Objections in Sales Presentations

Overcoming objections is an important step in the sales process, but it’s one of the most dreaded parts of sales. No one likes handling objections, but when they come out of left field they can throw off your game – and your sales forecast.

I’m going to make the argument that if you are getting regular objections and stalls from buyers, you’re approaching the sales process the wrong way by making your sales presentations too soon.

I’ll even go so far as to say that it is our premature presentations that cause the stalls and objections. If I take the time to properly qualify my prospect, I don’t cause objections. If I don’t cause them, they go away and I don’t have to deal with them.

Traditional Sales Presentations

The traditional sales process is based on the idea of a unique selling proposition – the single most important thing that sets your product apart from the competition.

Traditional sellers believe that they need to get a foot in the door to make their pitch, show off their wares, and then seal the deal with a strong close.

There’s a couple problems with that, but let’s start with something unique to software: it never does one thing.

Every software program has an untold number of features and benefits, and it’s hard to know which ones will have the greatest appeal to prospective buyers. It is possible to show off too many features.

Co-Creating the Solution

As a salesperson, it’s not your job to build a business case. It is your job to ask questions and provide information to support the business case.

By taking this approach you’ve not only made the buyer’s process easier, you’ve made the whole idea the buyer’s baby.

People do not object to their own ideas, which circles back to my original point. If a buyer has co-created the solution with you, the objections go away.

The Software Sales Bootcamp offers even more insights on an optimized approach to selling.