How to Overcome Customer Excuses and Make the Sale

They say that you can’t believe everything you hear, and that’s especially true when it comes to the excuses customer have for not buying your products. The most common sales objections are abour budget, price, value and need. It’s important not to think of the customer as being negative, but rather presenting their personal perspective, and in doing so, challenging you to make the sale. The fact is, if the customer didn’t truly want to buy something they wouldn’t have come in to your store in the first place.

Here are two typical objections and the best approaches for overcoming them:

Just looking

It’s easy to just go back to your iPod when a customer tells you they’re just looking. If you fall into that ambivalent mindset you’ll miss a valuable opportunity to build repport and trust with the customer by helping them find a product that really fits they’re needs and gives them a great user experience. It doesn’t have to be a full-on pushy pitch. If somebody says they want to check out the grinders, for example, the simple response should be something along the lines of, “Cool, we’re got a great selection and the newest ones are right here. . .” If they want to browse on their own, give them space. Once you see them pick one up, you can smoothly return and ask if they have any questions. Likely they will and nows when you can compare features for them and help them find the best value for their buck.

It’s too expensive

The danger with buying into the excuse that your prices are too high or the products you’re selling aren’t affordable is that the obvious response to try to find a way to lower prices. Once you make price the competitor, you become just another commodity. What the customer is really saying is, it’s too expensive for the amount of benefit I think I’ll get out of it. If this is your customer, they need to hear that this product will make something in their life easier, more enjoyable, or more special. You work around these items every day, and you know why they cost more. Your customers don’t, so make sure you take the time to educate them so they can treat themselves to what they deserve.

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