Objections

3The Four Objections You Meet in a Deal

Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.

—Samuel Johnson

Upon hearing the phrase sales objections, we typically visualize the salesperson in a traditional closing setting, asking for the sale. The buyer, on the other side of the desk or phone, throws out a litany of objections, and the salesperson must rebut those objections to close the sale.

This, by the way, is how most training on objections is administered. Objections are treated as though they only occur at the close.

But it's not quite that simple. Just as the sales process has multiple steps and you are required to make multiple requests to advance your deals through the process, objections come in multiple forms and at different points along that path.

Facing these roadblocks and getting past them, at each point on the sales process journey, is the key to getting in the door, shortening the sales cycle, increasing pipeline velocity, avoiding stalled deals, and, of course, closing the sale.

Types of Objections

There are essentially four types of objections you encounter in the sales process (Figure 3.1). These objections range from simple reflex responses on prospecting calls, to early red herrings in initial meetings that cause you to lose control of the conversation, to next step and micro-commitment request brush-offs that stall pipeline velocity, to buying commitment objections that shut down your deal.

Figure 3.1 Types of Objections ...