The Difference between Questions, Objections and Smokescreens

One of the most challenging aspects of selling, and sales training, is handling objections. I’ve aimed to simplify this concept as much as I can over the years, and I think we’re nearing the zenith of how clear we can make it.

The first thing people need to recognise is the difference between a Question, a Smokescreen and Objection.

For the purposes of this post, let’s assume you are speaking to someone about a product or service you offer. After presenting the product, your prospect raises the issue of price.

This might sound like: “How much does this cost?” This is an example of a question, or a request for information. It’s important to realise that this is not an objection. The person may simply want to know the price of an object. They don’t necessarily have an opinion about it yet.

You simply need to answer the question with a balanced and concise answer. That may sound simple, but giving consistent, balanced and concise answers requires identification and practice.

Now let’s say that your prospect responds to your balanced and concise answer by saying “I will need to think about it.” This is an example of a smokescreen. The reason I call this a smokescreen is because it may or may not be an unspoken objection, masked by a statement that sounds plausible.

Your job here is to clarify that ambiguous statement with something like: “It sounds like you have some concerns about the price, would you mind sharing them with me?”

After clarifying the objection, your prospect may then reply with “It’s too expensive.” This is an example of an objection. An objection is a statement made by a prospect that they are placing in between themselves and saying yes to the commitment you are asking for.That commitment might be an appointment or a transaction.

Once you’ve determined that you have an objection in front of you, you need to understand what type of objection it is. There are two main type of objections, which for lack of better terms at the moment, I’ll refer to Emotional and Rational. I’ll get into the difference, in my next post.