Resistance - How to Handle It
Do you ever meet with resistance from other people - I bet you
do! It might be a customer, a colleague, a member of your team
or even someone in your personal life. Dealing with resistance
or objections is one of the biggest challenges faced by business
people; so let's consider why we get resistance and how we can
handle it. I'm going to talk about customer contacts but the
same rules apply whether it's a colleague or even someone in
your personal life.
Well there's good news and bad news - first the good news. When
someone says - "You're too expensive" or "We already deal with
someone else," or "I don't agree with you"- then they may not be
telling the truth. The bad news is - most of them won't buy what
you're selling anyway, but don't cut your wrists just yet
because - there's more good news. If you can find out exactly
what your potential customer means when they say - "No" then you
have a much better chance of improving your success rate,
getting more sales and more agreement. What we need to realise
is that, there is no smart answer to a customer's objection.
Sales people are always looking for the "things to say" that'll
deal with an objection. How can you possibly have an answer if
the customer isn't telling the truth is the first place? Many
sales people believe the customer when they say - "You're too
expensive". They then start offering discounts or walk away from
the sale, complaining that their product or service isn't
competitive enough. So why do customers say "No"? Well I don't
want you to burst into tears but the First and most important
reason is that - they may not like you! That doesn't mean that
they dislike you, it just means that they don't know you and
they haven't built any trust or built a relationship with you.
So firstly - get them to like you, sell yourself, be
trustworthy, be a great listener, smile, be friendly. The Second
reason could be that they haven't understood what the heck
you're talking about. Maybe you haven't spoken clearly enough or
you've used too many technical terms or jargon. This can make
you seem like a real "smarty pants" so, that takes us back to
our First reason. The answer should be simple enough, use
language the other person can understand and keep checking by
asking questions. The Third reason may be that the customer
wasn't listening. They might have been distracted by something
or somebody - your big blue eyes or the fact that they're tired,
hot and need a comfort break. The trick is to keep checking when
you're making you're sale or dealing with someone else - "Did
you understand that last bit, Mr Customer or did I make it
confusing?" Fourthly, they may not be the right person. The
person you're speaking with may be telling you - "We have
another supplier" - however they may not be the decision maker.
To make sure you're speaking to the right person, be brave and
ask the question - "Is it you who'll make the final decision or
do I need to speak to someone else?" The Fifth reason could be
that they don't like change. Sometimes our potential customers
like to stay in their comfort zone and they don't want some
salesperson telling them they have to change their way of doing
things or their supplier. Even although they could possibly save
money or make their life easier; people are generally reluctant
to change.
It's therefore important to outweigh the customer's reluctance
by emphasising the benefits of your product or service. Also,
keep selling yourself and appeal to the customer's emotional
side, don't be too logical. Always remember that human beings
will almost always allow their hearts to rule their heads when
buying something. So appeal to the customer's emotions, keep
telling them how they'll feel when they're using what you're
selling - How good they'll look or how others will feel about
them. Lastly, it may just be that the customer genuinely doesn't
want or need or have the money for what you're selling. The only
way to find out which of these Six points is the truth, is to
keep asking questions, listen carefully to the customer and
watch their body language. Always remember that - "You're too
expensive" could mean. - "I haven't understood a word you've
said" or "I'm going on holiday tomorrow" or "My son-in-law works
for your competitor." When a potential customer raises an
objection, make sure you know what they really mean before you
deal with it.
"You can close more business in two months by becoming
interested in other people than you can in two years by trying
to get people interested in you" - Dale Carnegie