Let’s face it. When it comes to sales conversations, hearing an objection from your prospect is inevitable. They'll disagree with you on things like price, the size of your team, or whether you're fit for the project.
Clients almost always have some form of “no” rolled up their sleeve. Finding what motivates their objections, though, is a mystery we have to solve in the sales cycle.
It’s hard to confront objections, especially if you’re trying to grow your business and land better clients. But not every “no” is concrete. In fact, you can turn it around. You just have to learn the communication tactics and negotiation strategies to make it happen.
In this article, we’re going to teach you how to deal with the most common client objections. You’ll learn how to anticipate, embrace, and respond to every one you hear.
Know Their “No”
There are plenty of objections you’ll come across in your sales conversations, but the three you’ll encounter the most are:
- “You’re too expensive.”
- “You don’t have enough experience.”
- “You don’t know enough about this industry, product, etc.”
Every hesitation has its reason. Maybe the client’s spent too much money before. They could have had a sour experience. Maybe they worked with someone who didn’t do their research.
You have to expect the client’s concerns. When you hear an objection, that’s not your cue to convince or persuade them into working with you. Your goal is to get to the root of their doubts and guide the client from their point of view to see yours.
Acknowledge Every Objection
Some objections can leave you feeling pretty paralyzed. So how do you effectively move the conversation forward?
Embrace the moment. Now, this may take some getting used to, but it’s a vital step to understanding your prospect’s position.
Listening—specifically active listening—is one of the strongest skills you can bring to the table. Listen more than you speak. As you listen intently, you’ll slowly start to pick up the clues in the client’s concerns.
When it’s your time to speak, repeat the client’s own words back to them in the form of a question. This shows them that you’re invested not just in the conversation, but in their worries as well.
Clients want to feel heard. Put simply, they want to know that someone gets them. Empathize and reassure them that any concerns they may have are valid.
For a more specific example of acknowledging objections, check out the video below. Chris acts as a freelance videographer negotiating with a client who won’t budge. You’ll see exactly how Chris embraces the client’s concerns, and eventually negotiates to get the win:
How to Respond
Questions will serve as your guiding light when navigating through objections. You should always ask more than you tell. Try to understand the client’s point before introducing your own.
On top of asking questions, here are three ways to respond when clients say “no":
1. Embrace and Pivot
To turn something negative to positive, you have to embrace the objection (which we covered above) and pivot. This is your chance to turn the conversation around.
Pivoting is the hard part. To do it successfully, you have to change the conversation, not the subject. Flip the opposition on its head once you’ve dug deeper into the client’s concern.
If the client’s told you that you’re too expensive, for example, embrace and pivot by saying, “I understand you have a certain budget in mind, and maybe we are too expensive. It’s true: you can get this done for less elsewhere. If you're searching for the cheapest price, I'm probably not the best choice. But if you're looking for a specific result, I'd be happy to help.”