Prepare for Objections - and Close the Sale!

Although no one wants to go in to a sales meeting expecting objections, this mindset is actually the best way to close the sale. Preparing a thoughtful response to any and all objections will help you to confidently guide your prospect toward making the deal. Sales trainer and author Alan Rigg has set up a system for overcoming objections - start it with your sales team, and see how it helps everyone involved.

BRAINSTORM objections - Sit down with your sales manager and the other members of your sales team and do some brainstorming. Write down every objection that any of you can remember, then work together to develop an effective response for each objection.

DOCUMENT objections and responses - Put the results of your brainstorming session into a document and make it a "living document" (which means the document should receive frequent updates over time). When any of your company's salespeople hear an objection that is not listed in the document, add it to the document. Bring up these new objections in your sales meetings, discuss the best way(s) to respond to the objections, then add the responses to the document as well.

PRACTICE responding to objections - You and your fellow sales team members should hold each other ACCOUNTABLE for learning EVERY objection and how to respond to the objection effectively. Get in the habit of giving each other "pop quizzes" where you spontaneously suggest objections to each other and practice providing effective responses to the objections. Over time you will learn how to respond to each objection in a manner that is comfortable and natural for you. You will also learn where the gaps are in your sales opportunity qualification processes that cause prospects to raise objections in the first place!

PROACTIVELY address objections - If one or more objections come up frequently when you and your fellow salespeople work with prospects, figure out how to proactively address these objections during your sales calls. In other words, you should bring up the objections yourselves and respond to them rather than waiting for your prospects to raise them.

Sales performance expert Alan Rigg is the author of How to Beat the 80/20 Rule in Sales Team Performance: A Step-By-Step Guide to Building and Managing Top-Performing Sales Teams. His 80/20 Selling System helps business owners, executives, and managers end the frustration of 80/20 sales team performance, where 20% of salespeople produce 80% of sales. For more information, visit www.8020salesperformance.com

Tell me "no"

We know you work hard. Here's a tip from sales performance expert Alan Rigg to help you work smart. Brace yourself - it involves getting prospects to tell you "no."

The first step in getting to "no" is explaining to your prospects right up front that "no" is a perfectly acceptable answer! The conversation you have with a prospect might sound something like this: "Bob, as we explore the possibility of working together, we may decide there isn't a fit between what your company needs and what I offer. If that happens, to avoid wasting each other's time, are you comfortable telling me 'no'?"

Once a prospect agrees that they are willing to tell you "no" you have a powerful weapon you can use to jump-start stalled opportunities and minimize wasted time. How does this weapon work? Well, if you ever feel an opportunity may be stalling, or if a prospect has not returned your calls or e-mails for a week or two, put your cards on the table by saying (or writing in an e-mail) something like this:

"Bob, the last time I heard from you was on (date). Is (product or service name) still on your radar screen? Remember, "No" is a perfectly acceptable answer! I don't want to waste your time or mine, and I don't want to be a pest. Please let me know whether I should continue calling you. Thank you!"

My experience has been that, if a prospect is serious about acquiring your product or service, they will ALWAYS respond to this kind of communication. If they don't respond, it is a strong indicator they are not serious. You have little to lose by scratching these non-responsive prospects off your call list and removing them from your sales opportunity pipeline.

Put Rigg's advice to work for you this week and you'll find yourself with more time to convert qualified prospects into sales.

For more free sales and sales management tips, visit Alan Rigg's website at http://www.8020salesperformance.com