Objection Management

A formula for getting from “no” to “yes”

Ben SardellaCo-Founder

@BenSardella

Steli EftiCEO

@Steli

Agenda1. How to overcome the most common objections

• What questions you’ll need to ask• How to respond

2. How to create your very own objection management document

• Why you need an OMD• What to include

No budget

Have I established value?

Am I targeting the right contact / department?

Is the pain urgent/large enough to justify?

Refer back to the mutually agreed upon

value proposition during the evaluation process.

No budget – how to respond

Reestablish the goals of your prospect’s specific unit, and look for ways

to impact other departments.

Discuss the opportunity cost of not making a

decision now.

Wrong contact

Do I fully understand my contact’s motivations?

Have I built enough confidence in my contact to be a champion?

Have I identified the value proposition for each contact role?

Wrong contact – how to respond

First, reiterate the value you can deliver for that individual – not anyone

else.

Arm them with an airtight value

proposition they can take to the decision-

maker.

Work with them to present the value proposition in a

successful way. (Extend trial, give credits, etc.)

Using a competitor

How deeply is my contact integrated with my competitor’s solution?

What does my contact like / dislike most about my competitor?

How do my competitive advantages map against their current pain point?

Using a competitor – how to respond

Focus on the positives of your solution, not the

negatives of your competitors’.

If possible, emphasize how your product fits

into their current stack. (Integrations, workflows,

etc.)

Define an evaluation process that draws out your strengths relative

to your competitor.

No time

What’s most important and urgent right now?

When would be a good time?

Is there a time-limited offer I can send?

Send more info

To send or not to send? (more information)

Is this just a convenient excuse to get off the phone?

How can I move the sales conversation forward and become more relevant?

Objection overkill

How can I help my prospect prioritize?

Should I just let them get it out of their system?

Ignore the nice-to-haves.

Too expensive

Did you talk price before value?

Is it really price?

Can I show how my price includes features competing vendors charge extra for?

Why create an OBM?

Harnesses the collective intelligence of the whole

sales team.

Ensures confident and succinct delivery in line

with company branding.

Frees up mental RAM (reps won’t always have

to be Johnny-on-the-spot).

Creating an OMD in 1 hour• Don’t focus on perfection –

focus on getting it done.

• Get together for one hour to write the first version.

• Write down the 10 most common objections you encounter.

• Write down the best answer to each objection in 3 sentences or less.

• Train your team to use the OMD.

Iterate and improve

• Hold monthly meetings.

• Collect feedback.

• Add more objections.

• Improve existing answers.

Assign a championSomebody in your team needs to…

• Make sure reps actually use the OMD.

• Encourage reps to take notes about objections and responses.

Close.io now integrates with Datanyze

Datanyze Insider – the all-in-one browser extension for

sales reps!

Free objection management template, built by Steli!

https://www.datanyze.com/product/#prospect

http://resources.close.io/objection-management-template

Questions?