Here are some of the real reasons why people are unwilling to make a purchase:
-
They don’t have the money
-
They can’t get financing
-
They can’t decide on their own
-
They think they can get a better deal from someone else
-
They’re not sure your product will meet their needs
-
They think your product is overpriced
-
They want to shop around
-
They have an established relationship with another vendor
Each of these objections has the potential to be the banana skin on which your sales pitch slips and falls. Equally, if you listen to what they have to say and offer a different way of looking at things, they have the potential to be turned into positive reasons for purchasing. Often, from preliminary conversations, it is possible to foresee what objection will arise and how to counteract that objection, and by your command of the situation you can convince the customer that you know what you are talking about.
There is a sense in which sales are all about control. If you fail to produce a counter-argument for one or more of the customer’s reasons for not purchasing, then you have conceded control to them and, more importantly, to their pessimism regarding the purchase. How you handle customer objections can be the major influence on your success in making a sale. Anyone can sell to a customer who is on a mission to make a purchase. Selling to someone who is determined only to buy when they are convinced of a good deal is a far bigger test.
