How do you coach your sales reps to handle objections and close deals?

Objection handling is one of the critical challenges that a sales rep must prepare to face in course of selling, the Sales leader must teach, mentor and coach his team what we call the "product knowledge" not just teaching them technics of selling-but having the product knowledge of what you are selling the sales dynamics from A -Z will be at your finger tips anytime the product objection arises.

I am afraid that lots of these contributions treat the prospect as an adversary. Very 1970’s style of selling. Be honest. At this stage I do not know if we are right for each other. Do you mind investing a few minutes for each of us to find out ? Collaborate respectfully with another human being. For goodness sake do not batter your prospect with adversarial techniques that stopped working 40 years ago

SEARCH is an objection handling framework I’ve seen be effective and relatively easy to adopt. Silence – Take a pause. The speaker may elaborate on their initial objection. Echo – Play back what you heard to ensure you’re both on the same page. Ask – Use open ended questioning to explore the root cause of the objection e.g., Objection: “X is too expensive” Ask: “Could you say a little more about why you feel that way”, “When you say X is too expensive, what are you comparing it to?” Respond: Once you’ve uncovered the root cause of the objection, you can attempt to address it or reframe. CHeck: Validate your response resonated with the customer.

I have come to believe that sales professionals face an increased number of objections when they fail to engage in a comprehensive discovery process. The more complete your discovery process, the less likely you are to face a serious objection further into the sales process. Take the time upfront to ask the hard questions and gain the prospects commitment to sharing vital information and you will find that closing business is more natural than it is forced.

In the realm of sales, objections are not roadblocks but rather opportunities. The initial and crucial step in dealing with objections effectively is to identify the type of objection you're facing. By categorizing objections, you can tailor your response and approach to increase your chances of successfully closing deals.

Once you learn your objections, start using it against the prospect. For example, if your biggest objection is that they already have a vendor for this service, start your call with: do you have a vendor for this? If you have, it doesn't make sense to continue this conversation. This will intrigue them, and make them talk. The more info you get, the more likely you are to rebuttal and get them hooked.

LAER works, and to make it more effective, it should be LLLLLAAAER. That much more listening is necessary. Even before acknowledgement. And more acknowledgement is needed, even before exploration. Rushing the steps will make the client feel you are PUSHY. It will be apparent, especially when the listening is not complete, or feels rushed. A lot of the process is in making the client feel heard. The actual time spent on listening is not the key... the key is how much the client FEELS that you are listening. Using encouragement for them to elaborate. Agreeing to their grouses. Siding with them against the enemy. Those are useful tools to engage in the fight against objections!

In an early stage of the conversation(s), try to get as much information. Priorities, budget, time planning, people involved, the actual problem or chance. Once we know this, you can work with it. As a sales rep, you can come back to these points. Make sure the prospect is on the same page as you are. Help your prospect through the different stages. Follow their tempo, not the sales tempo.

Through years of actively selling and managing sales teams, handling objectives has always been a top training priority. The LAER model leaves out a critical step that causes many salespeople to struggle. That step is the isolation of a prospect's objective as the "ONLY" reason they are not ready to move forward. The best process I have found to help overcome objectives has five steps. Acknowledge (the objection) Clarify Isolate Overcome Confirm Isolation of the prospect's objection is very important. How many times in a sales environment have you or one of your sales team members overcome an objection only to have the prospect present a follow up objection? Happy selling!

This is a great framework. For the "Respond" phase, one powerful method you can use is client testimonials. As a third party reference, a testimonial carries its own credibility. At the same time, it addresses the objection satisfying both logical and emotional criteria.

Handling objections hinges on relevant role-play. Many role-plays, aiming to showcase a "preferred method," often seem generic and unconvincing to sellers, undermining training value. To enhance realism, we've introduced a gameshow during all-hands calls. Here, 2-3 participants tackle up-voted objections collected through-out the quarter or half. Attendees vote on the best responses. Prizes went to those with the best handling and those who submitted the most challenging objection. This innovative method empowered the Enablement team to address contemporary objections within their offerings while offering vital insights to product management, sales leadership, and marketing. You'd be surprised how quickly price became a non-objection.

Role play is the single best way to improve your sales skills, and for objection handling this is no exception! If practicing with a colleague, the additional benefit is that you both get to play the part of the client. This way, you can better empathise with them and get a feel for being on the receiving end!

This is very effective. Let the reps bring in 'real ' cases. Make sure you have a safe environment. Let them have some fun as well ! As a sales leader, we can observe and give feedback (on what we see). The reps can give feedback as well. More than once I did the role play myself. And i still a make mistakes sometimes. Let it happen. It's very good for the team. We are not perfect, we are all learning from each other.

Role-play probably is the single, most effective tool, in the reps arsenal. Where else do you get a free shot, with unlimited do-overs if you mess up? Whether you screw up or not, the role-player isn't going to buy... so take the chance to experiment and explore. Shoot out your most creative objection handling, you wittiest replies. See what gets a chortle, a smile, and that could be your solution to winning the sale! The skill of the role-player matters too: the best ones can empathise so well with clients that it appears they are "method acting". Method acting can be a brilliant brilliant way to get into your client's shoes, anticipate their pain, their objections. Responses you craft after understanding that? Priceless.

I use a tool for measurement, SalesStep. Make sure you accompany the rep. Only to observe. Let sales reps accompany each other. See where they stand in a couple of weeks. How did things work out.

Tracking is crucial to figure out how to improve further. A great sales figure can always be improved. But how? Does the rep meet more clients? Close bigger deals? Spend less time on admin tasks? A system to figure out the components of your reps day, will allow you to zoom in on the improvable steps. And safely eliminate time or value sinks. Each rep is different, too! Some require hand-holding. Others value autonomy and trust. Understanding their values will help you design the best systems to assist their sales closings.

Celebrating successes! Yes! This helps even more successes to come freely, easily. Even the small achievements can be highlighted. The aim is to make your people feel appreciated. Not only the big guns or top producers, but even the little guy that is working his hardest to push the team forward. A pat on the back, a smile, or just a hot cup of coffee. These are simple, easy ways to celebrate small wins, and show appreciation. Big awards ceremonies, medals and trophies: these can be the platform to celebrate high performance individuals. And it makes sense to do, to keep the team inspired to progress. But always remember, even the little guys are fighting hard for you: celebrate their wins, too. And watch them GROW.

Consider this: you expect your reps to close deals with customers... Have YOU closed your reps? Have you convinced them to sell for you? What is their WHY? What is their REASON? What is their MOTIVATION? Why, of all people, should they be selling for you? Having the answer to all of the above, would make you the best manager a sales-rep could ask for. Having complete empathy of your team, going the extra mile for them? Makes them want to do the same for you!