The 5 most common types of sales objections and how to overcome them

When a customer comes to you with a sales objection, you might be tempted to say, "I've got the perfect solution for you!" or launch into a monologue about your product. STOP! It doesn't work. Listening to objections and dealing with them correctly is the key to standing out and being successful in sales. So take a deep breath and adopt a more effective approach to stop losing your offers.

Do youwant to avoid sales objections? Sorry, that's impossible.

But that doesn't mean you can't handle them. Even the best salespeople encounter objections, so treat them as a normal part of your sales process.

What's really important is to recognize the type of objection you're going to encounter and use the right strategy to overcome it.

I share with you the 5 most common types of objections and how to handle them, from easy to difficult.

Hold on tight! If you master this, you're well on your way to performance.

1. False objections

False" objections, let's call them phantom objections, are just a decoy to hide what's really bothering the buyer. They can appear in your sale if you fail to identify the customer's deepest doubts.

It's a bit like getting a superficial answer to the question "What's bothering you?"

Although they can be easy to handle, they shouldn't be underestimated. They can derail your sale if you don't know the customer's real objection. You'll never be able to deal with them and move on to the next stage.

To avoid this trap, I invite you to answer the following question when dealing with sales objections: "If we were to find a complete solution to this problem, what other obstacles would we have to overcome before taking the next step?"

If the customer raises other obstacles, they may be the real sales objections you need to resolve. Then you know what really needs to be addressed. If the customer raises no other objections, you should have a good chance of making the sale.

Now that you know all your customer's objections, you can go on to confirm the sale.

2. Raise doubts

Look, this step isn't that complicated. You just have to deal with his concerns, iron out the little details and finalize your agreement.

Customers usually express them simply, it's not a rain dance like some objections. You know what to expect, it's a good idea.

So, what exactly is it and where does this type of sales objection come from?

These are usually emotional barriers, not genuine doubts about your product. They arise when a customer already has a good overview of what you offer and has no real objection to buying.

Sometimes it's just a little nervousness before making a big purchase. We've all felt it, and now your customer will too.

Here's how: address his concerns directly. It's the only way to reassure him.

A concrete example?

Suppose your customer is concerned about the integration and onboarding process, which can be lengthy. It's a major concern, but a simple one. You have several options:

• Set up a meeting with an account manager to give him/her a detailed overview of the next steps (it's best to have the manager in question on hand).
• Put your potential customer in touch with a current customer who can speak from experience.

Whatever you do, make sure you clearly address the specific concern your customer has raised. No detours.

Problems can usually be solved quite easily. Now for something more difficult...

3. Business objections

It's time to use your finesse and skills as the sales objections you face become increasingly difficult.

So-called "sales" objections can be more complicated, but on the bright side, your customer is paying attention.

These objections testify to their commitment and desire to understand in depth how your product meets their problems and needs.

Of course, this can also indicate that you didn't get the right message across in your speech, but take advantage of it because it's a second chance to change that.

(You should listen back to your previous conversations to understand where you could have done a better job of getting the message across earlier, and how to go about it in the future. This is one of the features of our Modjo platform. If you'd like to find out more, it's here !)

For a corrective approach, take their real, valid objection and turn it into an opportunity.

Your goal is to change their underlying belief about a genuine sales objection, so that they see it in a new light:

• Did they mention a problem? Turn it into an opportunity.
• They've discovered a weakness? Turn it into a strength.
• They say it's a bad time? Make it the perfect time.

At Modjo, for example, customers often want to wait until the start of a new quarter before moving on to a POC (or pilot). In general, it's a question of business orientation. They don't want to disrupt the close of the quarter by adding a new tool.

Except that it's clearly what we don't want to drag out. Time kills all offers. I refer you to this article on sales intensity.

Here's how we handle it at Modjo:

"Look, you can look at it this way: the conversations in which your salespeople are trying to sell are the ones that contain the most important information! The end of the quarter is the ideal time to launch a pilot project to obtain this information.

What you may see as a problem is actually an opportunity. The more information you have about critical conversations, the more you can improve your sales and coaching strategy, and the better your teams will perform!"

As you can see, the idea is to turn this sales objection on its head, present it in a different light and turn it into a priceless opportunity.

4. The imperative conditions

What we call "imperative conditions" are not simply doubts or commercial objections, but real problems to be solved in order to close the sale.

The problem is simple: if you don't solve the problem, you don't make the sale.

This type of objection arises when a major obstacle to the sale is beyond your or your buyer's control.

For example, if your buyer likes your product, but you don't have the right integration. Well, if that happens, you've already got a real problem with your discovery phase.

But let's say it's a secondary integration, although it's possible that the technical team will develop a new integration, it's not up to you, it's up to them.

In other words, "must-haves" can't be solved on the spot in a conversation with the customer, whatever your level. They almost always require the involvement of other teams to help you solve a complex problem.

This is true even if the problem stems from the customer's organization.

For example, even if your prospect likes your solution and clearly sees the benefits, one of the final obstacles to purchase may be budget.

And here, you'll have to be very persuasive or creative. Staggering payment, offering a discount in exchange for introductions to companies in your network, multi-year commitments, minimum orders - the solutions are numerous, but will still require internal negotiation on both your and your customer's side.

The most complicated discussions to manage are those where you won't be present. In this case, you need to prepare your prospect to become a real champion.

If this type of "unavoidable event" occurs, your work will double:

1. You'll have to come up with your own creative solution to offer your prospect an interesting solution.
2. You'll also need to prepare your champion to sell and defend it as you would.

5. The ultimate objection: complacency

Your worst nightmare!

When a prospect is complacent, it only means one thing: he's not convinced by your solution!

This means you have an unqualified prospect who should have been identified earlier in the sales process.

Obviously, don't waste your time trying to overcome this, it won't work.

Instead, stop promoting the sale and go back to an earlier stage in your sales process to create a sense of urgency in your prospect. Show them that their current situation is untenable and that they need a solution - yours - now.

If your prospect is reluctant to buy, it's often because he doesn't understand the urgency of his situation. Once you've shown him the problems with his current way of doing things, your solution will be more attractive for improving his situation.

Focus on your prospect's pain!

Whether you're a beginner or an expert, objections are part of selling!

Don't worry, it happens to everyone in sales, even the best. The important thing is to be sufficiently trained to deal with them.

Now that you've read this article, you're a little better equipped to identify and deal with the most common objections. If you're still worried, it's probably because of the most difficult objection: complacency. It will take a little more time and coaching with your team to deal with it.

My advice: go back to the basics of sales calls with your team to avoid having to deal with this type of objection. If all goes well during prospecting, qualification and demonstrations, you probably won't have to worry about this type of objection.

And now that you have all the keys, only training will enable you to take the next step. I propose a simple work:

1. Record all your calls
2. Always listen to your calls
3. Note down each objection, the response you made and the one you could have made.
4. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Have a good week.

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