You know that unsettling feeling when you end a presentation by asking if anyone has questions, only to be left with crickets…that’s what a sales rep’s life looks like without any objections.
Objections to sales calls are good. They are not complete rejections to your idea. Handling sales objections gives fractional sales reps more room to build rapport with the prospect, allowing the former to learn their clients’ pain points.
However, you should always have rebuttals to the five most common objections for your specific campaign, which include objections like “We don’t have time” or “We already have a product/service like that”.
HANDLING OBJECTIONS WITH THE “ACE” APPROACH
So, how do you handle sales objections? You could get frustrated and take their objections personally.
Or, you could use the ACE approach, part of our warm calling strategy, which stands for Acknowledge, Construct, and Engage:
#1: ACKNOWLEDGE
Many reps try to ignore or plow through objections to sales attempts, but people want to be heard. With the ACE approach, you let the prospect know that you hear their objections and concerns by saying things like “I understand where you’re coming from”.
Putting yourself in their position and understanding them will help build rapport and lower their defenses. Of course, this must come from a place of genuine understanding or the client will see right through your attempt to overcome sales objections.
#2: CONSTRUCT
After you acknowledge the client’s concerns, you must construct a solution (based on value) why they should listen to you for a moment. It’s also helpful to include something that differentiates you from competitors.
For example:
- being a vendor of the same association that your prospect is a part of.
- how many years of experience your company has.
- how many customers you currently service.
- if you solve a specific problem in a niche market.
Another example could be, “We are actually the preferred vendor of the XYZ association, working with many businesses you are probably familiar with” or “We’ve been in business for over 25 years, helping companies just like yours overcome the challenge you are currently facing”.
#3: ENGAGE
While handling objections we must always finish by engaging the prospect with a strategic question. Asking a question gets the prospect’s mind off of the objection and onto a new focus.
When someone is asked a question, their first instinct is to answer it. This helps you maintain control of the conversation and keeps them talking as much as possible, again leading to better rapport and offering another opportunity for you to learn the customers’ pain points.
OBJECTIONS AS A HELPFUL TOOL
Inevitably, you’re going to run into interactions where nothing you do will win the client over regardless of how efficient your sales communication is. If the customer simply isn’t having it, then it’s of course best to move on in as polite a manner as possible.
However, by handling objections to sales with active listening, constructing solutions, and engaging questions, you can better make the call of which prospects will be the best fit. Above all, viewing objections as a challenge is a healthy way to learn and grow as a sales development representative.
