Selling in a Crisis

42Stop Obsessing over Objections

When you are working with a qualified prospect and you've done things right throughout the sales process, it's more likely that you'll need to answer questions and negotiate compromises rather than face harsh objections.

Therefore, if you are getting hammered by tough objections at the close, you'll need to adjust the way you are qualifying and selling. Obsessing over how to handle the objections is a focus on symptoms rather than root cause.

The most effective way to neutralize buying commitment objections is to:

• Qualify better upfront.
• Ensure that you are dealing with actual decision makers.
• Get worries, concerns, issues, fear, and potential objections on the table early during discovery. and work through them before they become actual buying commitment objections.

In discovery, ask strategic questions that compel stakeholders to put their perceived alternatives to doing business with you on the table. This way, you have the opportunity to neutralize alternatives and deal breakers before they become objections.

It requires confidence, tact, and nuance to pull this type of information out of stakeholders. But the biggest challenge salespeople face in getting this information on the table is not the stakeholder's unwillingness to answer the questions. Rather, it's your own disruptive emotions that hold you back.

Humans – you, me, and most other people – are sensitive to conflict and the potential for rejection. When you ask direct questions, ...