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1. Stop overcoming objections.
The first step to overcoming objections in sales is...to stop the process of overcoming sales objections in the first place. The old-school approach to sales, where salespeople are just trying to present their solutions right off the bat to prospects, inevitably makes the prospect push back with objections. This is a never-ending cycle that you probably find all too familiar.
The prospect and the salesperson essentially get into an arm-wrestling match at the end of the sales conversation-the prospect throws out objection after objection after objection, while the salesperson is ready with some crazy moves to try to overcome every objection they hear.
For now, just remember that the stronger you are in the sales process up front, the less likely you’ll be to get any real objections from the prospect at the end of the conversation. This is why great salespeople can actually avoid overcoming objections at all.
2. Have a sales process in place.
You must have a process in place that's going to help you systematically take each prospect through the sale. In order to stop overcoming objections in the first place, this sales process is imperative because it will help your prospects recognize your value up front. As we’ve already discussed, this is key to stopping the cycle of objections at the end of the sales conversation.
The two main pillars of your new sales approach will be to get prospects to recognize the full value of what you offer, and to make sure they’re ready to make an informed decision by the end of the sales interaction.
3. Disqualify prospects.
Typically, salespeople do one of two things when they get in front of prospects. They either try to persuade prospects to do business with them right away, or they try to qualify them by asking probing questions that pretty obviously try to push the prospect in a certain direction.
Remember, if they're not a fit, that's totally cool. You can just move on, part as friends, and focus on prospects that actually are a fit.
When you take prospects through the disqualification process, you can then present your solution in a relatable and insightful way that makes the prospect think, “Yes, this is exactly what I need. This person really understands my problem.” That's the power of disqualification.
4. Don’t present; solve problems.
After taking the prospect through the disqualification phase, if you determine they are a good fit, the next step is to solve the problems they mentioned. Remember, the overarching goal of every piece of this process is overcoming objections by avoiding them in the first place. That’s why we’re not launching into a presentation after discovering the prospect is a good fit. Instead, it’s time to focus exclusively on the key challenges they mentioned during the disqualification phase.
5. Avoid objections in the first place.
By asking good questions anytime you hear something that might even sound like a potential objection down the road, you can do your part to avoid objections from cropping up later.
6. Turn objections into opportunities.
There are inevitably going to be times when you get an objection from a prospect, and that's okay. You may be at the end of the sales conversation and they may have some objections. That's fine. But most salespeople turn those objections into an arm-wrestling match, where the prospect is pushing one way, and the salesperson is pushing back the other way.
7. Get in front of the right people.
I’ve mentioned the concept of haphazard prospecting before-it’s a hallmark of the old-school approach to selling, and it’s incredibly harmful. Haphazard prospecting doesn’t help you get in front of the right people, and if you’re not getting in front of the right people...then you’re not only going to struggle with overcoming objections, but you’re going to struggle to close any sales at all.
8. Use mentorship and coaching.
This one of the most important pieces of the entire process. You must have mentorship and coaching in place to help you fully implement your new approach to selling.
Having that right process and that coach who can really push you in the right direction is everything. Because, again, I see salespeople over and over again who just hit their head on a certain number and they never seem to get past that. Chances are it’s because they’re stuck in the old model of selling.