Overcoming Objections When Selling Your Cleaning Service
When talking with prospective customers for your cleaning
business, you're bound to have objections. To minimize
objections, it helps to know why people raise them in the first
place. Here are some of the main reasons for objections:
*Your presentation was weak and didn't fully answer their
questions
*You didn't establish trust or credibility
*You didn't establish need
*You didn't completely qualify the buyer (you didn't do enough
research on this prospective customer)
Why do so many people struggle with handling objections and why
are there so many objections to overcome in the first place?
*Lack of product knowledge
*Lack of sales training and techniques
*Lack of self-confidence
*Not prepared, didn't practice
The best way to overcome objections is to prevent them from
coming up in the first place.
*Make a list of every possible objection you can think of. Think
about past sales calls you've made and write down the objections
you've received.
*Write down your responses to your list of objections.
*Incorporate your answers into your presentation so you've
answered the objections before your prospect has a chance to
bring it up.
*After rehearsing your presentation, try role-playing with a
colleague, friend or family member.
*Try out your presentation on prospects. Make any needed
revisions and track what works and what doesn't.
You might want to incorporate some of the following into your
presentation:
*Use real-life stories of similar situations. For example, if
you had another customer that made the purchase despite having
the same objection, use that example in your presentation.
*Use testimonials. Perhaps you had a customer that had a price
objection initially, and then later realized that he actually
ended up saving money. Prospects might not believe it when you
tell them the story yourself, but if you have a written
testimonial from someone else, it's much more powerful.
*Offer a comparison chart - your service versus the competition.
*Use phrases like, "Our experience has shown..."
*Use a phrase like, "Our existing customers had similar
concerns, so in response to their concerns, here's what we
did..."
*Cleaning companies often find themselves having to overcome
price objections. The important thing to remember is to discuss
the value you provide to the customer before you start talking
about price. This is why we stress talking about benefits rather
than features. Benefits show value, and people are willing to
pay more if they perceive the value to be high.
Try this exercise. Take a blank sheet of paper and make a list
of the features you offer. Underneath each feature, write down
the benefit the customer will receive. For example:
Feature: Bonded and insured Benefit: Peace of mind that your
contractor has taken steps to protect the building and its
contents.
Feature: Employee training Benefit: Employees take pride in
their work and stay with their job longer when they receive
training. This means the customer's building will receive higher
quality of work with more consistency.
Feature: Building Inspections Benefit: We make sure the quality
of service is up to your standards so you don't have to spend
time worrying about it.
Feature: Managing supplies Benefit: You don't have to worry
about running out of supplies or spend time picking up or
ordering supplies.
Feature: Cleaning certifications Benefit: Peace of mind, knowing
that we're experts in our field. We're not experimenting with
procedures on your furniture and flooring. When you need
something done, all you have to do is ask.
This exercise should get you thinking more about the specific
benefits that you need to talk about with the prospect. When he
sees the value you offer, he'll have a better understanding of
why your prices are what they are and will be less likely to
object to your price.
What do you do if the objection has nothing to do with your
service, but the simple fact that the prospect is happy with his
current contractor? You need to start asking some key questions
that will get the prospect thinking about why he should start
shopping around, even if he's happy with the current contractor.
Here are some tips for getting more information:
Find out what is it about the current contractor he's happy
with.
*What are they doing right? What does he like most about the
contractor?
*Ask what changes he would make if he could.
*Question his selection process (not his selection!) Ask him by
what standards does he judge his contractors by?
*You need to show a difference between your business and the
current contractor. For example, perhaps you're using new
technology that the current contractor doesn't have -- a
telephone timekeeping system. This technology pages supervisors
if an employee doesn't show up for work. This ensures their
building will never miss a service.
*Ask if he regularly shops around for all his products and
services. After all, don't we owe it to our business to make
sure we seek out the best value regularly for all our goods and
services? By doing this, it also keeps vendors and service
providers on their toes if they know they're not guaranteed the
business.
*If you offer a service the current contractor doesn't offer,
see if you can get your foot in the door by offering a sample
service. For example, if you offer hard floor care, and the
current contractor doesn't, offer to strip and wax a section of
a floor in order to demonstrate your services. Perhaps you can
get that piece of their business.
Preparation and practice is really the key to overcoming
objections. Unless you're a seasoned sales veteran, you'll
likely be nervous when calling on prospects. However the more
knowledge you gain about your business and the more you work on
your sales skills, the easier it will get. Before you know it,
you'll have a great system down and will be getting as much
business as you can handle!