All this week has been ‘Mike Brooks’ week on Telesales Magic! Here’s the final of the five articles that Mr. Inside Sales put together for our readers. Its a quickie, but a goodie, on the art of overcoming the dreaded ‘Smokescreen’ objection. No doubt you’ll be seeing more of Mike in the future here at Telesales Magic! Enjoy…
Have you ever answered an objection from a prospect only to be given another one that was completely unrelated to the first one? And then after you battled your way through that one, you got another, then another?
If you’ve been in sales any length of time then I’m sure you have. And if you still don’t know how to handle and even avoid that, then I know you’re hating life – until now! That’s because I’m going to teach you a simple technique that will enable you to avoid that common trap 80% of your competition fall into. And here’s what you do:
STOP ANSWERING OBJECTIONS!
I know that may sound absurd at first, so let me explain. When someone gives you an objection, they are almost always hiding the REAL reason they aren’t moving forward with you. For example, if they tell you the price is too high what they often really mean is that they can get it cheaper with their current supplier, or they aren’t really in the market right now and they’re just shopping around for next quarter, or they have already decided who they’re going to use and they just needed 5 RFP’s to comply with their process.
Answering the price objection at this point means that you are just falling for their smokescreen which is why you get another objection, and then another. If you’re sick and tired of losing control of the sale and you want to know if your prospect is real or not, then you must Question and Isolate objections you get BEFORE you answer them.
Here’s how you do it:
If your prospect tells you your price is too high, simply ask:
“I understand ___________, and let me ask you – if our price was right where you were comfortable spending, would you place your order with me today?”
Any answer other than yes means that price is not the objection. Answering it will get you nowhere. If, however, they say yes, then you get to negotiate on the price and find a way to close the deal.
Questioning and isolating objections is the only way you’re going to avoid smokescreens and close more sales. It’s a Top 20% technique, and once you begin using it you’ll be amazed at what your prospects tell you. For starters, they will reveal their real objections, and you’ll know immediately whether or not you can close the sale.
Mike Brooks has over 20 years of inside sales closing experience, and has been billed in the USA as Mr. Inside Sales. Once a bottom 80% producer, Mike learned and perfected the skills of Top 20% producers and became the number one sales rep out of 5 Southern California branch offices. To find out more about Mike, and his teachings visit www.mrinsidesales.com.
More telesales tips and cold calling tips for you:
Preparation – The Key to Successful Cold Calling & Telephone Selling!
Referrals – The Lifeline of All Good Telemarketing Professionals!
How to Keep Your Telesales Pipeline Full & Flowing For Cold Calling Success!
