How can you improve your sales performance?  By figuring how to resolve concerns quickly and effectively.  The A-R-C method involves three simple steps to overcoming sales objections that, once mastered, can turn a sales rep’s near-miss into success.  Ready?

(1)    Acknowledge the concern.  The fastest way to infuriate and/or distance a potential client is to ignore their concerns entirely, and a close second is to give their concerns a courtesy mention, then ignore them.  Acknowledge the specifics of the client’s concern and the reasons behind their worries.  For example, a quick but sincere, “And it makes sense that you’re worried about ______, and no one can blame you for wanting to make sure that _____,” is often the perfect segway into addressing the concern.  Taking a minute or two to acknowledge a customer’s objection is what separates “meh” salespeople from outstanding salespeople.  As a bonus, the time you take to acknowledge provides a minute or two for you to think about how you’re about to…

(2)    Respond to the concern.  Ideally, your response will be crisp but not over-rehearsed.  The common pitfalls include winging it or, conversely, just launching into autopilot, busting out all the “usual lines” you’ve used thousands of times.  Clients can sense when you disengage and begin using your autopilot voice, so do your best to stay present in the conversation as you respond to substantive concerns.  Practice addressing your least-favorite objections, and continue to practice until you’re comfortable with anything a potential client might bring up.

(3)    Close that part of the conversation.  After you acknowledge and respond to the concern, move on!  Don’t wait for them to give the green light; assume the objection has been resolved and gently carry on with the rest of the conversation.  If the initial objection is still a problem, the client will bring it back up and you can begin the process again (with acknowledgement).  Too many salespeople ruin a perfectly good response when they pause, terrified, and say something like, “Does that make sense?  Do you feel better now?  Are you also worried about ____?” and hand the potential client a chance to hem and haw a little more than is necessary.  After a detailed, sympathetic response, MOVE ON with the rest of the conversation.

Almost every sales conversation will involve an opportunity to resolve a concern; see those opportunities as useful instead of scary. Overcoming objections takes confidence and practice, but the A-R-C method is one of the best practices for improving sales performance.  Acknowledging a client’s concern, responding to that concern, and then closing that part of the conversation, can increase sales effectiveness dramatically.

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