How Consultants Handle Sales Objections

By Elaine Biech and Halelly Azulay, creators of the Building Your Successful Consulting Business online course.

The most successful salespeople believe that an objection is simply the way clients identify their needs. An objection is a request to provide more information about why a client should buy from you. One of the first objections you’ll hear is that it costs too much. It may mean that you didn’t ask enough questions to help the client see the value. If a client says, “your price is too high,” it may simply be a desire to get full value for the project.

If a client says, “there will be too much delay to start the project,” the real statement might be a concern for completing it on time. If a client says, “we’ve used that approach and it’s been unsuccessful,” it may be a desire for reassurance that you will provide success.

How Can You Respond to Objections?       

Your responses might be something like the following. Regarding price, “So you need information that ensures that you will get maximum value for the price. Is that correct?” Regarding schedule, “Your objective is to ensure that the work is completed on time, correct?” Regarding the approach, “You would like some proof that this approach works, is that right?”

If you have identified the desire or the need correctly, you can address the objection. The client’s objection is just a way to inform you about an objective that must be met. Finally, when a client says, “send me some information,” you can consider it to be a soft objection. You can respond, “Sure, I’d be happy to. Let’s make sure it’s relevant to you.” 

Prepare for Other Issues

If you are a small consulting firm or a solopreneur, you may want to prepare for these objections:

• Whether you have the required experience.
• Whether the company employees would respect someone from a larger, well-known firm.
• Whether you will be available on site often enough.
• Whether you have experience in the specific industry.
• And for us, the fact that we are women in a “man’s” world (yes, this still occurs).

What if the client mentions your competition? You should state that your competition is good at what they do and ask if the client wants to know how you differ. Your response should never criticize your competition but should clarify the differences.

What if your client becomes obnoxious and demands a response, such as, “Why should we choose you?” or “Why do you think you can solve this?” or “What’s this going to cost?” Diffuse the aggression by stating, “That’s a good question, and I can’t answer it yet, but I will be able to with some additional information.” 

Sometimes the fear of objections prevents consultants from going on sales calls. As humans our need for acceptance is so great that it controls how we interact with others. If this is you, try to replace the word “objection” with “question” or “concern” or “need.” As we said at the beginning of this article, an objection is often a request for more information.

Zig Ziglar often said, “Selling is something we do for our clients – not to our clients.” Be sure that you have your clients’ best interests in mind when you meet with them, even if they are objection-filled. Building a relationship with them will have a longer-lasting impact than a single sale you make in the moment.

Sales Tip for Consummate Consultant: Follow Up Every Sales Call.

Get in the habit of following up every meeting with a written note thanking prospects for their time. Even if you will submit a proposal, dash off a quick note to maintain the momentum of a positive meeting. This is not a common practice. You will stand out as someone who cares and appreciate the time investment. What do you say? You can begin each note with a “you” or a specific quote from the individual. You might say something like, “You certainly have a challenge with. . .” and then follow up by saying, “I am looking forward to working on the project.” You could mention any deliverables that you have promised and thank the individual for taking time to meet with you, for agreeing to meet in the future, or for the business if you struck a deal. That’s it. Get it out within 24 hours.

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About the Authors

Elaine Biech and Halelly Azulay are successful consultants with a combined 50 years of experience. Both are leaders in the talent development field, volunteers for ATD, and mentors and coaches for new consultants. They are the creators of the online course: Building Your Successful Consulting Business. Elaine, ATD’s 2020 Distinguished Contribution recipient, has published 85 books, including two classics for consultants: The New Business of Consulting and The New Consultant’s Quick Start Guide. Halelly produces and hosts The TalentGrow Show podcast where she interviews legends such as Daniel Pink, Beverly Kaye, Jim Kouzes, Dorie Clark, and others.

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