Sales: surely all this stuff about 'overcoming objections' is not just crap but unethical?

[solidgoldbrass]

If people don't want it, they don't want it, and carrying on talking will surely just annoy them. I do a certain amount of selling and canvassing but I always smile sweetly and go away when someone says, 'No thanks.' Am I giving up too easily?

NO, and you're being decent too.
I hate it when sales people jsut go on and on. I lose all respect. It really does annoy people. I could never do sales as I just can't talk the talk!

I am just fretting as I have a new (desperately needed) job and they have said that people who don't get good enough results will be let go, but I really can't see that going on at people will make them buy somethign they don't want.

Sometimes though peoples' objections are unfounded. For example they may have a lack of understanding about the product you are selling and may just come up with an objection. You can sensitively objection handle and may well turn the objection into a sale with a happy customer and a happy you!

SGB: "I really can't see that going on at people will make them buy somethign they don't want. " - quite true, and unfortunately applies to 'world views' as well as merchandise.

But good luck with the job. I'm sure IRL you will tell when someone really doesn't want to know. People who waste time flogging dead horses won't get good results will they?

WRT worldviews, it's a longer process and even if it's not going to change a viewpoint, poking piggies with a stick is entertaining in itself.

To find out what an objection is you have to listen.

Therefore overcoming objections is not about keeping talking - but rather about shutting up, listening more, offering an alternative, pointing out a benefit that related to something they said, and yes sometimes that does mean telling people you can't help them at this time and walking away.

Saying "no thanks" is not an objection it just means the person isn't ready to talk yet. I would question why people are looking at things they don't want.

Without knowing what you sell it is hard to be more specific.

'I would question why people are looking at things they don't want'.......

I hate it when I'm just trying to send a letter at the post-office and they try to flog me insurance and investments (which happened twice last week). I would question why people try to overcome 'objections' in someone who couldn't give a flying fuck what you have been targeted to sell this week.

Selling in banks and post offices is just plain annoying - that's what they have direct marketing departments for.

My mum was really good at her job in a bank till they tried to make her sell things. If she had wanted to do that she would have worked in a shop wouldn't she? But by then she had been there years and her whole pension was tied in. She went from a happy bank clerk to a stressed, snippy fishwife of an employee.

However I think if you have taken the job knowing you would have to sell stuff then that is different.

I'm doing door to door calls: asking people if they would like to switch from one newspaper to another, so it's not a matter of leaving them to browse (though I have already told my employers that it might not be a bad idea to have leaflets to give the punters so they can think about it...).
I think that some people will want to take up the offer (it's a good one) but those who don't, don't want it and will only get annoyed by being talked at. I think sales 'trainers' often forget that other people are not entirely stupid and no one likes being 'sold to'.

Without a leaflet you are doing the right thing - getting down their drive and to the next house is the best idea for meeting your targets.

You are lucky in that you have a good offer to tell people about - but right not to badger them on their own doorstep when they didn't ask you for your help or come into a shop.

They should have something to thrust into the hands of the people who answer the door so that the person who actually makes the decision may get to see it.

SGB I should report you to the RSPCA for cruelty to animals.

I don't understand why door-to-doorers never have leaflets - some things I might go for if I had a chance to consider without pressure and in some cases consult DH. Whereas I will never ever ever make a doorstep decision.

Providing you are walking away at genuine objections then not a problem, if you give up at first objection/fob off and don't achieve any of your retreat objectives then you're probably not doing what your employer wants.

What sort of objections do you typically deal with?

Providing you are walking away at genuine objections then not a problem, if you give up at first objection/fob off and don't achieve any of your retreat objectives then you're probably not doing what your employer wants.

What sort of objections do you typically deal with?

Well there's the 'I don't like the [paper I'm promoting] because I disagree with its political viewpoint' - I think that's a walk-away, there's the 'We have had [other paper] for 50 years young woman and we are not going to change now'.
And there's the people who just go, no, I don't think so, not really.... I suppose I could push them a little bit harder.