One of the most difficult aspects of selling for most people is dealing with objections. Business owners who aren't used to sales situations assume the client's initial no means they aren't interested at all in the product or service. Experienced sales people think of the initial "No" as a first objection. Instead of giving up and going away, they probe to find out why the prospect said no and work to resolve any questions the customer has.

Typical of the unspoken objections are concerns about the risk of a purchase (risk to the buyer's business, career or budget if your product or service doesn't do what you claim), the difficulty in implementing the decision (will they have to make changes in the procedures they now use to accomplish some task), the true value of your product or service (will it really save or make the money you claim), your ability as a small business to deliver on time (or to deliver at all!), and your ability to provide service after the sale.

You will win more sales if you learn to probe for these underlying objections and develop strategies for dealing with them. Don't present your response to objections as a defense of your company or product. Structure your responses to show the benefits to the customer. Is the customer's real worry that your business is too small and he'll look bad to his boss if you don't deliver on time? Don't say your small size doesn't matter. Instead, assure him that you have extensive resources at your command and can pull together exactly the right team to get his project done on time and within budget. Or, remind him of the cost savings his company will enjoy because you can keep your overhead costs low. Is price the real concern? If so, go over what it is that the client expects you to deliver, ask what price point would get the sale? If they come back with a lower figure, work at negotiating a price you can both agree on.

Practice your responses in advance. Have a spouse or friend play the role of the client and throw objections your way until you can answer them with ease.

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