Pretexts of prospects that often conceal more serious objections

If a prospect does not like something about your offer, what do you think they will say? Most of us might like to believe customers would honestly state their doubts and let you deal with them or offer some explanation.

In reality, however, the vast majority of prospects do not voice their doubts directly and instead offer a pretext - for instance, that your offer is too expensive - and thus all your efforts to close the deal are useless.

What are the most common pretexts given by clients and how should you handle them?

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The price and the third party

According to EyesOnSales, the price pretext is the most typical one. If the prospect starts complaining about the price, in half the number of cases it is just a cover-up, hiding another objection that for some reason the client does not want to share with you. There is a difference between price and value. If the customer considers the offer too expensive, it means they consider it too costly in relation to the value they see in the product. And this indicates that they do not like something about your proposal.

The third party pretext works in the same way. "I must consult this with my spouse," say clients, after which you never see them again. But if the prospect was truly convinced of the quality and value of your product, he would definitely not be afraid of being unable to justify his decision to his wife. Initially it might seem that you cannot argue with this objection (or pretext). But you can definitely try to uncover the real problem hiding behind it.

What questions should you ask?

If price is the pretext, your reaction might be the following: "Okay, I understand your comment. If we set aside cost for a moment and let's just say you were willing to pay such a price for the product, what else would keep you from closing the deal?"

When it comes to the third party pretext, a good reaction might be: "Theoretically, if your husband said that he doesn't care and is fine with whatever you decide, what would you do next?"

These questions might help you uncover the real problem hiding behind the pretexts. If you succeed and the client does tell you what the real doubts are, it is then entirely up to you how you handle these objections.

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Article source EyesOnSales - popular sales blog for Sales Professionals around the world
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