Sales Resistance

Prospects show sales resistance by pointing out real or imagined obstacles, and by voicing objections, sincere or insincere. In analyzing sales resistance, the salesperson need skill in accurate and rapid appraisal of people and their motivations. A prospect’s expressed sales resistance is either an obstacle or an objection. An obstacle is real or unreal; an objection is sincere or insincere.

Obstacles to Sales

Obstacle are real or apparent reasons that the prospect has for not buying. If the obstacle is real, it precludes the consummation of the sale. But if it is apparent, there are ways to circumvent it. If the prospect says a temporary shortage of cash is preventing him from buying, then it is an obstacle, not an objection and the salesperson helps the prospect to circumvent it by explaining a method for financing the purchase. Some obstacles can be circumvented, others cannot.

When an obstacle arises, the salesperson determines whether or not there is a way to get around it. If the salesperson recognizes the specific obstacle and knows a way to circumvent it, the next move is to present the solution to the prospect. Thus an obstacle is not necessarily a cause of Sales resistance, but instead it is a part which needs to be overcome.

Sales Objection

Objections are a real form of sales resistance but are never a good reason for failing to complete the sale, though they nearly always divert the salesperson’s presentation from its main course. At best, an objection requires a satisfactory answer; at worst, it blocks the sale. The way of handling objections is what defines an effective and ineffective salesperson. Sincere objections trace to incompleteness, inaccuracy, or vagueness in the sales presentation.

Prospects may not recognize the nature of their needs, or they may have doubt about the appropriateness of the product to fulfill those needs. Prospects may be confused in some respect, or may react unfavorably to the salesperson’s personality. Except when personality conflict cannot be resolved (a real obstacle, not an objection), sincere objections are overcome by patient and thorough explanations.

Prospects raise insincere objections to discourage salespersons, to get rid of them, to test their competence, and as false excuses for not buying. When the prospect is insincere, thats a major show of sales resistance because he is leading you on unnecessarily. When sales persons sense that an objection is insincere, they seek to regain the offensive as soon as possible. They do not permit an insincere objection to provoke an argument one of the surest ways to lose a sale.

Some sales executives say that every objection , no matter how insincere, should be treated with the utmost courtesy. Others say that insincere objections should be ignored. The best defensive strategy often is the strong counterattack, and the salesperson should seek to regain the initiative as soon as he or she can gracefully do so.

Thus even if you face Sales resistance in the course of your work, there are several smart ways which will help you overcome it. Have you come across any such resistance and what were the methods you adopted to overcome sales resistance?