“Hey, remember when you hung up on me?” Danny Patrick, a senior revenue manager at equipment marketplace Machinio, jokes with one of his customers.
That’s right: A hang-up, flat-out “no,” or an ignored email doesn’t necessarily mean a lost cause. In sales, Patrick said representatives need to know how to turn rejections into customer conversions. Often, persistence — and flexibility — are salespeople’s secret weapons.
In this particular instance, Patrick said personalization was key.
A prospect may not see a product’s value prop right away, so it’s up to the salesperson to highlight its unique benefits. At home services platform HomeAdvisor, Sales Rep Samantha Wais takes a similar approach and focuses on educating the customer as much as possible.
“The most common objections are because people are either uninformed or they don’t understand something,” Wais said.
Still, rejection happens. Often.
Rather than taking a “no” too personally, the following salespeople recommend using rejections as learning experiences. Listening to a client’s hesitations could highlight areas for the sales process to improve, or even lead to new product features. And who knows? Through deep listening, sometimes reps can turn the conversation around, address a prospect’s unique needs and turn a naysayer into an annual renewal.
Danny Patrick — who has five years of sales leadership experience – said he pairs highly personalized outreach with tenacity to turn a lost cause into a renewal at Machinio.
What strategies are most effective when handling objections from prospective customers?
For us, it’s about getting to the root of why people are hesitant in the first place. Then we build our relationship around how we can make their business stronger. We practice active listening and response to ensure that the conversations are always relevant to a customer’s needs. We also show the added benefit that comes from adding us to their online advertising strategy. Persistence is what then seals the deal for people to jump on board.
If we go in with blanket responses, it can come off disingenuous.”
What strategies are counterproductive when dealing with objections?
In our industry, it’s important that we take a tailored approach to every individual we talk with. If we go in with blanket responses, it can come off disingenuous. It won’t establish the trust a prospective client is looking for in an advertising partner. Flexibility is the name of the game. If you go in too stiff, the client can respond with every version of “no” you can think of, which makes it very difficult to earn that person’s business.
When was a time you successfully overcame an objection, and what were the keys to your success?
There was one client who was a perfect fit on our platform, but told me, “No, not interested, do not call again,” before I could introduce myself. But I stayed hopeful. Although the next couple of conversations weren’t much easier, I built rapport and established trust. Eventually, they saw the value in what we could do.
My efforts succeed through persistence, but more importantly, through connecting with people on a human level. The human connection means a lot in our industry. That was my first big deal at Machinio and the client has renewed year after year.
In addition to not taking rejection too personally, these three HomeAdvisor sales reps said they strive to be as knowledgeable as possible and remain diligent in showing the platform’s value.
What strategies are most effective when handling objections from prospective customers?
The most important thing for me is to not lose my personality in a call. The most common objections are because people are either uninformed or they don’t understand something. I use my personality to calm people down and assure them that my job is to make sure they see success with our service. It’s important to show the prospect that their concerns are heard, but you have to show them why those worries are not applicable in this situation.
Be confident when responding to objections, otherwise the conversation won’t move forward.”
What strategies are counterproductive when dealing with objections?
Skimming over their objections if they are legitimate concerns is a sure way to get hung up on. If they ask a question, I always say, “That’s a great question!” before answering it. If you try to ignore them or tiptoe around what they’re addressing, they aren’t going to trust you. Be knowledgeable so that you can answer questions. Be confident when responding to objections, otherwise the conversation won’t move forward.
When was a time you successfully overcame an objection, and what were the keys to your success?
Most objections happen at the beginning of the call. The most common one is, “I’m busy,” or, “I’m all booked up.”
My response is always, “That’s awesome you’re staying busy. You sound like the exact person our company and homeowners want to be working with. I’m not saying you need to drop what you’re doing, I’m only hoping you call a few homeowners back and put them on your schedule for a date and time that works best for the both of you. That seems fair, right?”
The key to overcoming objections is often responding to the person’s busy schedule, then moving back into the script while sounding confident in my tone.
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