Responding to more difficult objections and questions

Responding to an "easy" sales objection or  question? Then handle it directly, get it out of the way quickly, and move on. See the section on handling easy questions and objections. 

When you encounter more difficult objections and questions, it's best to work systematically through this Four-Step Process:


1. PROBE: basically, ask questions to get the Prospect talking about why she or he is hesitating.  (For more on using questions as selling tools, see our sections on Consultative Selling); then . . .

2. RESTATE: that is, you sum up your understanding of the Prospect's concerns, and ask the Prospect to confirm whether that is a fair restatement; if it is, then . . .

3. RESPOND POSITIVELY to that concern, showing how your product or service overcomes that concern; then . . .

4. MOVE ON to another matter, without getting bogged down on this single issue.

Incidentally, sometimes objections are unstated: all you know is that the Prospect is hesitating. In that case, treat the hesitation as you would an objection, and use the Four-Step process to uncover the core issues.