4 Tips for Finding the Sales Objection When the Buyer Is Silent

As most salespeople already know, the objection is not your enemy. For sellers, a sales objection gives the perfect target to focus on in order to make the sale.

What do you do, however, when the prospect clams up and won’t really give you much to go on?

Here are a few strategic statements which can open a buyer up and allow the objection to surface, which will help lead to the close:

1.       “Since you were initially interested in our service, let’s try to overcome whatever challenge is getting in the way of going forward with this solution.”

By virtue of listening to your sales presentation, the customer has revealed an interest in the offering. Since the interest was there once, it likely remains, which means you have some leverage.

Using the words “challenge” and “overcome” will help the customer reveal their hesitations because these words imply you are on her side. In fact, because most people like to be “overcomers” they’ll want to work with you on a solution that makes them feel like they’ve gained a victory.

 

2.       “Let me make sure I pinpoint what you want here. What is your top priority: the highest quality, superior customer service, or the cheapest price?”

This is a classic sales technique which is still effective, and if delivered sincerely and not in an accusatory manner, will usually open the prospect up to say something like “Well, the highest quality and service of course, but I really cannot deal with the initial deposit.”

 

Boom, there is your objection. You can follow that up with something like “So the deposit is ‘too much.’ How much ‘too much’ do you feel it is?” and when she answers with “We were only planning on putting $5,000 down, not $25,000” you can break down how the $20,000 difference up front will save money in the long run, or negotiate on some other point to minimize the large upfront cost.

Multiple-choice questions are very easy to answer, and customers with hidden concerns often feel comfortable echoing what the seller has already spoken aloud or acknowledged in a low-pressure way.

 

3.       “Before you go…are you planning to get additional quotes or have meetings with other companies?”

Sometimes a customer is secretly thinking they can do better than your offer by heading to the competition, and becomes rather quiet — or her body language shows she is ready to leave. Because comparison shopping suggests the customer is savvy and a tough negotiator, she will likely admit she is going to compare your offer with others if flat out asked.

This gives you the chance to reveal information you know about the competition and how you stack up. You can find out what she is truly shopping for with phrasing like “Of course it makes sense to comparison shop to get the best deal. Out of curiosity, what would one of my competitors have to offer in order to get you to sign up with them today?” She will probably say some ridiculous terms you know very well she is never going to get, but you respond with “Hmmm, those are pretty competitive terms. I don’t know if I can get there, but do you mind if I try to get close?”

With that, you have opened up the dialogue again and can get to the bottom of her objections to your particular deal.

 

4.       “What additional information can I give you to address any specific concerns?”

By offering to help the customer, the customer feels less like they are being goaded into a sale and will likely open up and reveal sales objections by specifying what they’d like to investigate or reflect on further.

For example, if she says “I just need to know the results you have gotten for other people, without all the sales talk. I need real case studies.” You can respond with something like, “If we do a conference call with a couple of my clients right now, which you can pick out of my Rolodex yourself, and they rave about our service, would you be ready to move forward today?”

How can they say “no?” They won’t, unless that was a red herring and they have another REAL objection…which you now have opened the door to revealing!

I hope the above statements prove useful in deals where you are just not getting much from the buyer, or they shift to “silent mode” and just kind of stare out the window or at their watch. Sales managers should have their sales staff practice these techniques in role playing sessions often…as these are real-world solutions to day to day situations salespeople face.

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