The Ultimate Guide to Overcoming Objections in Sales: Tips and Strategies for Success

Imagine you know a certain prospect would be an excellent fit for what you’re selling, and you call them. Maybe they’re an inbound lead who downloaded something from your website, or maybe you don’t even know them but have their info.

You dial their number… only to get a resounding rejection you can’t recover from. What they shared was valid from their end, and you weren’t able to resolve it. 

You’ve just run into a sales objection.

 

It’s enough to make you want to stop the sales calls. But if you gave up after every objection, your pipeline would be gone.

To close a deal, sales reps must understand why prospects object and, more importantly, how to overcome those objections.

 

 

As you gain more experience with your organization’s positioning in the market, you’ll develop the right sense and mindset to have when dealing with resistance on the sales call.

 

When prospects start making the same objections over and again, it’s a good sign. 

Trust us; it takes time to become familiar with something. Knowing that a certain objection will be put forward is a good thing – it means you can effectively prepare for what’s to come.

 

The good news is that objections usually fall into one of four categories, no matter what you sell. We’ll take a look at each one.

 

 

What Is a Sales Objection?

Most sales objections come from a buyer’s “lack” of a specific skill or resource. When prospects don’t think they have the resources, interest, need, or ability to buy from you, they object.

While objections are a trickier, more frustrating aspect of sales, they’re not a dead end. We’ll talk about how to overcome these potential obstacles. Keep on reading.

 

Importance of Overcoming Objections in Sales

Prospecting happens early in the sales process, even before the person you’re chatting with becomes a lead. Leaving objections unresolved at this stage can prevent you from filling your pipeline later. 

Therefore, it’s important that you know how sales objections can affect your sales process during the prospecting stage.

 

Types of Sales Objections

Most sales objections come from some kind of “lack” – and they’re usually reasonable. When prospects raise objections, they typically say they can’t buy right now.

It’s not uncommon for those “lacks” to be misplaced, and you can usually work around them if you know how. We’ll look at some of the most common types of objections in sales.

 

Budget Objections

“I can’t afford it.”

You’ll get the most objections based on price. It’s because all purchases come with some financial risk.

 

As a sales rep, you’ll want to consider your product’s positioning and how to prove its value. We’re now talking about risk vs. reward.

When you provide value and show where your solution will take them, they’ll be convinced the reward is worth the risk. Additionally, this is where guarantees are extremely valuable. 

 

If a company offers some kind of guarantee (like money back), this can be very reassuring for the prospect. If there’s no guarantee, be sure that you clearly outline why this sale is more valuable to the prospect than the money it costs.

 

Trust Objections

“That’s the first I’ve heard of your company.”

Doing business with someone you like, know, and trust is easier.

 

In an inbound sales conversation, the prospect probably already knows something about your company or has interacted with your content.

Try jogging their memory or think about whether you can nurture them through your sales cycle to overcome this objection.

 

However, not every conversation is inbound, and they may not even know you exist. Here’s where you double down on your elevator pitch’s value. Make sure you emphasize your organization’s authority.

 

Need Objections

“There’s no way this will help me.”

On the surface, this may seem like an objection, but it’s an opportunity to give information (and get information from the prospect). To qualify the prospect and evaluate their needs, ask open-ended questions.

 

If you find a fit, demonstrate value by speaking directly to the need that was expressed. 

 

Urgency Objections

“I’m not worried about [X problem] right now.”

The goal here is to figure out if the timing is an issue or if the prospect is just being dismissive. The best way to do that is to ask them why it’s not important or what competing priorities their attention is currently focused on.

 

You’ve got to listen closely to find out if their response involves actual timing issues or vague excuses. If they’re justifying inaction on a real pain point, you might have a shot.

If all else fails, schedule an appointment with them later to go deeper into the issue. Also, you can share a future vision of where this might become a problem in the future if they don’t take action now.

 

 

Effective Strategies for Conquering Objections

It’s a natural part of sales to handle objections. Every salesperson should have a handle on specific actions and skills to carry out the process. 

You must know the situation, get background info, be empathic, and ask thoughtful, open-ended questions.

 

1. Reframe – Turn Sales Objections into Positive Outcomes

Unlike most things in life, there’s no default, magic objection handling formula that works for all concerns. It’s important to know where you are in your sales process, the nature of the deal you’re pursuing, and your prospects’ needs and interests.

To deal with objections effectively, you must understand what’s causing them. That’s why you need to keep situational awareness throughout your conversations.

 

For example, Scaling With Systems is a B2B company that creates custom client acquisition systems for their clients. They walk you through detailed objection handling to help you close more clients on autopilot.

One such way is reframing the objections so that they seem more beneficial to the prospect rather than the other way around.

 

2. Empathy-Driven Leadership

Sales objections are natural, and in many cases, they reflect reasonable concerns. You have to be patient and avoid getting impatient with your prospects if they push back.

The key to any successful sales effort is empathy. Selling to a prospect shouldn’t just be about making money – it should be about solving their pain points with your product or service. Always keep their needs and interests in mind.

 

You can anticipate the objections they might raise and address them effectively if you stay on top of their problems and circumstances.

 

3. Acquiring Extensive Background Information

Extensive background information informs effective, actionable situational awareness. You should research your prospect’s company and, to some extent, the prospect themselves.

What’s the company’s biggest challenge right now? What problems do the prospect’s peers have? Try to remember the objections you faced when you worked with similar organizations.

 

Also, make sure you know what your contact does. How do they make decisions? How do they deal with the company’s day-to-day operations? What’s the biggest struggle for someone in their position?

If you are aware of all that and more, you can deal with objections discreetly.

4. Fostering Interest – Engage With Open-Ended Questions

The ability to ask thoughtful, open-ended questions can help with all the other points. You must understand and address your prospects’ pain points to handle objections effectively.

Start by asking them relevant, tactful questions and giving them space to talk. Use silence to your advantage, and don’t ask questions that need only one-word answers.

 

Listen to what your buyers have to say. Prepare yourself to deal with their objections by feeling out their concerns.

 

 

Conclusion

You’ll hear no a lot more than yes as a salesperson. But that’s where the fun is. You’re learning more about your prospect and helping them solve problems with your product or service with every no.

You’ll learn how to handle objections to get to the root of your prospects’ problems. Leading with empathy and understanding where most objections come from is easy with a little help.

 

The more you understand these interactions, the better equipped you will be to handle objections.