by Bharath | Mar 22, 2022 | Presales
Have you ever taken “NO” as a customer? It is painful, right? When you don’t get what you asked for, the conversation leaves a bitter taste even though the person offers an apology. However, you might still stick with the brand depending on the way you are being treated. Here in this post, I am sharing my experience on how to handle objections without hurting the sentiments of the customers
Loyal customers are valuable to any business. Most companies might not have what the customer have requested for. A simple plain “No” would turn off the customer excitement and may lead to disowning the brand. At the same time, accepting all requirements from the customers might deviate the brand for its vision. So, agents who handle the customers should be trained to handle the situation without committing false promises.
I have shared a few steps which I follow to ensure that customer leaves with a positive note after the discussion.
Acknowledge
When the customer comes with his requirement, be graceful and appreciate them for bringing it to your business notice. This simple gesture would build an initial connect and trust. But, let your response not sound scripted. Be genuine in your reply.
Empathize
You have to show some gratitude to the customer which is one of the most important things in the customer service and customer success field. When you use a sentence like “I do understand why you need the feature” that will show the customer that your company is not degrading or criticizing them for asking a certain feature.
Reiterate
This is something many of the agents failed to do so in the conversation. Reiterating the details and why it is important to the customer will give them a sense of relief. It guarantees that someone had not only listened but understood what has been requested by them.
Be Direct
Here come the difficult part. When the requested feature or item is not in store, be direct in informing that it is not available. False promises or excuse is a strict No-No. Be honest on why you are saying no to them. Only then the customers would understand the reason on why it is not available. Or else, they will get easily frustrated and a bad impression is stamped against your business.
Workaround
Workaround works. When you can’t help the customer as per their request you can offer them the alternate option recommended by your company. If that, works for the customer you can buy sometime until the actual feature is made available provided your org accepts it.
When the requirement doesn’t align with business vision, I have recommended a few other companies that can be of help to them.By doing so customers feel good that you are taking care of their needs. Maybe you lost one customer now but you gained a good or positive relationship with them. Also, you have avoided the negative review from them.
Notify Business
Requirement or features requested by customers should be documented in central repository. So, organization should set policies and provide tools that can help them collect the data. When the demand is high, there are possibility that it may become a part of the product soon or it might pave way for new opportunity. Let the customer knew that this has been updated in the system which gives some kind of assurance that business listens to customer needs.
Follow-through
Once you recommend the customer a workaround or referred them to another company, don’t wash-off your hands. Follow up with them once in a while about how things are work now. This would make the customers think that you still care more about them.So don’t think that you lost their business but focus on the relationship which would take boost the brand value.
Objection handling is an art. Presales engineer, Product consultant and customer service manager should master this art as they are the ones who come across such situations frequently. Package your “No” in such a way that the news is taken positively. And, don’t drop the ball as soon as conversation is over. Keep them in the loop. Stay in touch with them through social media like Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. so that you can share the content, blog post, articles that are useful to them. Build relationship and grow your brand.
More about objection handling in this link
by DoyenThoughts | Nov 18, 2021 | Presales
During my initial days as Presales, I was afraid to handle objections. Over a period, I saw this as an opportunity so started to embrace it. But, that’s not enough. You need to master this art of objection handling. Only then there is success.
The core approach was
- Acknowledge what the client has to say
- Decode the reason behind his objections
- Empathizing always works.
- You are not alone.
- Help overcome hurdle with customer success story
Acknowledge the client
When objections are raised the first thing we do is to Defend. By doing so, we would keep intercepting the client’s thoughts. And, this would end up looked upon as being rude. It will raise doubts in the mind of the prospect about you and the service/product you offer.
Listen to all his objections and make a note of the points. Let them know you will get back once they finish.
Decode the reasons.
Objections are raised for various reasons. By listening to his objections actively, you would have the time to think, analyze and find out the reason behind it. A few reason for objections
- Price – They would not want to spend on the product as a few take pride in saving money for the organization.
- Value for Money – Here, the price is not a concern. But, they wanted to ensure that they have got the best of value for the expenses.
- Competitors – They wanted to validate whether you are better from the competitors.
- Fear to adopt or upgrade – They are comfortable with whatever process or tools they have and fear that your service or product may disrupt it.
- Risk to my job – Yes you heard it right. Some fear that they may lose their job if whatever they chose might not work.
And, many more. Readers can share other objection reasons with me.
Empathize alway work
Empathize is a critical skill in customer service. Use it at this critical junction. You are already empathizing with the client by listening to his reasons. Now, repeat what you have understood and make sure you are all on the same page. Put yourself in their place and see how they may feel. Be sincere in your efforts.
You are not alone
Now, comes the action item. Tell your client they are not alone .When you say they are not alone, you let them know that this is something common. By doing so you bring them into a comfortable zone where they open a lot. Indirectly, you have established a social proof that this is common. Also, they know you and your company have already faced such problems and they can expect an answer. The trust is built.
Overcome hurdle
When it comes to product objections, tell them how your clients have found solutions to overcome these exact challenges. Propose the interesting features in your product that matches their needs or check whether a custom solution would work out for them. Try to justify, indirectly, how their features justify the cost. Share customer success stories where their ROI has been justified or how the product complemented the process.
Get prepared for more objections after our response. Try to anticipate those and cover it when you respond. Be genuine and sincere in your efforts. Don’t throw imaginary stats or stories to convince them. Share actual and relevant stories.
To summarize, dont be dismayed by objections.It is an opportunity to show the value of your product or service, and an opportunity to build relationship. Every objection is a positive sign as it your best chance to move and successfully closing the deal.
If you have missed my previous article on objection handling, here is the link
by DoyenThoughts | Nov 11, 2021 | Presales
When I started this article on objection handling never did I think it will become a two part series. To make it easier for reading I had to break it down into two. Thanks for understanding.
Objections are inevitable during demos or POC. And, objections are perceived as something difficult to handle. I have seen many Pre Sales or Sales Engineers getting nervous when they face one. But, most objections can be effectively handled by following a simple strategy. A shift in your mindset to acknowledge objections as a positive signal for a sale rather than a threat.
Why are objections raised?
Customer objections arise when they have concerns about the quality of the product, service offered by the business or knowledge of the sales engineer whom they interact with, they love your competitor and price.But, two other major factors stand tall among the rest – The risk involved in the switch and why disturb the existing setup.
What is objection handling?
It is a way to respond and change the mindset of the buyer by addressing their concerns. In the process of changing client mindset, don’t end up arguing that your product or service is the game changer or best among the competitors. That is not objection handling. This will end up proving the client that their stand has been right all along. That results in losing the rapport and sales.
Why is objection handling important?
If not negated in the early stage, the client would be holding onto his strong point. And, as a result you may lose the deal though they would be the right fit. And, in some cases, I have seen sales give a heavy discount to save the deal.
When you are unable to persuade them to choose your service or product,then go ahead and close the file. It looks like they might not be the right fit for you.
Embrace objection handling
Whenever I come across an objection it excites me. It is a positive signal for selling as they have been actively processing the information put across their table. They are much better than prospects who lean on their table, relax and never engage at all.
The tough ones are your opportunity to shine and gain your client’s trust and attention. They are the now who have been weighing the pros and cons. As a result they come up with these objections. The ones that are easy going are never the one we can win.
So, embrace those who object because they are the ones willing to adopt for change if they convinced right.
How to win client? Continue reading here
