A different approach to objections opens the opportunity to market with questions.
“An objection is not a rejection; it is simply a request for more information.” That’s from psychologist, entrepreneur, and best-selling author Bo Bennett. Those are words to keep in mind as you use your website as a sales tool.
Your SEO strategy has sent you qualified leads. They match your customer buyer’s persona. So, if they’re not converting, they obviously have objections. Does your website offer a way for you to provide more information that’ll turn objections into answered questions? The design and process is up to you. Here are the objections you should proactively provide answers for, to convert prospects into customers.
“It doesn’t do what I need it to do.”
This is a good objection to hear. A prospect has just qualified themselves. Now you know for sure that they have the problem your product aims to solve. They just need assistance in understanding that you can solve it.
Proactive approach: A comprehensive FAQ page can answer a lot of questions that hold up a buying decision. Consider creating a question-based form that helps a prospect frame what they want to accomplish. You’ll get answers, but by completing the form, a prospect may also see where you’re going with the questions—and realize that it actually does do what they need it to do.
“I don’t have that problem.”
That’s a tough nut to crack. You can’t call them a liar. You do have to wonder, though, why they took the effort to follow the crumbs that led them to your website. In most cases, you’ll be familiar with the buying journey of your existing customers. Your customer persona gives you insight into the stages they went through to become a customer. Your challenge is to uncover where in that journey this particular prospect might be stuck.
Proactive approach: Hey, that’s another job for your FAQ section. It can answer many questions that hold up a buying decision. You also have a high degree of certainty that they anticipate having the problem your product solves—if they aren’t currently experiencing it. Your website should capture their contact information so you can continue a dialog that moves them further along the sales funnel.
“I don’t need it right now.”
This might be linked to the cost objection. It’s human nature to argue that you don’t need something you want when you discover you can’t justify the price. Or, when you don’t feel a sense of urgency. In either case, your most prudent approach is to discover the appropriate combination of value propositions that can change their mind.
Proactive approach: Can you identify them when they return? A high number of return visits tells you they’re interested, but an objection is still getting in the way. The Internet has made us more perceptive and sensitive to forced closes. It’s often a fast way to lose a qualified prospect. On the other hand, being made aware that your interest is valued can move a prospect further down the sales funnel. Offer budgeting tools and calendars that help prospects plan for the purchase decision.
“I don’t want to spend that kind of money.”
The price is the price, right? Not necessarily. The price is the cost, and cost is a perception. You reduce the perceived cost when you’re able to drive the value of your product higher in a prospect’s mind. The higher the perceived value, the lower the perceived cost becomes. It’s a ratio.
Proactive approach: Again, FAQ. They’re wonderful things! Have you ever done a query to see how popular that page is on your website? You do have one, right? That’s the perfect sales tool to start driving the perception of value. Fair warning: Features don’t communicate value. Benefits do. Focus on the results that your product accomplishes.
No means no. There’s usually no getting around it. Any other response to your sales offer—other than acceptance—is a request for more information. When you approach it from this point of view, you’ll see how your website can become an extremely powerful persuasion engine. Use it to transform objections into specific requests for information.
The more interactive you make this process, the more persuasive it becomes. People want to participate in the process of being sold to, and most of the time, people are receptive to being asked questions. Especially when it’s about their likes or dislikes. Look back up at the title. Is it making more sense to you now?
