Handling Objections

If you’ve ever been taught the steps to successful selling, you have been taught how to  handle objections.  An objection is defined by www.dictionary.com as “a reason or argument offered in disagreement, opposition, refusal or disapproval.”  Whether you are selling or just presenting, you should always consider the questions or objections your audience may have, especially if there is an opportunity for Q & A. No matter how convinced you are it’s a great idea, someone else may not. When I worked for Gillette, my team conducted a “50/50” exercise before every sales meeting.  This was an opportunity to brainstorm  all potential objections that could occur during the sales call.  There are several ways to handle objections.  Let’s explore two of them.

1.Pre-empt the Objection:  Anticipating the objection and addressing it before the question is asked is a smart move. You still need to be careful here.  You may risk raising objections the audience has not considered.

2.Handle objections as they come:  In this scenario, you don’t address the potential questions in advance.  You wait for someone to ask.  You should still prepare for the objections ahead of time, just in case.

Do your homework.  Be objective about your topic.  Handling objections should  not be a debate, but a fact based explanation that addresses the issue. How well you handle objections is often the difference between making the sale or not.