As a business owner or entrepreneur, regardless of the size of your business, you’re likely going to be faced with sales objections on a daily basis. It’s only natural – people generally want to find and get the best possible deal for themselves and they are curious – and reluctant to trust. But, just because they might be objecting, that doesn’t mean they don’t want to buy, necessarily. In fact, sometimes, they’re just looking to be convinced – So, how do you overcome these sales obstacles? How do you deal with sales objectiones?

In this blog post, I’m going to walk you through how to deal with sales objections – along with a list of common objections with clear examples on how to handle them. Make sure to download the swipe copy of sales objections and answers, so that whenever a prospect is objecting, you’re ready to change their mind with the right reply.

For example, what do you say when your prospect asks,

“Your product/service is too expensive – we just don’t have the budget for it right now.”

Or, if they start bringing up your competitors…

“Your product/service sounds great, but we’re already working with [competitor].”

These types of sales objections are very common – and they don’t always mean a definite NO from your prospect. In fact, quite the opposite; whether they know it or not, they’re waiting for you to convince them that your product or service is the right choice for them.

Get the free template now and all you’ll need to do is copy and paste the objection response when you’re responding to a prospect.

An overview of handling objections
Money-related objections
Competitor-related objections
Personal objections
Other types of common objections
Objection handling tips

An overview of handling objections

 

We overcome objections every day. From the moment we get out of bed until the moment we sink back into it, we face all kinds of obstacles – and usually, we manage to overcome them.

Yet when it comes to business – and sales – objections terrify us and our innate skillset often shuts down as we head for the hills at the first “but…” we hear.

In a business/sales world, objections are very common. People are naturally curious and sceptical, particularly when it comes to dealing with businesses.

Not to mention, now more than ever, people are incredibly informed – or at the very least, they have the Internet at their disposal so that they can perform all the research they need to make a truly informed decision.

They can find out who your competitors are in seconds.

They know exactly what they charge.

They can easily find out what other clients have to say about you – and your competitors.

They know what differentiates you from your competitors.

Because of this, people are generally much more careful with how they spend their money – and it’s not that they weren’t always reticent to part with their hard-earned cash so much as that now they have more ammunition.

And this ammunition comes with knowledge – which the Internet freely provides for absolutely anyone.

You’re probably used to hearing the dreaded “yes, but….” from your sales leads.

“Yes, but so-and-so offers the same thing for half the price.”

“Yes, but how do you guarantee these results?”

“Yes, but do I really need that?”

“Yes, but I heard somewhere it doesn’t actually work.”

[clickToTweet tweet=”How to deal with #sales #objections (free templates) ” quote=”How to deal with #sales #objections (free templates) “]

These are all very common objections – and there’s plenty more where that came from.

Objections are a pain, but there’s a pain that you need to deal with (most likely) on a daily basis. So, I’d urge you to look at things a bit differently: instead of thinking they don’t really want to buy what you’re selling, what if they’re just opening up a conversation – and waiting for you to truly convince them it’s worth their money?

First, I want to go through the basics of objection handling and afterwards, we’ll get into the nitty-gritty and go through the most common objections and exactly how to handle them like a pro – and make more sales, of course.

Make sure to read on to the end – there’s loads of useful advice on how to deal with sales objections. But now, here’s how to effectively deal with sales objections.

Generally, there are 3 main factors that cause objections: money, the competition, and your business. Here’s how to deal with common objections in these 3 categories:

Money-related objections

When it comes to sales-related objections, money is usually one of the first things to be brought up, as it’s a pain point for most people. No matter what their budget is, people don’t want to spend more than they have to – it’s only natural and the way we are raised.

The money objection will come at you in a variety of different forms, but nearly all can be countered in some way.

First, you need to establish that money is an objection rather than a condition. If there really is no money, then sure, the conversion is over – for the time being, at least.

However, you should be able to determine if the prospect is throwing objections at you or just putting their hands in the air with some exploratory questions.

The first thing I would urge you to do when starting discussions with a prospect is to ask them point-blank what their budget is. This will help you understand whether they are seriously interested in what you have to offer and it will also you to think of ways that your product/service can fit with their overall budget.

Simply put, it will help you properly qualify these sales leads.

Beyond that, I also send leads to a form to help me better qualify them. If they can’t be bothered to even fill out the form for a few minutes, then that’s a big red flag for me.

We have to value our time.

After all, if someone wants your time, then they need to show that they are committed as well.

Often, the people you speak to don’t know what their budget is. Other times, they don’t want to say – in fact, it’s like a fam to find out their budget.

Budgets will depend a lot depending on who forms your target audience; for example, if it’s solopreneurs, then they’re the sole decision-makers, so they will know exactly what their budget is. It depends on a case-by-case basis – that’s why it’s your job to find out the budget as soon as possible.

Additionally, if they continue citing money and budgets as a big pain point, ask to speak to their superior, or whoever handles the budgets.

Personally, I never go forward unless I have a budget; there’s no point to it and I’ll get out of it is lost time. If they’re reluctant to say what it is (and that’s often the case), then throw some numbers at them – “is your budget £5000? £7500?” and so on.

[clickToTweet tweet=”The way you deal with budgets will depend: One size does not fit all. #sales #objections” quote=”The way you deal with budgets will depend: One size does not fit all. #sales #objections”]

A lot of prospects will say that your product is too expensive; it’s an extremely common objection and where are all kinds of reasons why your prospects would say this – and not all of them are money-related.

The first thing you need to do is find out whether it’s really about the money, or if this is just hiding different concerns. That’s why you need to ask lots of questions and get to the root of the problem, as I mentioned earlier.

Because, in some cases (not always, but quite often) money is not the real issue; if your product or service is what they need, then they’ll find a way to make do.

[clickToTweet tweet=”It’s your job to convince them that the outcome you’ll deliver is the very best #sales #objections” quote=”It’s your job to convince them that the outcome you’ll deliver is the very best #sales #objections”]

But, as I said earlier, it depends on the type of business and industry; and sometimes, you need to be prepared to offer different solutions. For example, I provide different packages when working with startups and charities.

But, let’s now get back to money-related objections. Here are some common ones, and how you can handle them:

“Your product/service is too expensive – we just don’t have the budget for it right now.”

“Your product sounds great, but I just don’t have the money for it right now.”

“This is way over my set budget. Can you make me any offers?”

“This is way more expensive than I thought and I don’t see how it’s worth the price.”

Be understanding:

“I completely understand. It’s a tough economy right now – and that’s exactly why I called you. You don’t have to invest in something you don’t know, so I want to show you exactly what my product can do for you.”

Give examples of your existing customers:

“I understand – many of the clients I’m working with are very careful with their budgets right now.”

Redirect:

“That’s OK, I understand – I’d love to show you what the product can do for you first.”

Find other benefits:

“A lot of my clients have this issue right now; let me ask you this, how are your sales going? Our clients have increased their sales by 20% in 6 months by using our product and they continue growing.”

“Sure, I completely understand. Let me ask you, what would you do if you freed up 10 hours a month? Our clients have found that by using our product, they’ve now got more time to focus on sales, which helped them make more money.”

Dig deeper:

“I appreciate your issues. May I ask when your new budget will be approved?”

“Thanks for letting me know – is this the case for the foreseeable future or will you be evaluating your budget next month?”

“I’m curious, if money wasn’t an object, would you be interested in our product/service?”

[clickToTweet tweet=”How to deal with #sales money-related #objections (free templates)” quote=”How to deal with #sales money-related #objections (free templates)”]

Competitor-related objections

Competitor-related objections are also quite common in the current climate; as I mentioned earlier, customers are more informed than ever and they can easily find out who your competitors are, what features they have exactly, and what their pricing is like.

That means that when they talk to you, they’ve got a few objections lined up; they’ll most likely mention how so-and-so is cheaper, how that tool has more features, and so on.

“Your product/service sounds great, but X offers the same features for much less. Why shouldn’t I go with them?”

“I heard that so-and-so also does that, and you don’t. Won’t I need (that feature)?”

“Your product/service sounds great, but we’re already working with [competitor].”

“[Competitor] has better reviews, why would I use your product?”

Don’t put down the competition:

“That’s great, I know [the competitor] they have a great product. However…”

“Yes, I know them, they have a great product – may I ask what you like about working with them?”

“[the competitor] have a great product, but I want to show you why ours would actually be a better fit for your particular needs.”

Working together:

“That’s great news – in fact, a lot of our clients work with [competitor] and they found that by using both products that actually achieved [goal, pain point]”

Differentiate yourself:

“I know them, great product. However, we can actually help you solve your [goal, pain point] which you couldn’t with [the competitor]”

“I’d love to walk you through what makes us different – we actually have a few features they don’t that can make a big difference to your bottom line. When are you available for a call so I can explain these in further detail?”

Use the opportunity to learn (and probe):

• “How long have you been working with [the competitor]?”
• “That’s great, I heard of [competitor]. Let me just ask you this, do you find they are meeting all your needs? Are there any other features you would want but aren’t getting?”
• “Have you ever had any issues working with [the competitor]?”

Talk about the process:

• “That’s great, I heard of [competitor]. May I ask how you found them and what made you decide to work with them?”“Let me just ask, who else are you in talks with about this?”

Find different angles:

• “I completely understand your concern. Yes, we don’t have [this feature] but it’s actually because we realised you don’t need it. We decided to focus more on [other feature] because we found this actually improves our clients’ success more.”
• “Great question. We decided against that feature so we can keep our prices down and now we’ve got the most competitive prices on the market. I can show you how you actually don’t really need [that feature]…”
• [clickToTweet tweet=”How to deal with #sales competitor-related #objections (free templates)” quote=”How to deal with #sales competitor-related #objections (free templates)”]
  

  Personal objections

  

  Other common objections are those directed you and your product/service. From not having the features needed by the client (or the features they think they need) to you being very new to the market, there are all kinds of objections that could arise.

  There are all kinds of situations you could find yourself in; for example, it could be that you’re new to the industry and no one has heard of you, or that you no reviews or client testimonials to show your worth.

  Or, maybe you’ve got a bad review that everyone mentions when speaking to you – likely hoping you’ll take the price down or convince them the review was completely wrong.

  

  “I’ve never heard of you.”

  “I saw what [reviewer] said about you. Why would I be interested?”

  “I just don’t think your product/service is right for me/what I need right now.”

  

When they haven’t heard of you:

• “We are quite new to the market, but everyone on the team is very experienced and we’re all very excited to prove ourselves. Can I show you what we can do?”
• “We’ve actually worked with a lot of clients similar to you, I’d love to share some of the testimonials we’ve received in the past.”

Bad reviews:

• “We’ve learned a lot from that experience and we’ve actually improved [the issue] (offer examples)”
• “I’d love to put you in contact with all of our happy customers so you can ask them more about this.”

Find different angles:

• “I understand, but did you know you could achieve [prospects’ goal] by using our product?”

  [clickToTweet tweet=”How to deal with #sales personal-related #objections (free templates)” quote=”How to deal with #sales personal-related #objections (free templates)”]

  Other types of common objections

  

  Although money, competition, and personal related objections are the most common ones, there are plenty more that prospects use all the time:

  

  “I don’t have time for this right now.”

  “Just send me an email with everything and I’ll get back to you when I have the time.”

  “This is just not a priority for us at the moment.”

  “I’m not interested.”

  

  “I completely understand – when would you be available for a call? It would only take a few minutes of your time and I’ve got a great proposal that I think you’ll be very interested in.”

  “I get you – I know what it’s like to be constantly interrupted by calls. When would be a better time, later today, or tomorrow?”

  
  “Of course – I’ll email you everything after our call. What time are you free tomorrow to discuss what I’ve sent you in more detail?”

  “I understand – I can’t even tell you how many of my current clients said the same thing in the beginning. Give me one minute to show you how we can help with [prospect’s pain point].”

  “I completely understand – I can actually put you in contact with at least 5 our clients who said the same thing during our first conversation.”

  [clickToTweet tweet=”How to deal with #sales #objections (free templates)” quote=”How to deal with #sales #objections (free templates)”]

  While this is great for copying and pasting and getting a better idea of how to handle sales objections, there’s so much more that you need to know in order to become a better handler of sales objections:

  Listen first, object later

  Don’t jump at the first ‘but’ the prospect says. Don’t assume you know exactly what bothers them, what they need, what they’re looking for, and so on.

  Before you say anything or defend yourself/your business, listen to them. There is so much that you can learn just by listening – including how put off they are about whatever they are objecting.

  Plus, you can learn more about your target audience this way, useful information that you can use in the future as well:

  • What the most common objections are
  • How much of a problem it really is – some objections are truly serious. The client is genuinely interested in what you’re selling, but something still keeps them back. In other cases, the objection is more of an excuse. They aren’t that interested after all and they’re looking for ways to get out of the conversation.
  • What your prospects’ hard limits are (way too expensive, not enough of this or that, and so on)

  Empathize: show them you truly understand their objection

   

  As you listen, try to put yourself in your prospects’ shoes and as much as you can, look at the situation from their perspective.

  This will not only show that you are truly listening to them and their objections, but that you’re a human being that they can relate to – not just a voice constantly trying to sell them something.

  Once they’ve gone through what bothers them, acknowledge it:

  “So you’re concerned about the prices. That’s perfectly understandable.”

  And then go on to explain why that’s not as big of a problem as they think it is – but, more on that (with actual examples), later on.

  Common objections

  Chances are, some of your sales prospects will likely have similar objections, like your prices are too high, or they saw that one bad review online, or you don’t have one specific feature that they need – whatever it is, if you get that objection a lot, it might be a better idea to tackle it before the prospect says anything.

  Present the issue, explain why that is the case, then show your prospect that even with this hiccup, you are still the best possible solution for them.

  Look for a different angle

  Sometimes, as the prospect or client objects, you have the opportunity to find a different angle to help you reach them.

  This is usually possible when it comes to prospects already working with your competitors, or who need specific features.

  Say for example you are a B2B company who sells software targeting a prospect that already works with one of your competitors.

  Their objections will be understandable; they’re already paying for a similar service, so why should they also buy your software?

  
  This is a good opportunity for you to find a different angle; find their pain points and explain why your product can help them solve a problem that the other software doesn’t.

  Similarly, with money-related objections; if they claim not to have the money to pay for your product or service, thinks of ways that your product/service can actually help them make more money or free up more of their time.

  As I mentioned earlier, objections can sometimes be opportunities – you just have to find the right angle to tackle.

  [clickToTweet tweet=”How to deal with #sales #objections (free templates)” quote=”How to deal with #sales #objections (free templates)”]

  Practice objection-handling

   

  Take the time to consider the objections you’ve received in the past. Take out your notebook and write them all down – at least 20 or so objections you get on a daily basis.

  Then, spend the time to go through each one of them and write down different scenarios and responses.

  Think of not only how to respond to their questions and objections, but what also what questions you can ask them in each situation so that you can get to the root of the problem.

  Once you’ve got all of these scenarios/objections and response wrote down, get one of your employees or colleagues and start practising with them. Provide them with a persona, give them a list of objections and let them grill you – you can learn a lot this way and it will help you be better prepared with future conversations with sales prospects.

  Conclusion

  Most conversations with prospects will involve objections of some kind. After all, if someone is looking to invest in a product or service, they want to know that they’re getting the most out of it – and that they actually need it and that they can’t find a better offer somewhere else.

  Look at their objections as opportunities; opportunities to convince them, to show them that your product is the best solution for them.

  The best thing you can do is to practice and prepare responses to all the common objections you might get.

  Whatever you’re selling, I can help you become the best salesperson you can be – and close more deals, faster than ever. Just click here to book a free consultation now to find out how I can help.