“Looking for the No” is a common phrase in the selling world.
In the process of probing for a customer’s needs, problems and opportunities, there are times when none can be found – the “no” is found, and it’s time to move on. But there are also times when a not-so-final “no” is uncovered, which presents itself in the form of an objection.
“We’d like to consider your product or service, but not this time.”
“I’d like to order your brand, but we have a special arrangement with our current supplier… call me back in a few months, and maybe we’ll try…”
Since many sales people consider objections to be deal-breakers, they do their best to avoid them. So, when presented with objections or “no” statements like the ones above, they move on. The problem with this approach is that it can promote the practice of “moving on” prematurely.
A more successful approach is to seek out objections with the same enthusiasm as you might seek out needs or problems to solve, because the sales person actually views objections as opportunities!
When an objection is put forth by the buyer, further probing by the seller often uncovers more information, such as, “We’d like to consider your product or service, but your price is too high.”
Or possibly, “I’d like to order your brand, but we need dependable overnight delivery; when we ordered from your company in the past, you couldn’t meet our delivery needs on a consistent basis.”
Once a potential buyer’s reason for saying “no” (objection) is uncovered, the sales person has an opportunity to address the objection in a way that brings about a sale.
“OK, I understand that our price is higher. Others have said that too, but when they learned that our brand last three times longer than competitive brands they tend to change their minds. Plus, our new style operates more reliably than other types; maybe you’d like to place a sample order…”
“We can do better than meet over-night delivery needs now! In fact, our new inventory management system will allow us to anticipate and ship your orders in advance, saving you the extra costs and last-minute worries associated with over-night. What do you think?”
Until a sales person has uncovered a prospect’s true objection(s), they run the risk of leaving opportunities on the table. As another well-known phrase in the selling world suggests, “Selling doesn’t start until someone says no.”