Clearing the Objection Minefield

The military clears a minefield before they move forward on the battlefield.  They know (or suspect) that landmines exist and realize that failing to clear them will spell disaster.  Selling is no different.  Often we suspect that a landmine (a potential objection or roadblock) exists, but we typically ignore it in the hopes that it will disappear.  Most of the time it doesn’t.

Successful salespeople are good at anticipating problems.  Here are some common problems (with their eventual stalls) that, if ignored, can sabotage even the best efforts to win the business.

• When you think you might be denied access to the decision maker. (“Sorry, we have to take this to Fred for a decision.”)
• When you are worried that the final decision will be based solely on price and low price is not your strong suit. (“Your proposal was good, but we needed better pricing.”)
• When you suspect that you are just being asked to provide a proposal so the prospect can use it to negotiate a better deal with your competitor. (“We wanted to give our current supplier an opportunity to respond to your proposal and they…”)
• When you think the incumbent has the inside track and you’re being used as “column fodder.” (“XYZ has done a pretty good job, but we’re always open to other ideas.”)

“My Biggest Concern”

When you encounter a red flag situation like the ones above and it looks like it has the potential to give you problems down the road, address it as soon as possible.  For example, if you get some signals that their decision might be based solely on price, you might say the following (using the appropriate tonality):

“Bob, my biggest concern is that your decision will be based strictly on price.  We’re competitive, but seldom have the lowest price.  Will that eliminate us from consideration?”

This forces you and your prospect to deal with the price issue now.  You will likely get one of two answers:

• “Yes” and then you can ask further questions to decide whether or not to disengage, or
• “No” which will come with a more detailed explanation of their decision criteria and the relative importance of price.

Another example would be when you are up against a relatively strong incumbent.  It’s hard for people to change suppliers unless there is a very compelling reason to do so.  So why not say something like this:  “My biggest concern is that at the end of the day you’ll be reluctant to make a supplier change.  After all, XYZ is a pretty good supplier, and change is difficult.  Why would you consider changing suppliers now?”

This tactic is not intended to be confrontational.  If you want to eliminate the landmines before they ruin your day, it’s a great tactic.

Self-Study Assignment:  Think back on the last few sales calls that you’ve made.  How often do you see these “landmines?”  See if you can recall situations where this tactic could have been used successfully.  Write down how you might have handled each situation.