The Selling Process

Handling Buyer Resistance

It is a rare instance when a salesperson does not receive resistance from a prospect.  By resistance we are referring to a concern a prospect has regarding the product (or company) and how it will work for their situation.  In most cases the resistance is expressed verbally (e.g., “I don’t see how this can help us.”) but other times the resistance presents itself in a non-verbal fashion (e.g., prospect facial expression shows puzzlement). 

While handling sales resistance may sound like a difficult part of selling, most successful salespeople actually welcome and even encourage it as part of the selling process.  Why? Because it is an indication the prospect is paying attention to the presentation and may even have an interest in the product if the resistance can be effectively addressed.

To overcome resistance, salespeople are trained to make sure they clearly understand the prospect’s concern.  Sometimes prospects say one thing that appears to be an objection to the product but, in fact, they have another issue that is preventing them from agreeing to a purchase.  Salespeople are rarely able to make the sale unless resistance is overcome.