By: Robert Johnston
President & CEO, Exton Region Chamber of Commerce

Whether you are a full-time sales professional, an employee in a company trying to ‘sell’ an idea, a mom trying to ‘sell’ your kids on the idea of eating a vegetable, or even a job-seeker “selling” yourself in an interview, it’s a good idea to be prepared to handle an objection or two when they come up.  Many of us, when faced with an objection, react the wrong way. We may get angry at the person for asking the question, we may feel defeated and give up, or me may blame ourselves for letting the objection come up. Instead, we should be grateful when we get an objection, because an objection is communication – and communication can lead to positive results. Most people don’t like conflict, so in many cases they will keep their objection to themselves, and then use some sort of delay method like “let me think about it,” or “I need to check with someone.” In reality, they are really saying “no,” and giving you no idea why. It’s much better to get the objection out on the table so that you can respond to it.

When an objection comes up, follow this simple process: Cushion, Clarify, Uncover, Respond
•  Cushion – Our natural reaction to an objection is to tell the person “you’re wrong!”
If you do this, they will stop listening and the sale is over. Instead use a cushion that does not agree or disagree, but lets the other person know that you heard him/her. It may sound like, “thank you for bringing that up…”
•  Clarify – Too often we spend time and energy resolving an objection, only to learn that we resolved the wrong objection! Clarify the objection by asking a question such as, “when you say you can’t afford it, do you mean you don’t feel that this product is worth the price, or do you mean that you don’t have room in your budget right now?”
•  Uncover – There’s nothing worse than resolving an objection, only to hear another objection a few minutes later. In fact, the REAL objection is usually not the FIRST one to be brought up. Uncover hidden objections now and deal with them all at once so you can move on. Ask a question such as, “Aside from the price issue, is there anything else that would cause you to hesitate?” If there is, repeat the first three steps until all of the objections are on the table.
•  Once you’ve got all of the objections on the table, respond to them one at a time. Keep in mind that an objection is a need for understanding. Be clear, concise and direct. Don’t get defensive! Once you’ve responded to one objection, ask “does that answer your question about the price?” or “do you feel more comfortable about our delivery process now?” If you get a “no”, try again; if you get a “yes,” move on to the next one.

Once you’ve resolved all of the objections, it’s time to gain commitment and finish the sale. Read next month’s article for proven processes for closing the sale!

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Robert Johnston is President  & CEO of the Exton Region Chamber of Commerce, 610.644.4985