There are times when a prospect will give us an objection that catches us off guard.  We may not have heard this objection before.  We may have heard it before but did not handle it well in the past.  We may have heard it before but do not recall how to respond.  This is when a great sales technique of stalling for time is very helpful. For example, a prospect gives us an objection and we immediately are aware that we are not prepared to handle it well.  We need some time to think … and … it would help if we had a little better clue as to meaning of the objection.  A good ...

Regardless of what we sell, we will often find that when we ask for the order we meet with some resistance.  Sales Pros know this comes with the job and never take it personally.  Following is a basic, but very effective, formula for responding to an objection from a prospect. The objection handling formula is: Cushion, Technique, and Close.  Here is how it works.  It is important to remember that the prospect knows we do not want to hear the objection.  The prospect knows we want to hear agreement.  Therefore, when a prospect gives us an objection, they are expecting us to come back ...

As salespersons we know that occasionally (really more often that we like) we are going to get an Objection.  The question is, “When do we handle those objections.”  For many years professional salespersons have followed a practice of handling objections at four different times in the sales process.  Understanding exactly which objections should be handled at which places in the sales process is another of those great sales techniques. The four times to answer an objection are: (1) before it comes up, (2) immediately when it comes up, (3) at the end of your presentation by ...

Do Great Closers Have a Closing Instinct?  Yes!  How Did They Get It? What must we know even before we meet our prospect that will help us make the close of the sale more natural and comfortable? Tom Hopkins can probably still hear his mentor, Doug Edwards saying, “All great salespersons have a ‘closing instinct.’”  When asked if these great salespersons were born with these “closing instincts?”  He said, “Of course not!  They got their ‘closing instincts’ by closing too soon and too often rather than closing too seldom and too late!”  (That is an excellent ...

What Causes a Qualified Prospect to Buy … and to Buy Now? A prospect buys all products/services on emotion!  However, there must be a “logic safety net” in place when he reaches the “Buy Zone,” so he can justify his emotional decision. What causes a qualified prospect to buy and buy now?  The answer is: a professional salesperson has taken a prospect into the “Buy Zone” and then closed.  What is the “Buy Zone?”  The “Buy Zone” is that point in time when our prospect has bought our product/service/idea emotionally and can logically justify it.  How does the ...