subject: Telesales objection handling - a useful mnemonic [print this page] Telesales objection handling - a useful mnemonic
Telesales and telemarketing personnel inevitably face objections on a daily basis - reasons why someone doesn't want to buy your product or service.
To be successful in selling or being persuasive on the phone you have to master this part of the job. And objection handling is a key part of the sales process whether it is face to face selling or telephone sales. And training on objection handling is an importantpart of the trainingwe run on telesales and telemarketing courses.
There is a useful mnemonic you can use, which is easy to remember, and will help you stay in control. Simply you learn to ACCEPT the objections as follows ;
A-Acknowledge
C-Clarify
C-Consider
E-Explore
P-Propose
T-Timescale
Some detail on what each of these terms means.
First ACKNOWLEDGE. This is about letting the other person feel listened to and understood. It also allows you some valuable thinking time to consider how you are going to deal with their objection. They will also like the fact that you appear to be really thinking about what they are saying, and taking it all on board. It is often a good idea to repeat back the key things that they are saying. This works especially well when handling complaints in a customer service environment.
The second stage is to CLARIFY. This is about checking that you understand what they are 'really' saying. Sometimes it may not be what it first appears, or what you thought they were getting at. This will therefore involve your listening skills - you need to be properly attentive and remember to keep the inner person quiet. It also involves your questioning skills. Use a blend of open and closed questions in order to check your understanding, and their commitment to what they are saying.
The third stage is to CONSIDER. This means some rapid thinking. You are thinking about what may work in dealing with their objection, and of course what you are actually able and empowered to do. Customers will frequently ask for the world and you are not always able to give them everything they want - so you have to think about what you can do.
The fourth stage in dealing with objections is to discuss the options with them. We call this the EXPLORE stage. 'Negotiate' alternatives etc, and use this to find out what is really important to them. Again your first idea may not be the one they go for, so keep an open mind and watch and listen to their reaction to your suggestions.
Stage 5 - PROPOSE. Ok, so now the talking is done, and ultimately you get judged on what you actually do, so this is the action stage. This stage then is about letting them know what you are going to do. This forms the basis of an action plan.
The sixth and final stage in this handy mnemonic to deal with objections is TIMESCALE. All of this must be done to a timescale, which both of you will agree to. You both need to know what this is, and agree to it. This avoids confusion and misunderstanding later and commits both parties to the agreed course of action.
