By Jackie Cumo, Sales Consultant
Keeping a log of the most frequent client and prospect objections you hear will help you have great responses at the ready.
If you’re like me, you sometimes find yourself coming up with the best responses to an objection after you’ve already left the meeting. I’ve often found myself in the parking lot or on the airplane home thinking about what I should have said.
Since I often repeatedly receive the same objections, I’ve found it helpful throughout the years to keep an objection-handling diary, which includes one full page of the top objections I receive and the best ways in which to respond.
Why is this called a “diary?” It’s my personal daily record of every significant client or customer interaction I’ve had in which we’ve had a conversation around an objection. After the meeting – either in the car or back at the office – I recall the conversation, what the client said and what I said in response. I determine what went well and where I might have handled their objections better.
Keeping a written diary allows me to better manage the objection-handling for my territory and my clients or prospects. I can track my progress and look back to see where and how my responses have improved over time. Since variables such as the marketplace, my competition, and my own products and services change, I make sure that I am continuously updating and reflecting upon my diary entries.
Want a few more ideas for boosting your objection-handling skills?
- Collaborate with your colleagues. If your company’s other salespeople are willing, plan to connect with each other periodically for round-tables on objection-handling for your specific product or service. I am always learning from others, and vice versa.
- Practice makes perfect. Since objection-handling is a core skill for any salesperson (much like the sun rising every morning, it’s always going to be there!), it’s critical to practice and keep a good record of your responses.
- Record yourself. Rehearsing your objection responses in front of your cell phone’s camera can also help you to perfect your skills. The goal is not to memorize the response itself but to just get more comfortable in knowing how to formulate it. Work on your confidence and poise; the more your client or customer senses that you’re confident, the more likely they are to accept your response and trust in your credibility.
Need more on objection-handling? Check out these blog posts: