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1. Personal Selling Process: Meeting Objections
Objections are encountered in practically every presentation. They should be
welcomed because they indicate that the prospect has some interest in the
proposition. A prospect who is not interested in buying seldom raises any
objections, silently going along with the presentation but saying at the end, “I’m
not interested in your deal.” There are several important techniques that should
be used in responding to a buyer objection:
• Listen to the buyer. It is important that you listen actively. “Learn as much as
you can about the objection,” says certified professional sales trainer and
speaker Rick Grosso. “Encourage your prospect to expand and tell you
more.” Do not assume that you know what the buyer is going to say, and
never interrupt—nothing annoys a buyer more!
• Clarify the objection. Repeat and clarify the objection by asking for more
information, using questions such as “Let me see if I understand you
correctly, [repeating the objection as you understand it]. Is that correct?” The
buyer may confirm that you are correct in your understanding or provide
additional information. Sometimes this step can uncover a misunderstanding
that the buyer has about your product and/or service.
• Respect the buyer’s concern. Acknowledge that you understand and
appreciate the concerns. Remember that the buyer is not attacking you
personally, so you should not become defensive.
• Respond to the objection. It is important that you respond to the buyer’s
concern. The specific response to the objection depends on the type of
objection it is.
As these techniques suggest, the salesperson’s response to the objection should
not threaten the rapport that hopefully has been developed with the customer.
Like all people, customers desire to be seen as competent, credible individuals;
and want to be treated fairly. Salespeople must keep this in mind and carefully
manage the rapport when overcoming customer objections. The most common
types of objections and specific strategies for handling them are discussed next.
Price or Value Objections
Buyers who say “I don’t need it” or “It costs too much” are indicating that they
don’t think the value of solving the problem or meeting the need is worth the
cost. In this case, the salesperson must convince the buyer of the importance of

2. the problem and of the value of the solution. It may be necessary to go back to
the need assessment part of the call to ask some additional problem impact and
solution value types of questions to increase the buyer’s perception of the
seriousness of the problem and the importance of a solution. If the buyer
acknowledges the importance of the problem but still feels that the company
can’t afford the product/service or that it is not a price-competitive solution,
then the salesperson can offer some price value comparisons of alternative
solutions.
Product/Service Objections
Sometimes the buyer acknowledges the importance of a problem but doubts
whether the product or service can solve his problem or improve his operations.
The buyer may disagree with the salesperson’s assessment or, in some cases,
even doubt the genuineness of the salesperson. In this case, the salesperson
needs to convince the buyer that her product will do what she says. She must
demonstrate or prove that the product has the capability to fulfill the need. Some
of the proof-providing tactics are to offer the buyer
• case histories
• testimonials
• independent tests
• a demonstration
• trial use
• expert opinion
Some objections relate to needs that your product cannot satisfy. In this case, it is
best to first acknowledge that your product or service cannot meet the particular
need. Then try to increase the perceived value of your product by reemphasizing
those important needs your product can meet.
Procrastinating Objections
Procrastinating objections can be difficult to overcome. Some such objections are
• Let me think about it a while.
• I have to talk it over with my boss.
• I have to wait until the next budget cycle.

3. • I have some other reps to talk to before I make a decision.
Procrastinating prospects use such excuses to avoid acting on a proposition
immediately or to avoid admitting that they don’t have the authority to make the
decision.
In door-to-door selling, a sale that cannot be closed on one call usually has little
chance of completion. In many business sales, however, the prospect cannot be
pushed into a sale without creating considerable ill will. In fact, businesses are
taking more and more time before committing. Customers today are very
thorough. They use the Internet to research all options and are careful not to
make a mistake. A survey of purchasers found that only 13 percent tend to buy
within three months, while 44 percent require 6 to 12 months to decide. A full 20
percent of purchasers say they require a year or longer before a typical sale is
complete. The sales rep must understand this extended buying cycle and remain
a patient and trusted adviser to the customer.
The amount of aggressiveness must be modified to fit the prospect and the
situation. Some people will not be pushed or rushed. In these situations, the best
strategy is to ask for a commitment for some future action that will move the sale
forward. For example, the salesperson might ask for a meeting with the buyer
and his boss or with whoever else seems to have substantial influence over the
decision.
Hidden Objections
Prospects may state their objections to a proposition openly and give the
salesperson a chance to answer them. This is an ideal circumstance, because
everything is out in the open and the salesperson does not need to read the
prospect’s mind. Unfortunately, prospects often hide their real reasons for not
buying. Further, stated objections may be phony. A prospect may say she does
not like the looks of a product, when she really thinks the price is too high. The
rep must determine the real barrier to the sale to be able to overcome it.
Some salespeople have developed special methods for getting the prospect to
disclose what is blocking the sale. One saleswoman uses what she calls her
“appeal for honesty” tactic. She says to the reluctant prospect, “You expect me to

4. be honest with you, as you should. But haven’t I the same right—to expect you to
be honest with me? Now, honestly, what is bothering you about the
proposition?” However, the best technique for discovering hidden objections is
to ask questions that keep the prospect talking.
As we noted in the planning section, it is often necessary for salespeople to
change their original objectives and strategies for the sales call. Salespeople must
recognize the need and be willing to adapt their presentations when the buyer’s
objections signal that they may have initially chosen the wrong strategies.
Another important principle to remember in handling most objections is to avoid
arguments at any cost. The sales rep should ask questions that help clarify the
prospect’s thinking. This provides insights into the precise obstacles that are
hindering the sale. Even if prospects are dead wrong, sales reps should never
offend them. A sales rep can win an argument only to lose the sale.
Create Buyer Urgency and Needs
An objection in the world of B2B selling is a stated (or perceived) reason on the
behalf of a prospective buyer as to why he or she is not willing to commit either
to buying your solution or to moving ahead to the next stage of the sale.
Most buyer objections can be avoided or, at least, neutralized by leading the sales
process with consultative sales techniques. By opening discussions with buyers
around the external pressures facing the buying organization and relating them
to their internal pressures, desires and needs, before aligning the benefits of your
solution with these pressures, needs and desires, your buyer will have much less
reason to object to your proposal. Most of the doubts they held about your
proposal will be extinguished if you create a compelling event in the mind of the
prospect before explaining how your product or service will benefit them in
dealing with this event.
We call this consultative approach ‘Selling from the Left®’. If you are able to Sell
from the Left® with a really compelling event, the buyer will not only want to
avoid raising any objections that might delay the sale, they will want to
proactively work with you to overcome any hurdles that you come across during
the remainder of the sales process.
Be flexible and provide social proof
However, consultative sales techniques alone are not enough to maximize the
amount of objections that you will avoid. To avoid as many objections as
possible, you must be flexible and prepared to give away additional value, while

5. you must also be poised to provide social proof to help with the momentum of
the sale.
To summarize, the three secrets to avoiding objections are as follows:
1. Sell from the Left® using consultative sales techniques to create urgency and
desire. This will motivate the buyer to avoid objections wherever possible and, if
objections are raised, they will be more likely to be genuine objections that the
buyer will wish to overcome.
2. be flexible and prepared to give additional value to help the momentum of the
sale. Identify small points of additional value that you are willing to proactively
add in to the sales process to maintain the momentum and avoid any potential
concerns.
3. Provide social proof of the solutions you have previously (and successfully)
implemented for similar clients in the past. Social proof, in the form of great
references, will reassure the buyer that others have benefited from your solution
and will, therefore, reduce the buyer’s perception of the risk involved with
investing in your solution.
If you can Sell from the Left® to create urgency and desire, you are flexible and
prepared to give away additional value, and you provide social proof of your
previous successes, you will be able to avoid most of the objections that buyers
typically throw at sales and business development professionals in sales
meetings. By following these steps you will not only make the buyer avoid
raising objections, but you will also create real interest and a desire on the
buyer’s behalf to progress with the sale.
The Sales Relationship-Building process
For many years the traditional approach to selling emphasized the first-time sale
of a product or service as the culmination of the sales process. Marketing concept
and accompanying approach to personal selling view the initial sale as merely
the first step in a long-term relationship-building process, not as the end goal.
The relationship-building process which is designed to meet the objectives
contains six sequential stages. These stages are (1) prospecting, (2) planning the
sales call, (3) presentation, (4) responding to objections, (5) obtaining
commitment/closing the sale and (6) building a long-term relationship.
When a buyer and a salesperson have a close personal relationship, they both
begin to rely on each other and communicate honestly. When each has a

6. problem, they work together to solveit. Such market relationships are known as
functional relationships. A person may have such a relationship with along-term
medical or dental practitioner or hair-cutter.
When organizations move beyond functional relationships, they develop
strategic partnerships or strategic alliances. These are long-term, formal
relationships in which both parties make significant commitments and
investments in each other in order to pursue mutual goals and to improve the
profitability of each other.
Importance of personal selling
The importance of the personal selling function depends partially on the nature
of the product. As a general rule, goods that are new and different, technically
complex or expensive require more personal selling effort. The salesperson plays
a key role in providing the consumer with information about such products to
reduce the risks involved in purchase and use. Insurance, for example, is a
complex and technical product that often needs significant amounts of personal
selling.
It is important to remember that for many companies the salesperson represents
the customer’s main link to the firm. In fact, the salesperson is the company.
Therefore it is imperative that the company take advantage of this unique link.
Through the efforts of the successful salesperson, a company can build
relationships with customers that continue long.
Personal selling is an integral of the marketing system, fulfilling two vital duties:
one for customers and one for companies. Lacking relevant information,
customers are likely to make poor buying decisions. For example: Doctors would
have difficulty finding out about new drugs and procedures were it not for
pharmaceutical salespeople. Second, salespeople act as a source of marketing
intelligence for management. Marketing success depends on satisfying customers
needs. If present products don’t fulfill customer needs then profitable
opportunities may exist for new or improved products. If problems with a
company’s products exist, then management must be quickly apprised of the
fact. In either situation, salespeople are in the best position to act as the
intermediary through whom valuable information can be passed back and forth
between product providers and buyers.
Disadvantages of Personal Selling
1. Intruding nature of the method - The biggest disadvantage of selling is the
degree to which this promotional method is misunderstood. Most people have

7. had some bad experiences with salespeople who they perceived were overly
aggressive or even downright annoying.
2. It is expensive maintaining this type of promotional effort due to the high
per-contact cost involved. Costs incurred in personal selling include high cost-
per-action and training costs.
3. Job turnover in sales is often much higher than other marketing positions
4. Can not reach mass audience
5. Numerous calls needed to generate sale
6. Labour intensive
Advantages of Personal Selling
1. One key advantage personal selling has over other promotional methods is that it is a two-
way form of communication. In selling situations the message sender (e.g., salesperson) can
adjust the message as they gain feedback from message receivers (e.g., customer).
2. It is Flexible - So if a customer does not understand the initial message (e.g., doesn’t fully
understand how the product works) the salesperson can make adjustments to address questions
or concerns. Many non-personal forms of promotion, such as a radio advertisement, are
inflexible, at least in the short-term, and cannot be easily adjusted to address audience questions.
3. The interactive nature of personal selling also makes it the most effective promotional
method for building relationships with customers, particularly in the business-to-business market.
This is especially important for companies that either sell expensive products or sell lower cost
but high volume products (i.e., buyer must purchase in large quantities) that rely heavily on
customers making repeat purchases. Because such purchases may take a considerable amount
of time to complete and may involve the input of many people at the purchasing company (i.e.,
buying centre), sales success often requires the marketer develop and maintain strong
relationships with members of the purchasing company.
4. Personal selling is the most practical promotional option for reachingcustomers who are not
easily reached through other methods. The best example is in selling to the business market
where, compared to the consumer market, advertising, public relations and sales promotions
are often not well received