The Handling of Objections in Sales

Here's an overview of one of my approaches to the handling of objections in sales, no matter your product or industry. Combine "micro-closes" with hypotheticals that isolate the objection.

Use the "HII" framework for overcoming objections.

Hypothesize · Isolate · Inform  =  HII

Try to understand the basic framework first, then we'll look at some examples. You don't necessarily have to say all this verbatim, but imagine saying these things to your prospect – (the phrases in quotes):

①  Hypothesize: "If this were perfect, would you do it?"

②  Isolate: "What's different between that perfect version and what you see?"

③  Inform: "What if we did X to accomplish Y to meet that. Would you go with it?"

When you're buying something, nothing's ever really perfect. Or rarely ever. But usually there are things that you could live with. Like if everything else was right, you could accept a slight defect or missing feature that you wanted in a car, an apartment, a piece of software, an insurance policy, etc.

💬  "I'm listening, and I can 100% see where you are coming from, and this offer may not be perfect right now from where you're sitting, – but if it WERE perfect, would you do it?"

🗨  "Well, only if blah blah blah blah blah …"

Ask the "if it were perfect …" question (the "H" for "hypothesize") – then shut up and listen!

They might just say yes. Or they might say "maybe." Or they may go into a litany of reasons why they think your offer sucks.

Either way, just let them talk. Listen intently. Try to decipher what they might be signaling, not just overtly saying. Let them HYPOTHESIZE. If it were perfect, would they go with it? What's in the way?

Isolate the objection.

Say:

💬  "OK, that said, can you summarize it for me exactly? What's different between your perfect version, and what you see right now?"

You're asking again & giving them the opportunity to speak again. And hopefully they expose all of their objections both stated and unstated. What are they really hung up on? … With this question, they may respond "Well I just told you." And you can say "Well, let me hear it again just to make sure we're clear." Let them talk. They may say something new, or say it in a different way – so you get more clues.

💡  The idea is to keep them talking about what they DON'T like. You are gathering information and preparing your strategy. Don't worry – you'll get them them back on track to BUILD ENTHUSIASM about what they DO like – but don't neglect this important step of data-mining for their current reasons why they're stalling or on-the-fence. ISOLATE their top 2 or 3 objections, then confirm that those are actually important:

💬  "Ok, regarding _______. How important is that to you?"

You ASK this because sometimes they'll state some big objection, and then when you inquire about the priority or importance, they'll say "well it's really not that important" or "it's not really as important as _______". Now you're even better informed on what to address, and what you can skip over.

What's a "micro-close" ?? (it's a closing technique)

A micro-close is like a trial close or a mini closing technique: "Would you do it?" – And see below: "Would you go with it?". They're part of the framework. When they answer "Yes, if …" then you're getting a micro-commitment on the deal-points that are currently solved for them in their mind. Now you just have to solve for the "if" part.

When you get micro-commitments you are advancing the sale toward the close.

Now is your opportunity to use your prepared objection handling responses.

Note: At this point, DON'T DISCOUNT. Don't jump right into a discount, or PLAN on discounting at all. The price alone usually isn't the real objection. Make sure everything else is in place.

There are many ways you could proceed from here, having gathered a lot more information by isolating their objections after getting them to hypothesize.

Types of Objections in Sales

In most sales contexts, here's what you should be considering before you open your mouth:

1. Many times it's a genuine objection.

   They're truly interested in buying, but you have to get an obstacle out of the way, or assure them that whatever the trade-off is worth it. Objections are buying signals.

2. Sometimes it's an unsolvable objection.

   They don't have the budget or the buying authority. Or they just don't understand the value – and they never will. Or, when comparing competitive options, they always just go with the lowest priced option, regardless. It's best to disqualify these types of buyers EARLY – by sniffing them out and cutting them off your call list. If an objection sounds unsolvable, challenge them. If they don't like that, then move on to higher probability opportunities; no matter how much work you put in to getting the lead, or getting thru to the decision maker, etc. Move on.

3. Sometimes it's a stall, or a delaying tactic.

   They're delaying because you're moving too fast. Sh*t is confusing. They're having difficulties understanding all the various comparable options on the market. They need more time – and “it's too expensive” (or another knee-jerk objection) is just something to say to buy more time, or just get rid of you for the time being. Challenge them: "I'm wondering, when you say X, do you really mean Y?"

4. Misconceptions about the price.

   They might not understand exactly what they're getting for your proposed price. You have to make sure they fully understand “the bundle” and the feature-set in order to effectively explain the full value in relation to the investment. Don't talk about the features they don't care about. Most of your features don't matter, only a few do. And make sure your cold call scripts connect your top features to ROI impact metrics using language they use internally.

5. Misconceptions about value.

   This is really what you're looking for; misconceptions about value.

   In their mind, the benefits may not be worth the price or the risk & the work involved in changing away from their status quo – even though they are experiencing business pain. They don't think the juice is worth the squeeze.

   In a way, that means you as a salesperson have so far failed to do your job to communicate the value – "the essential promise" of your product. They can't envision or calculate a positive ROI impact (or efficiency gains, time-savings, social status or emotional satisfaction, risk-mitigation wins, etc.) that justify the price or effort. Or in the case of competitor comparisons, they're just not seeing how your competitive differentiation justifies a purchase today.

6. Biases & Prejudices.

   They have negative preconceived notions about your type of product in general, or believe that products in your market category are overpriced or lacking in value in general. Or, someone related to the purchase decision has a sticky bias or irrational / emotional preference for a competing solution. What emotions are on display?

7. It's a deliberate negotiation strategy.

   Most people do tell the truth, but some buyers posture to get a better price or other concessions – and this is to be expected.

Your Objection Responses / Sales Rebuttals

💡  Remember "HII"? – You're now on the 3rd step of the objection handling framework; the INFORM part:

💬  "What if we did X to meet Y. Would you go with it?"

Try to address one issue at a time. Address the big one first, BUT NOT PRICE. Counter a few other things before the dollar amount. And at all costs, avoid the "itch to pitch" and don't be talking about your features again:

"Yah, but Brawndo has electrolytes, and we're #1 in the tri-state area! Let me feature-dump all over your face! It slices, it dices, and it even makes julienne fries!"

Don't pitch. Address exactly what they brought up, with a hypothetical of your own. What if we did X to meet Y?

OK, OK, OK. Show me some objection handling techniques already. What am I supposed to say?

🔥 I want to show you all this stuff! … I've come up with a lot of unique talk-tracks, templates, and approaches.

You can have a look at my "Sales Likelihood Calculator" – a little game I made based on MEDDPICC that helps sales reps, biz owners, & founders to think about their deals and the opportunities in their pipeline.

July 31, 2024
From the desk of Rowe Morehouse