Objections should be sought out and resolved throughout any presentation. This allows the sales person to judge how the sale is going and to assess the buying motivation of the customer as each feature of the product or service is explained. Some sales trainers describe this process as "taking the customer's temperature", or "trial closing", and each of these terms describe the process fairly well. I like to call it "teaching the customer to say YES!". I feel if I can get the customer into the habit of answering yes to a series of questions throughout the presentation, when the final question to buy comes, the result will be very predictable.

This process also allows me to determine if I'm going in the right direction and filling the customers real need. For example, in selling a financial services product I could be focusing on the ability of the product to build wealth, when in reality what the buyer is looking for is income protection. That can be a big difference in finally closing the sale if I haven't answered an unspoken question in the buyers mind. He or she may not see the fulfillment of their need in my product and without telling me, decide to shop around to find something more suitable to their real needs.

So how difficult is this whole process? Well, actually, it's very easy to master. It involves being a good listener and it also involves tailoring your presentation to stop at specific points throughout to let the customer talk. It also involves rehearsing your presentation to not only present the features of the product, but also to develop a series of questions that will usually elicit a "yes" answer.

An example of the process goes like this:

"Now Mr. Jones, something interesting about this car is the ability of the body to resist crashes."

Now here is your "yes" question........

"Doesn't that give you peace of mind in knowing that your family will be much safer?"

And now you go on to another feature and after presenting it you say ..........

"Mr. Jones, can you see how this will be a real benefit to you?"

Now you have the customer getting in the habit of saying yes to your questions. When you reach the end of the presentation, it now becomes easy for you to say, "So now Mr. Jones, do you feel this product is what you have been looking for?". When he answers yes, you merely start writing up the order.

Of course, the other side of this scenario are those times when Jones says, "No". Don't be put off by this. It means you missed something so you need to review where you have been and what you've said. You've also got to get Jones to help you. To do that, you merely ask him another question. When he answers, you merely restate the feature or explain it in more detail. This process also gives you a chance to be sure you know what the customer's dominant buying motive really is.

There are a whole range of questions sales trainers have developed over the years to uncover objections. But I feel you are much better off if you take a friendly approach, instead of using a "canned" method, just as you would if you were talking to a friend or family member.

So here's how it goes..........you ask Jones the question. He answers "NO". You merely look him in the eye and say, "Really? (pause) Why?". Now you have directed the conversation back to Jones and given him a chance to tell you what's on his mind. Listen carefully to make sure you understand the question, and then restate it back to him.

"So you feel that this product innovation won't be of benefit to you because_____________?"

Now you put your excellent product knowledge to work and explain how the product feature really will fill his needs. You then say, "So how does that sound to you now?". If he answers "yes" or "okay", or "fine", you go on with your presentation. If he still disagrees, you again say, "Really?" (pause) "Why?" and repeat the process until you've gotten to his real objection and you resolve it.

This process won't guarantee you'll get a sale every time, but it certainly will help to improve your closing rate. To make it work effectively, you have to know your product, understand your customer and practice - practice - practice