"What amount were you counting on?"
You are a partner of SOLARGROUP and you are learning how to close deals correctly - to help your customer invest profitably. You are not satisfied when the customer does not see their benefits in the project and the advantages of investment purchase in the company, because you know that the customer is offered unique conditions which are currently not available anywhere else. But for some reason your potential investors keep objecting to you.
You're a smart partner of SOLARGROUP and you want to understand what your mistake is and how to fix it so you can close deals more efficiently. And you start to study how people in sales usually tackle objections.
And then you see the classic response to the "it's expensive" objection: What amount were you counting on? You think back to how often you answered that question yourself when you wanted to buy something, and feel you should ask it, too.
You remember entering expensive stores being a student and hearing this question - and not wanting to answer it, it was embarrassing. You remember how you wanted to buy a gift for someone in the family at the last moment, hastily looked through the options - and again heard that question: What amount were you counting on? This is where you probably wanted to answer: zero! I didn't intend to buy this at all.
Potential investors have the same response to this question. They heard it so often, too, that they almost developed an idiosyncrasy. The customer feels like someone is trying to pry into their wallet by asking this question, you are making the potential investor uncomfortable.
What should I do, then? - you think. How do I respond to objections, so as not to displease the customer?
• Nodding, for starters. While the customer is voicing an objection, listen carefully and nod.
• Saying "thank you". Find something to thank the person for: thank you for exploring the issue so well; thank you for being interested in our topic; thank you for sharing your doubts; thank you for your answer, etc.
• Reaching agreement. "I agree with you, that's why...", "It's good that you have brought it up, that's why...", "You're right, that's why...", followed by your argument. For example: "I agree with you, few people can afford to buy a whole package at once, which is why there are convenient installment plans. And then to urge the customer to agree: "This amount of monthly payment is already affordable to many people, right?"
• Use the key phrase of any communication: "I understand you". You can say that you are now or have been in the same position.
• And another key phrase: "Yes, but...". You have agreed with the customer only to say your "yes, but" and make a strong argument.
You will find solid arguments in the "Partner Work Methodology".
It features scripts of answers to typical customer objections.