The prospect is a great fit. Check.

The prospect’s needs and challenges are clearly understood. Check.

The rep has gone out of their way to make the process easy. Check.

The deal should be a slam dunk – right?

Sales reps can do everything right, and yet overcoming objections can still creep into the equation as they enter the negotiation phase of the sales process. Tension builds, a line in the sand is drawn, and poof, the prospect walks away.

If this sounds familiar, it should. It happens every day in the sales world. Instead of learning from their mistakes, most sales reps will simply take it on the chin and go about their business, only to repeat the process time and again.

As sales leaders, we have to equip our teams with the skills that they need to handle objections because objections are simply part of the process. That starts with entering negotiations with the right mindset.

Overcoming Objections With An Other-Centered™ Approach

No one likes to lose a sale, especially after the bulk of the work has been done. Yet the negotiation phase is the one area of the sales process where things are most likely to fall apart.

So why does it happen so often?

The simple answer is that priority shifts. Even if the rep has been focused on the needs and goals of the prospect through the initial stages of the deal, when money is on the line, it is easy for reps to lose focus and put their priorities first.

The Other-Centered approach is a mindset, requiring the rep to make an active choice before every customer interaction. That choice is simple: who will they choose to serve?

Each decision is a chance to build trust or derail the deal, especially as the rep gets close to the finish line. The tendency to draw a line in the sand and force the prospect into a decision becomes overwhelming and both parties lose.

As negotiations intensify, the rep holds the power and can dictate the trajectory of the relationship and whether or not they close business. They simply have to have the skills to remain Other-Centered.

4 Negotiation Skills To Leverage When Closing A Sale

Each rep has the ability to fundamentally change the way they approach overcoming objections within the negotiation phase of the deal. Most reps tend to ignore an Other-Centered approach in the later stages of the sales process, favoring aggressive sales tactics that put the win above the relationship.

Leveraging the following five negotiation skills can help reps avoid falling back into a self-centered sales approach. 

Ask More Questions

Objections are like onions, they have layers that must be uncovered to truly understand. The only way to peel back each layer is to ask questions.

Objections in the late stages of negotiations are often the direct result of a change in priority, budget, or need. Far too many reps ignore the fact that something has changed. They fail to gain a proper understanding of the objection before offering a solution, and the miscommunication diminishes trust.

Seeking a deeper understanding should be the first thing that comes to mind anytime an objection is made, and it is especially important when the finish line is in sight. As sales leaders, it is important to help reps understand that common objections that are in our sales playbooks are a starting point and cannot be the whole truth.

Reduce Tension

Many of the moving parts of a deal are out of the rep’s control. They cannot control what each prospect prioritizes and they cannot control the price point of the product. They can, however, control the amount of tension between themselves and the decision-maker.

When the deal is on the line and reps are forced to overcome objections, it is inevitable that tension will build. The rep needs to make their number, and the customer wants to make sure that the product is right for their needs and goals. Both sides begin to push and pull until the customer walks away, in favor of another product or service, or they decide to do nothing as it is an easier path.

Avoiding this scenario is easy – the rep simply has to Drop the Rope®.

Instead of playing a high-stakes game of tug-o-war, the rep actively chooses to release the tension and put their needs aside for the sake of the customer. This can take on many forms including a change in tone or aggression. Often, a single statement can be made to alleviate the pressure and foster trust. It may seem counterintuitive but telling a customer that “our solution may not be the right fit for your needs,” acknowledges that the rep understands the objection and wants what is best for the customer.

Uncover All The Value

Very few deals are won in a single call. At the enterprise level, a deal typically involves multiple stakeholders and extensive communication. It can be very easy to forget small value-adds that are uncovered along the way.

As objections rear their head, those value-adds are pieces that should be highlighted. The customer is just as likely to forget all of the moving parts of a product or solution and their objection might stem from something that they unwillingly omitted from their memory.

When this happens, the value prop that the customer sees in front of them simply becomes an incomplete picture. Reps that understand they may need to fill in the gaps here and there, will find that many of the objections they face can easily be resolved.

Win-Win Solutions

Are your reps comfortable with selling a win-win solution? Lowering the price point or adding a feature at no additional cost, might impact commission, but it ensures that a prospect becomes a customer. In time, that customer will provide upsell opportunities and be more likely to stay with your company longer, simply because the rep was willing to work with them. 

Win-wins make the most sense, providing a great deal for the customer and a win for the rep. So why aren’t they prioritized more in the sales world?

For most reps, win-win outcomes are rare because reps feel that they have already made concessions and will quickly draw a line in the sand. In doing so, they abandon all notions of a mutually beneficial outcome because the prospect can simply choose to abandon the deal.

Instead of chasing waterfalls, stick to a solution where everyone wins. Concessions may need to be made, but both parties will benefit from the approach. At the end of the month, the trust that the rep has built with a customer will be more valuable than the deal they almost won with a prospect.

Sales Training With ASLAN

Overcoming objections is part of the game. Every rep on your team should know how to diffuse the situation and find a resolution that works for both parties. Choosing to serve and utilizing an Other-Centered approach is just the starting point. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but when every level of the organization is focused on the customer’s needs, everyone wins.

To learn more about sales training with ASLAN, the Other-Centered sales approach, and more, visit our website and connect with our team for an assessment.

ASLAN Training & Development

ASLAN teaches sellers an easier, better way to gain access & influence unreceptive customers, by eliminating the hard sell.