How to Prevent Avoidable Sales Objections

Objections are part of sales. You’re not going to close every prospect. But before thinking about how to handle specific objections, consider why they happen and what you can do to avoid them.

When a prospect says “It’s too expensive,” consider that the real problem could be that you didn’t ask enough questions to help you understand the competition or the prospect’s budget situation before delivering your presentation. There are some objections you can prevent by simply asking questions up front, listening carefully to the answers and then showing the prospect how specific features of your product meet their needs.

 

A tailored sales pitch

Imagine you’re selling booth space at an upcoming national tradeshow. You’re armed with loads of data about attendees, the location, speakers, the booth size options, and tons of other exciting “features” of your show.

You’ve researched a prospect and know this company exhibits at a competing tradeshow. So you launch right in with your sales information, covering all the good stuff, not missing any details.

And in response, your prospect says:

“I think we’re just going to stick with the show we’re exhibiting at now. Our customers are there.”

“We don’t really have the budget right now, call me next fall when we’re planning our marketing.”

“We’re going to have to pass this time. We’ve just got a lot going on.”

 

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Some sales objections are avoidable

Don’t present a laundry list of features before you’ve identified a customer’s specific needs.

Instead, do your homework and research the competition. If you did this in the above scenario, you might learn that the other tradeshow is much smaller than yours and that attendance was down the previous year. Your research might also show that booth space pricing is about half what yours is (ouch), but online reviews indicate that both attendees and exhibitors weren’t happy last year.

We all know that it’s easier to stick with what’s familiar. So convincing this prospect to either switch to your show or add an additional show won’t be easy. You can’t start by badmouthing the other show. And you can’t start by launching into your pitch without knowing what your prospect is looking for.

Instead, begin by introducing your tradeshow in a provocative way. At this point the prospect will likely share that they always exhibit at the other show. You could now ask a question. “That show has certainly been around a long time. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about your experience there?  Have you noticed any changes in attendance numbers over the years?” The prospects says, “No. Why?” To which you can mention something you’ve read about a drop off in attendance last year.

After planting this seed, you can quickly mention your improving booth traffic and attendance. Then continue asking questions about the leads and connections they gather from tradeshows and this particular market or industry. You want to learn about the challenges or problems they’re experiencing with their current choices.

By uncovering and developing buyer needs you can connect your show’s features to your prospects’ needs. Because the features themselves have no real value to a prospect. You must connect them to a challenge the prospect is experiencing — helping them see that connection and the solution your product or service offers.