3 Things You Need To Do at the Start of Handling An Objection

There are 6 steps to handling objections properly but even experienced salespeople often miss the first 3.


Handling objections is one of the most common topics I get asked about as a sales trainer.  There’s no quick solution on dealing with them effectively.  In fact, what happened in the selling process up to the point of getting an objection will largely determine the ability to overcome them successfully.  Objections also need to be customized for each specific company and product.  While this is obviously outside the scope of this article, I can at least provide you with some steps that are crucial yet rarely done properly, if at all.

Step One - Listen & Keep Your Cool!
Easier said than done!  You need to make sure that you know the full and true objection.  If you miss it, even by a small margin, your ability to convince your customer of your solution will be hampered.  Ironically, a problem arises in this area when sales reps have had some training on objection handling — they know the answer to a particular objection and immediately begin blurting it out at the first sign of the customer bringing it up.  It’s reminiscent of the days in school when we’d shoot our hands in the air once we had the answer the teacher was looking for.  “Ooh ooh ooh … I know!” we’d shout.  While that might have worked in school, it doesn’t work well in handling objections.  Not only might you not understand the full objection because you were too anxious to address it, you also run the risk the customer will think that their concern is being dismissed.

A good idea is to paraphrase what the customer has said back to you to ensure that you’ve got it.  It will also help the customer understand that you care about their concern.  An added benefit is that good listening controls the emotional climate.  It might go something like, “I want to make sure I understand your concern Linda.  What I think you’re saying is that …  Is that right?”

Here’s a true story from a prospective customer of a sales rep who didn’t follow this advice:

"I was in charge of buying new photocopiers for my company.  I invited vendors to come in and give a capabilities presentation. Each company had some things that I liked about it – and each had some features that I was less enthusiastic about.

In the middle of one of these conversations I noted to one sales rep that I was concerned about their service time frames. Well, apparently that was not the thing to say! He broke into a several minute long monologue about how his company was far better than the competitor’s and if any of them claimed to have faster service, they’d be lying. “

Wow! It was like I had offended his wife! After that I just let him finish and leave, never to return."

Step Two - Analyze
In this step, you need to assess whether the objection is valid or not.  Naturally, you’ll handle it very differently depending on which way it falls.  If it’s not valid, it’s easy on one hand, because with additional clarification of the facts, it can be corrected.  On the other hand, however, it can be hard because you are essentially having to tell the customer he’s wrong.  That’s what’s extra challenging about handling objections.  How do you tell someone they’re wrong without bruising their ego and getting their back up?  To use an old expression, you might win the battle but lose the war.  Here’s where you need the third step.

Step Three - Support
In this critical step, you agree with a grain of what they say without agreeing completely with them — a skill that is difficult to master.  There is a concept in psychology that states that someone is most attached to an opinion immediately after giving it.  Think about when you are in a conversation.  If you voice an opinion, you will likely be ready to defend it the most vigorously right after you say it and if the person we’re speaking to has a different opinion, we are least likely to entertain their thoughts.  In contrast, if you show some understanding of where they are coming from, you’ll find the customer more open to listening to an alternative viewpoint. 

In this step, you will be able to avoid this problem and effectively “disarm” them. For example, let’s suppose the customer says, “I’d like to deal with your company but your prices are too high” you might reply with something like, “I can appreciate that you want to get the best value.”  You are agreeing with the idea of value without necessarily agreeing that your price is “too high.”

There you have the basics of the first 3 steps out of 6 to becoming an expert in handling objections.  My experience has been that most salespeople skip these entirely and by doing so, have poor success.  To learn all 6, join us for our upcoming free webinar, “How to Handle Objections & Stay Friends” by clicking here.