How to handle cold call objections

How to handle cold call objections with ease

I’ve had a lot of people reach out asking questions on the topic of how to handle cold call objections when telemarketing, so I figured I’d share some tactical tips.

It’s no doubt that objections are probably the “scariest” part of cold calling for most salespeople.

The overwhelming reason for this objection anxiety (as I like to call it) is because it is the only part of the cold call (for the most part) that enters into the unknown.

No matter how prepared you are with a call sheet, a script, and some afternoon caffeine you cannot predict with certainty what is going to be thrown back at you from the other side of the phone.

Well, here are the ABCs of being prepared and acting on objections.

5 Tips to handle cold call objections when telemarketing

If you work in telemarketing these 5 tips will help prepare you to handle cold call objections.

1. You Must Have Confidence In Your Solution

No matter what product or service you are selling you HAVE to believe in it.

The best foundation you can possibly have for any objection that can come your way is 100% unwavering confidence that what you are selling can help the person on the other end of the phone.

If you don’t believe this, don’t just stop cold calling – stop working for whoever you are working for.

2. Be Prepared

If you are cold calling properly you should be taking good notes and documenting the objections that you get the most.

Doing this allows you to put thought and planning into how you are going to deal with that objection in the future.

I always figure out the three main objections I’m consistently getting and prepare, prepare, prepare.

Being ahead of the game on the three most common objections that you come across will keep you winning 90% of the time.

3. Understand Why

Because most salespeople care so much about what other people think of them, they often exaggerate and add drama objection oriented conversations.

Receiving objections doesn’t mean that the person on the other line hates you.

It usually means that you didn’t properly state a clear purpose for your call AND/OR you didn’t clearly explain the value you are confident you can add.

This leads me to the next point…

4. LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN

Objections are where I see salespeople turn into robots without ears more than almost any other part of the entire sales cycle.

I know I mentioned above to spend time being prepared for the common objections you come across. But, that does not mean you jump to a canned response the second you smell something remotely close to a “common objection.”

Slow down and actually listen to what the person on the other line is saying/asking.

Most importantly, take genuine listening to the next step and acknowledge with the prospect that you understand what they are saying/asking.

Listen to every word.

Listen to the tone of their voice.

You will be surprised how much your EQ can really soak in here.

5. Provide Value and Circle Back to The Purpose

Now that you have done a great job of listening intently to what the objection is and you’ve acknowledged that you understand what is being asked/said, it’s time to bring it home.

This is where your preparation and homework comes in.

In most instances, you should already have pre-thought out a good, value-add statement to the objection given.

The “value add statements” are extremely important to pushing past objections.

When coaching Teams and Sales People I spent 75% of the time creating and perfecting these responses.

They are that critical.

After the value-add statement/response is given jump back to your purpose for the call and ask again for whatever it is you are calling about.

Summary

With the right amount of objection preparation mixed with the know-how of using proven methods, the stress of the “unknown” can quickly disappear, drastically reducing most of the fear and reluctance in making cold calls.

If you aren’t making the most calls in your office you are either too busy closing too many deals (good on you) or you are likely paralyzed by fear due to being unprepared for objections.

Look no further.

Happy hunting!

Recommended further reading: Words and phrases to avoid on sales calls 

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