Common Objections
It doesn’t take much time to learn the common objections to our service. The seller who has been selling for six weeks already has experienced ninety percent of the objections he will face as a seller. What he doesn’t know is how to handle these objections. Scripting will help this new seller handle objections at a professional level, sooner.
Good accounts have salespeople calling them constantly. They have to give objections to uncover the great salespeople from the mass of mediocrity calling them. If they don’t, they will have too many salespeople calling them.
We know ahead of time what the major objections to our service or product are. There are standard objections that cross industry lines. Below are some common objections and options on how to respond to them. Tailor your objection responses to your market, your personality, and the individual customer you are dealing with.
Objection: I’m Happy with the Suppliers (or Products) I Am Currently Using.
Response: “That’s great. I don’t want to get in the way of the relationships you currently have. What I would like is the opportunity to become a secondary supplier for you. If you allow me to call you on an ongoing basis, we can get to know each other and if anything does happen with your current supply, we will already have a relationship. You will already know the quality of my products and service, and we will be able to hit the ground running without interrupting the smooth operation of your company.”
Don’t say, “If I can get product to you at a better price, would you consider buying from me instead of your current supplier?”
This sets you up as a price supplier. Remember,
Money Maker #11: If you steal business based on price, it can be stolen from you based on price.
“What do you like about your current supplier?” is equally weak.
We don’t want our customers talking about what they like about their current suppliers. First, many will become defensive when we ask this question. They will take it as a challenge. Second, we don’t want to spend any time talking about what our competition does right. That’s their job.