Don’t counter objections—avoid them

Clearly not the best approach to take. And the problem lies with whatever the seller says to elicit the objection in the first place. Perhaps it was “We specialize in offering a full line of whatevers.” Or maybe “We’re a Minneapolis-based consulting firm.”

For example, whenever I say “I’d like to get together with you to find out how your company is handling your sales training needs,” the automatic response is something like “We’re already working with XYZ Company.” The key to getting around this objection is to avoid putting yourself in that situation in the first place!

It’s an entirely different story if I say “I see that your company’s sales have been stagnant the past few months. I have some ideas on how to increase new client acquisition.” If I begin a sales conversation this way, I never hear “We’re already working with XYZ Company.”

Don’t tell people what your company does; focus on the business objectives you help clients achieve. It’s a simply formula: Change what you say and you’ll change the responses you get. 

Sign up for The Lead and get a new tip in your inbox every day! More tips:

• Defuse those dreaded sales objections
• How to neutralize price objections
• 3 responses to counter any objection

Jill Konrath is the author of SNAP Selling, Selling to Big Companies and Agile Selling. If you’re struggling to set up meetings, click here to get a free Prospecting Tool Kit.