Sales Resistance

Sales resistance is the customer's normal way of weighing a product's value. In most cases the customer is asking, "Is the benefit I will receive from owning this product really worth sacrificing the money I spent X hours earning?" Not only are the customers paying with dollars, they are also relinquishing all opportunity to have any of the other items they could have purchased alternatively with the same amount of money.

Most objections customers raise about purchasing a product are really disguised questions about some aspect of the product the salesperson has not emphasized. Some objections are excuses the customer offers when they don't want to get involved with a salesperson. Excuses usually are raised to prevent the salesperson from properly showing the merchandise, to avoid feeling obligated to the salesperson or to put off the decision to buy. Excuses can be expressed early in the sales process or after all the selling points have been made and may be indications of a customer's hidden objections.

Objections are the opposite of excuses. They represent honest points of difference between the customer and the salesperson and an interest on the customer's part to learn more about the merchandise. Because objections indicate a desire to justify a purchase, consider them an aid to selling. Tune into the following situations which lead to objections:

  • Customer wasn't listening when the salesperson covered a point.
  • Customer is unfamiliar with the product but does not want to admit it.
  • Customer does not believe the salesperson.
  • Customer can't afford the price but won't say so.
  • Customer never intended to buy and was shopping for information.

Answer objections with questions designed to pinpoint the cause of the customer's objections. Remember, sometimes objections are really the customer's way of seeking reassurance that they are making the correct choice before they part with their money.

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