When he was a kid, Bryan Getz’s father told him he had two ears and one mouth for a reason.
“I should listen twice as much as I talk,” he recalled.
Now, as VP of Corporate Sales at Druva, Getz is still finding value in that advice: a good salesperson is a good listener.
Listening skills are all the more important when a rep encounters objections from prospective clients. The ability to hear concerns and address their root cause — or, at the very least, maintain a good relationship for the long-term — are all extremely helpful skills that set a rep up for success in their career.
In fact, Kayla Lane — who sells oil and gas software for ENGAGE — actually sees objections as key to a successful sales cycle.
“I believe getting to the objections really brings the client closer to the ‘buy-in,’” she said.
So what does it look like in practice to overcome an objection? Getz and Lane took us through their approaches, as well as potential traps that can sink a sale.
Kayla Lane takes objections as a good sign: it means she’s getting closer to gaining a customer’s “buy-in.” Working as a sales executive for oil and gas field management platform ENGAGE, Lane says objections allow her to take a problem-solving approach, which makes the prospect feel more at ease. It’s all about building a trusting relationship, which can be fruitful for both parties in the long term.
What strategies have you found to be most effective when handling objections from prospective customers?
When handling objections from a customer, the most important thing you can do is listen and gather as much information as possible during the objection. This will help you build rapport and gain trust from the client to build a plan around their business needs. I believe getting to the objections really brings the client closer to the “buy-in.” In this current environment, I have found clients being able to find an easy “no” by objecting to the current state of the market, which is fair. This has been an easy way to ask more questions and learn about their business by taking more of a consultant approach rather than our client feeling as if they are being “sold.”
Rather than pitching them on the spot, I take the opportunity to learn about their business.”
What strategies have you found to be ineffective or counterproductive when dealing with objections?
Not listening to their objections closely and being overly pushy trying to close a sale. Objections are key to a successful sales cycle.
Share an example of a time when you successfully overcame an objection. What were the keys to your success?
During this current environment, I have spent a lot of time prospecting and hunting new business on LinkedIn. An objection I routinely get is, “I think we are too small to utilize your software and see an ROI.” This is the perfect time to get them on a Zoom call and ask more questions about their business. Rather than pitching them on the spot, I take the opportunity to learn about their business, ask questions and extract the information I needed to build a trusting relationship.
When pitching prospective clients on the benefits of Druva’s cloud-based data protection and management technology, VP of Corporate Sales Bryan Getz makes sure to come at any objections from a place of empathy. Understanding concerns puts a rep in a position to show how their technology can help, he says, while a defensive posture is a recipe for failure. The bottom line: good salespeople are good listeners.
What strategies have you found to be most effective when handling objections from prospective customers?
The most effective strategies to handle objections always begin with listening. It’s really important to be a good listener. My dad taught me from an early age that I have two ears and one mouth for a reason: I should listen twice as much as I talk. It’s also imperative to understand why the customer voiced the objection and why it is important to them. One of the specific methods I’ve used over the years to handle objections is “feel, felt, found.”
Tell them you understand how they feel. You’ve heard them and you can empathize. Then tell them about someone else who felt the same initially. You let them know they are not alone, and other clients have experienced something similar. Finally, tell them how that person found that when they did X,Y and Z (and bought Druva), they were able to overcome their challenges.
A lot of reps don’t listen; they just wait until it is their time to talk.”
What strategies have you found to be ineffective or counterproductive when dealing with objections?
For starters, the antithesis of the above. A lot of reps don’t listen; they just wait until it is their time to talk. Not being receptive combined with an emotional or defensive tone when responding to objections is a recipe for disaster.
