your integrity questioned due to the faults of others. You can do 2 things. First be yourself as you are and be as honest as possible, not only with your prospects but also with yourself. Do not tolerate for any reason (courtesy, fear …) your integrity being questioned. Doing so gives ground to their accusations. Second, address the matter directly, for example: “Sir, I understand you had a bad experience with XXXXX in the past, but I insist because I know I can offer you value. It is your decision to take this opportunity and take this decision now.”

If your social environment doesn’t like the product while they do, find reasons to explain why you should buy it anyway. Address the matter directly, explain why it will not have the effect that he thinks it will have, explain why it will increase his prestige or how he can hide the product if it is not the case, you know … that’s why you are a seller.

This is a very common reason why people say no. See if the situation is correct, which is easy, however, for many people it is not as self-understanding as we think.

For example, if you are cold calling and he is at the airport to catch the plane, don’t start his launch, ask him when you can call him back. If you are visiting you at your workplace and you see that you are having a complex conversation with someone else, come back later … Simple things like these need to be taken into account. (I was trying to find the source, but unfortunately I couldn’t. There was research that was done by an Israeli institute a few years ago that showed the probability of the sales happening before lunch and after lunch and the difference was staggering. Customers on an empty stomach were much more likely to refuse to buy the product or service than customers who had already had lunch. So … if you’re in for a lunch or double martini treat, be sociable before lunch and present your prospect later.)