Most business owners don’t have a sales team and have to be their own sales representative. If you have a sales background, this can work out in your favour. However, most business owners haven’t been trained in sales.
It’s important to take the time to learn sales skills so that you can better represent your business.
One of the things that hold business owners back when it comes to sales is understanding what’s stopping potential clients from deciding to purchase your product or service. Once you understand their hesitation you can directly address their objection.
Price
“Your Product Is Too Expansive”
You need to help your customer justify the expense of your products and services, especially if they’ve already identified a competitor with a less expensive price. This is why it’s essential to know your competition. Not only to know their prices but to know how your product or service is superior.
Focus on the unique value of your product or service that only your business provides. [
Timing
“The time’s not right, maybe in 6-months”
If your customer is using time as a potential objection, it will likely always be a factor. To overcome this objection make it easy for your potential client to hire you. Understand why your client is so busy. It might be that your client doesn’t have time to make a good decision. Demonstrate how you can help them with this.
Trust
“I’m not sure if you have the experience that I’m looking for”
It takes time to build trust. This is why honesty and consistency are important across the board. Be forthcoming with information, case studies, references, and testimonials. This will help to reassure your potential customer and build their confidence in your ability to do what your business says it can do.
External Input
“I need to run it by my husband/ wife/ business partner first”
This can often lead to a good outcome when the potential customer is really consulting with someone else and not just making an excuse. One way to ensure this is the case is to suggest a joint call with the client and the person with which they need to consult. This way the other individual can have any of their questions answered from the source and you’ll be able to stay in the sales conversation.
Fear of Change
“We’ve been doing it this way all along, there’s too much risk”
Often a fear of change can make decision-making difficult. One way to overcome this is to help them understand how change is positive. For example, helping your client understand how the nature of their business has changed through time first. Then help them see how your services will help them modernize. This can help them feel more comfortable with the shift. Sometimes cost can stop people from changing. Potential customers may feel the cost of changing is too much. Work with them to help them mitigate these costs and understand how the costs will pay off in the long-run.
Complacency
“I’m okay with how things are”
Sometimes people just want to keep going with the way things are. If this is the case you can help them make a decision by highlighting what could happen if they continue going with the “status quo”. Share some case studies about what’s happened with other clients you’ve helped. Or help them understand how their competitors are pulling ahead due to their own changes.