Appliance Retailer’s longest standing writer, retail trainer Bob Johnson, died suddenly last week. To honour his incredible contribution to the industry in general and our publication specifically, this week we will be presenting a special series called The Best of Bob. Each day we’ll publish a standout piece from his remarkable 20 years of service columns for Appliance Retailer.
For our final installment in the series, we look at back at one of Bob’s areas of expertise: dealing with unhappy customers…
The Big Four customer objections — and how to handle them
By Bob Johnson
“That’s okay,” said the salesperson, “what if I could show you how we can get around that objection you have.”
This was said to me by a very helpful salesperson, who not only closed the sale on my objection but also laid a foundation of trust for an ongoing relationship of customer loyalty.
These customer concerns, or so-called ‘objections’, do not necessarily indicate that the customer isn’t interested in the product or service — customers with concerns may actually be more interested than those customers who don’t raise any concerns at all.
Even better news is that these customer concerns can be like signposts leading you to closing the sale. Successful salespeople know that all they have to do is read those signs and deal with them appropriately.
So, once you’ve accepted that customer objections or concerns are an everyday occurrence in selling, all you need are a few strategies for handling those objections, and that will give you renewed confidence in being able to deal with them effectively.
Regardless of the type of concern your customer has, your first job is to ask the customer a few questions to ensure that you clearly understand exactly what the customer’s concern is about. Once you’ve identified which of ‘the big four’ objections your customer has, these are the steps in handling each.
1. Dealing with scepticism — This customer has some doubts about, or simply doesn’t believe what they’ve heard or read: they’re sceptical.
Step 1: Acknowledge the customers concern. For example: “Okay, I can see what you mean”, or, “I can understand your concern”.
Step 2: As this person has doubts, you are going to have to offer your customer relevant proof. This ‘proof’ could mean you’ll need to conduct a demonstration or perhaps point out something in the instruction manual, a brochure amd/or a magazine article.
Step 3: Check with your customer for acceptance of what you have told them or shown them. Once accepted, having removed the customer’s scepticism, you can now move on.
2. Dealing with misunderstandings — Let’s say a customer thinks they will need to buy a new car audio system to be able to use a Bluetooth phone in their 10-year old car.
Step 1: Confirm the customer’s need, for example: “So you would like to use your new Bluetooth phone in your car but your car’s audio system doesn’t have Bluetooth, is that right?”.
Step 2: Once confirmed, all you need to do is show the customer a product that will meet (or exceed) the customer’s stated need.
Step 3: Check for acceptance that your customer no longer has the misunderstanding.
TIP: Avoid saying things like, “That’s no problem, all you have to do is…” This is an opportunity to gain a commitment so you could say, “If I could show you how you can use the phone hands-free in your car, without replacing your sound system, would that be okay?”.
3. Handling a drawback — Sometimes you will need to deal with something customers see as a drawback or a negative. For example, perhaps the DVD recorder you are recommending is silver and the LCD TV is black and your customer views the colour difference as a drawback.
Step 1: Acknowledge the customer’s concern.
Step 2: Focus on the bigger picture and outweigh the drawback (the colour of the DVD recorder) with all the wonderful benefits the customer has previously accepted: there’s just that tiny, little ‘drawback’ of the colour.
Step 3: Check for acceptance, and move on or to the close.
TIP: By the way, when we are handling a drawback, it’s easy to find ourselves saying, “Yes, but…” This is a dismissive phrase, sending a message that you weren’t really listening. Practice saying instead, “Yes, and…”, which is an ‘accepting’ statement, sending the message “I heard what you said, and to add to that, may I say…”
4. Handling indifference — There are times when a customer just can’t immediately see the value of something, for example, extended warranty.
Step 1: Acknowledge the customer’s point of view.
Step 2: Ask the customer if they would mind if you ask them a few questions, then explore the customer’s circumstances for opportunities to point out advantages/implications of purchasing/not purchasing an extended warranty.
Step 3: Check for acceptance and move to close.
If you look back over these methods, Steps 1 and 3 are almost identical in each situation; it’s just Step 2 that is different.
Handling customer concerns is a daily aspect of selling and, rather than being feared or avoided, should be welcomed. Practice these ideas with co-workers until they roll off your tongue naturally and you’ll soon be making a lot more sales — and a lot more loyal customers.
Everyone at Appliance Retailer hopes you have enjoyed this series. Here are the links to all five entries in the Best of Bob:
Nothing happens in retailing unless you make it happen
Selling on price only… it’s been nice knowing you
You don’t have to be better… …just try being different!
The Simple Art of Merchandising
The Big Four customer objections — and how to handle them
(Commentary by Patrick Avenell.)