Regardless of the buying situation or product involved, you can develop objections by thinking about basic buying decisions. If you were to try to list all the objections of a customer could have, you would probably find that they fell into certain categories. Most would be based on key decisions the customer must make before buying-decisions about need, product, source, price, and time. You can use those same categories as a starting point for an objection analysis sheet.
Here are the five common objections and an example on each type to help you understand clearly each objection:
- Need. Objections related to need usually occur when the customer has a conflict between wanting something and not truly needing it. The comment such as “I really like this sweater, but it doesn’t match anything I have” is an objection based on a conflict between a need and a want.
- Product. Objections based on the product itself are more common, they include concerns about such things as construction, quality, size, appearance, or style — “I’m not sure if this dress style is appropriate for work” is an example of such an objection.
- Source. Objections based on the source often occur because of negative past experiences with the firm or brand. A buyer might say, “The last time I dealt with your digital printing firm, my order was three weeks late. How can I be sure these print postcards will arrive on time?”
- Price. Objections based on price are more common with high quality, expensive merchandise. You might hear statements like, “that’s more than I wanted to spend.”
- Time. Objections based on time reveal a hesitation to buy immediately. These objections are sometimes excuses. At other times, however, customers have a real reason for not wanting to make a purchase on the spot. A customer might say, “I’m not in a position to make that type of purchase now. I won’t be ready for the next two months.”
Once you begin selling, you will probably hear all sorts of objections. As an aspiring entrepreneur, you should note them for future reference and study how to answer those objections and letting those target customers buy your products and services.