Mastering effective sales techniques for overcoming client objections is essential for building strong client relationships and achieving success in any sales role.
Years ago, I collaborated with a college in Israel to offer my workshops there.
One of the college’s young, enthusiastic sales representatives had a great rapport with clients and truly believed in my course. However, she had one issue – she was more focused on service than sales.
She spent a lot of time building rapport, listening, and showing interest in potential clients’ stories, yet she didn’t close enough sales or register enough people for the course.
On the surface, she seemed like an ideal salesperson – friendly, empathetic, and attentive.
But her role was to sell and enroll people in the workshop, which didn’t happen as expected.
When I delved deeper and listened to her calls, I realized the problem: instead of selling the course, the clients were “selling” her excuses about why they wouldn’t attend, and she simply accepted these excuses without countering them!
One instance stood out.
She told me about a potential client who wanted to come to the workshop but lived on the other side of the city and didn’t have a car. She had spent hours trying to arrange a carpool for her with other registered participants. I stopped her because:
- If a client genuinely wants to attend, they’ll find a way – be it by bus, taxi, or even walking. The conversation should be about why it’s worth attending, not arranging transportation.
- Her time should be focused on connecting with other interested clients and closing sales rather than logistical issues that could drain her energy without adding value.
- Our commitment is to paying clients, and there’s no reason to impose additional responsibilities on them, like offering carpooling.
Ultimately, that client didn’t register, despite taking up hours of her time.
This “carpool story” illustrates an important point: in every sales interaction, either you succeed in selling your product or service, or the potential clients succeed in “selling” you their reasons not to buy.
Good service people, who lack strong sales skills, tend to take on clients’ stories and reasons instead of overcoming objections to close the sale.
Through years of experience working with sales teams, listening to recordings, and coaching individuals in sales skills, I’ve seen this phenomenon repeatedly.
I call it “conceptual selling.”
For example, if a salesperson tells me, “The client really wants to buy, but her husband isn’t on board right now,” I respond that if she truly wanted it, she’d find a way.
The salesperson’s job is to provide her with reasons that make the purchase worthwhile, not to internalize her excuses.
Another example is when a salesperson says, “The client is sure to register for the next session; he’s just waiting for his new credit card to arrive.”
From my perspective, only payment signifies a real commitment – no payment, no sale.
But to succeed don’t let clients’ excuses become your own. Effective sales techniques for overcoming client objections in sales, is indeed difficult.
Be empathetic, deliver excellent service to paying clients, and maintain a friendly attitude.
Feeling that you’re hearing too many excuses and not sure how to handle them?
Let’s take your skills to the next level.
Feel free to reach out to me HERE.
Warm regards,
Dr. Yaniv Zaid
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