It happens often. One moment, the consultation with a client or a prospect is going well. The next, a ‘but’ emerges.
You want to be sure that you are equipped with the best phrasing to keep your clients happy without alienating their worries and concerns.
Develop your ability to respond to common client objections by reading through the following:
Common Client Objections & Concerns
Objection: “I’m a small business and I don’t need all your sophisticated help.”
Response: “While this is true, there are services we can specifically offer to small companies like yours that will make a difference in your productivity. We will not offer you any service inappropriate to your needs. To demonstrate how we can help, let me tell you how we would satisfy one of your needs we discussed earlier.”
Objection: “We’re concerned that one of our major competitors is a client of yours.”
Response: “I understand your concern for confidentiality. However, we would never risk our reputation by violating any confidence of our clients. It is also our policy to have different people on both engagements so you will get the benefit of industry expertise without the loss of confidentiality.”
Objection: “Your fees are too high.”
Response: “I appreciate your concern. But your business provides a product that is of higher quality than your competition. We take pride in offering higher quality too.”
Objection: “Let me think about it for a while.”
Response: “I appreciate your caution. You need to have all the necessary information before you decide. What additional information do you need?”
Objection: “You do not have clients in my industry.”
Response: “That is true, and I know you want experienced professionals to work for you. However, we do have clients whose operations and problems are very similar to yours. Let me tell you how we helped them out.”
Objection: “I am happy with my present [provider of a service].”
Responses:
- “That is important! Why are you using your present [provider of a service]? (Wait for response.) Those are important reasons. If you choose to do business with us, you could also expect advice and service in these other areas as well.”
- “It is always helpful to have another source of expertise. Could we have the opportunity to complete this one part of your job so we can demonstrate our ability?”
Objection: “How can I let my present [provider of a service] go after 20 loyal years?”
Responses:
- “I respect your feelings. However, if you want your business to grow, you must get the best possible help. And we can provide that help.”
- “I appreciate your loyalty. Let us work out an arrangement where we pick up only the more complex work.”
Objection: “How do I know the rest of your team is as good as you?”
Response: “That is a legitimate concern. You want all of the key people on the team to have experience in your industry. Let me arrange a meeting with the manager of this engagement so we can discuss your business and make plans for working together.”
Ensuring that you have a template in place for responding to these kinds of questions and concerns from your clients will help you to come across as confident and well-practised in managing these expectations. This promotes client confidence in you and your team when it comes to actioning their requests.
