There are 8 steps in the selling process. These 8 steps spell out Padpocsr:Pre-ApproachApproachDetermine needsPresent the merchandiseOvercome objectionsCSR

The first thing you must do is understand objections and

know the difference between an objection and an excuse.

Concerns, hesitations, doubts, or other honest reasons a customer has for not making a purchase.

Objections should be viewed as positive because they give an opportunity to present more information about the product.

Examples:Do you carry any other brands?

These shoes don’t fit right.

Insincere reasons for not buying or not seeing the salesperson.

Customers often use excuses when they are not in the mood to buy or when concealing real objections.

Examples:I’m just shopping around.

I didn’t plan to buy anything today.

There are five general buying decisions upon

which common objections are based. They are

need, product, source, price, and time.

Need – occur when the customer does not have an immediate need for the item or wants the item but does not truly need the item

Product – based on the product itself and are include concerns about such things as construction, ease of use, quality, color, size or style.

Source – occur because of a negative past experience with the firm or brand.

Price – based on price are more common with high-quality, expensive merchandise.

Time – reveal a hesitation to buy immediately. These objection are sometimes excuses.

Successful salespeople have learned to use a very basic strategy when answering all objections. It consists of four

basic steps for handling objections; listen, acknowledge,

restate, and answer.

Listen – be attentive, maintain eye contact, and let the customer talk

Acknowledge – acknowledging customer objections demonstrates that you understand and care about the customer’s concerns

Restate – paraphrase your customers objections, but do so accurately. This shows the customer that you are listening and understanding.

Answer – answer each objections tactfully. Never answer with an air of superiority or suggest that the person’s concern is unimportant.

1. What is the goal of product presentation?

2. Which products and how many of them should be selected for the presentation?

3. Describe four techniques that will make the product presentation lively and effective.

4. Distinguish between objections and excuses.

5. Why should you welcome objections in the sales process?

6. Name five buying decisions upon which common objections are based.

7. List four steps involved in handling customer objections.

8. Find Web sites of 3 manufacturers and 3 retailers that sell products to the consumer. Come up with 3 questions a consumer might have and determine how well the sites answer the questions. Write a short summary on your findings.