Thank you for listening to The Champion Forum Podcast with Jeff Hancher! Show me a successful salesperson, and I will show you a salesperson who has committed to and mastered the art of prospecting! Prospecting is essential for sales teams to build a steady pipeline and sustain growth, but it is filled with rejection. Today, I will give you a proven strategy to help you land more sales meetings and handle your prospects' objections.
Why you need this technique
Studies show that it often takes multiple attempts to reach a potential customer, with an average of eight calls typically needed to connect with a prospect. Despite the time commitment, the value of prospecting is clear: 69% of buyers accepted cold calls from new providers in the past year, and 78% of decision-makers have agreed to a meeting or event following a cold call. Still, around 80-90% of cold-call prospects give some form of initial objection, such as resistance to scheduling a meeting or responding to a follow-up. This high rate reflects the challenge of cold calling and highlights the importance of objection-handling skills in moving conversations forward.
Three common concerns that lead to objections
Time or availability constraints – The prospect feels they don't have time for a meeting.
Doubt about value – They aren't convinced the meeting will provide enough value.
Comfort with the status quo – They're unsure if change is necessary.
The benefit of responding with "That's exactly why we need to meet."
Affirmation: Instead of pushing back, show empathy by acknowledging their concern.
Reframing the Objection: Turn the reason for their hesitation into the very reason a meeting is beneficial.
Building Curiosity: This response hints that the meeting holds value they may not have considered.
Role-Playing Scenarios
Scenario 1: The "I'm Too Busy" Objection
Prospect: I'm too busy to meet with you right now.
Sales Rep: "That's exactly why we need to meet. I understand exactly how you feel about not wasting time. Many of the businesses I have helped felt the same way initially. What they found after investing time learning about our programs was that I was able to enhance the influence of their leaders, allowing them to reduce turnover and help their people reach their fullest potential. Would ___ or ___ be better for you?"
Scenario 2: The "We're Not Looking to Change" Objection
Prospect: "We aren't looking to change right now".
Sales Rep: "That's exactly why we need to meet. I understand how you feel about the challenge of switching vendors. Recently, Joe from Acme company in your industry felt the same way. After investing a little time learning about our leadership development programs, Joe found that I could make enhancements to their current leadership development program that gave their leaders the confidence to lead and create stronger employee engagement, all while reducing turnover. Sometimes, small improvements make a big impact, even when everything's going well. Let's connect so you're aware of what's possible when the time is right. So, what do you say, would ___ or ___ on Friday be better for you?"
Application Activity:
Role-play these scenarios with a sales partner. Look for these three common objects and use them as an opportunity to practice using the phrase, "That's exactly why we need to meet." Take time to ensure in your response that you express 1) that you understand how they feel, 2) how others have felt in their same scenario, and 3) what happened to that other person when they got what they wanted. Use the script as a guide, but take some time to re-write it in your own words with your own examples.
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