So what's your objection?

I've been in sales for some 20 odd years now (some of them were very odd, too!) - some of them were lean, some of them made up for those lean years, but throughout all of them I've kept to one major tenet - Never sell ANYTHING you don't believe in.

If you believe in what you're selling, you become an ambassador for that product or service - and just like a good ambassador, you can defend it when you need to - and that, as sales people, is what we need to do when faced with an objection.

Unfortunately, the pantomime method of calling out "ohhhhh yes it does!!!" to a "no it doesn't!" won't always work in the real world (it has for me, once, but that's a long story best accompanied by a good port...) so diplomacy is involved - and a successful diplomat already knows the answers to most of the things he's going to hear.

How then, do we become a diplomatic ambassador for our products, our services, our company? Work out the objections you're going to get, in advance, and find the best possible responses.

We all know objections come in various different shapes and sizes - just like a mechanic knows there are different sizes of nuts and bolts and screws... would you want to go to a mechanic who only has one or two tools, and if they don't fit he can't help you? Nope? Well, logically, you need to have the tools to deal with the objections you're most likely to hear.

Rarely is an objection anything to do with you, personally - even if your client just plain doesn't like you, very few will say that to your face - so don't take objections personally, treat them as the opportunity they are - an opportunity to help your client get something you believe in.

Lets take a look at a common objection that is prevalent today, preferred and or regular suppliers...

• "I already have a preferred supplier for your product..."
• "I have someone for those services already..."
• "I'm happy enough with the work I get from ..."

A common answer to these is to offer the 'if you ever need anything, or they let you down, please give me a call..." - yes, it's better than slumping your shoulders and leaving, but in all honesty this one is a cop out - everyone would be happy to have a call from them if their regular supplier lets them down, aren't they?

The prospect has just thrown the ball into your lap, shouldn't you throw it back to them, at least one more time?

Try your variation of the following (and I mean your variation - what works for one person isn't the best for another - take the concept and make it yours, then it will work for you...):

Thanks for your reply, Gerry - and thanks for an honest answer, rather than "we'll keep your info on file" - however, given I've had one honest answer from you, I'm going to ask just one more question: On a scale of 1-10, where 10 is absolutely, perfectly happy, how happy are you with your current supplier? If your answer is anything less than a 10, don't you owe it to yourself to try someone who consistently strives to get a 10 on every single job?

Now you've turned it around a little, and hopefully there will be at least one thing that isn't absolutely perfect with the existing relationship - if you can find that hole, make sure 100% that it's plugged when you work with the client - chances are that's what they see as the MOST important part of their relationship with a supplier, and that's where you're going to win in future... Finding an unsatisfied need is just as rewarding as finding an unmet need...

I'd like to build this into a resource for sales people in the printing and sign making industry - but to do that, I need your help - I need to know what objections you're coming across to build up a worthwhile toolkit - please use the quick request form to let Paul know, and he'll forward them to me.