A customer says "No, I won't buy." Many owners get angry, ask "then why did you ask?", or write the person off as someone who will never buy. Neither helps.
Prajwal Pant has sold for years as a personal trainer, and he says the biggest reason he has done well is his ability to sell: to move a customer from no to yes. A "no" can come from a thousand reasons in the customer's head. Sorted into groups, they come down to six. Every "no" is the same word, but the main reason differs, and each reason needs its own handling.
This is the overview. He says he has made, or will make, a separate in-depth video on each objection on his channel.
The six reasons
- They do not like the price.
- They do not have time right now.
- They cannot decide themselves; they must ask a spouse or parent.
- They do not like the product, or do not believe it works.
- They hope someone else will sell it cheaper.
- They do not trust you.
First: find out which one it is
Sometimes the customer states it: "the price is too high", "I have to ask my wife." Sometimes they only say, "I won't buy right now."
Do not answer "fine, then don't, goodbye." Ask why. Something like: "That's okay, sir, if you don't want to buy, you don't have to. But what is the reason you are not buying?"
Most people answer. If someone will not answer at all, or gives you crooked replies and looks for a fight, he is either upset with you or does not like you. Prajwal's view is that selling to that person is not worth it, because sooner or later he comes back and says "you sold me something bad." If the person is positive and has been treated well, he will tell you the reason.
1. Price
There are two cases.
They truly cannot afford it. You cannot do anything about that. Just make sure it is actually the case.
They can afford it, but do not see the value. Then make the value clear. Ask: "What do you lose if you don't have this product?" Then ask: "Expensive compared to what?" The answer is either a competitor's name, or "compared to my budget."
- If they are comparing with a competitor, show why yours is different (see reason 5).
- If they say it is out of budget, qualify them. Do they truly not have it, or have they not made this a priority?
Look at their spending habits early, in ordinary conversation. Prajwal did this with personal training clients. He would ask, in a roundabout way, whether they go to a club, what they eat for breakfast, what jewellery and clothes they buy. Clients told him things like a weekend at a club costing Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000, and a breakfast out costing Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 over two days. Later, when someone said they had no money, he reminded them: you spend this much on things that leave you unhealthy and unfit; train with me and you stop going to the club, your breakfast changes, and you save more. Do the same for your product.
Offer payment options when the total frightens them. Let them pay a little now and a little a month later, or split the product into smaller units.
His example, which he says is only an example and not a real price: a swimming pool for Rs 3 lakh. The customer says it is too expensive. Agree with them, then ask a question: you will not spend Rs 3 lakh in one day, will you? It will sit at your house, and you will use it, say 300 days a year? Rs 3 lakh over 300 days is about Rs 1,000 a day. Can you not spend Rs 1,000 a day on your family's health? That is less than your lunch.
2. No time
Usually this is an excuse. If they truly had no time they would not have come to ask. Something else put them off.
Find out what they were trying to do. Agree first, then ask: "If you did have the time, would you do it?" If they say yes, move to their schedule and work out how to fit it in. If you sell something large, such as a house, remove the obstacles: you will handle the work through an agent, and they only need to come for a day or two to sign. If you sell goods, offer home delivery.
One more point: if you run ads and qualify leads, people who say they will start later are best left off your call list, because they do not buy. He has covered this in another video.
If what they actually mean is "I have to ask my wife," then it is not a time objection, it is the next one.
3. They cannot decide alone
This is the hardest to overcome, because the decision is not in their hands. He says it was the hardest one for him when selling gym memberships.
- Ask before the meeting: "Can you decide and purchase this yourself?" If yes, meet. If no, ask whose permission they need and invite that person along, so nobody's time is wasted.
- If they arrive alone anyway: offer a refund. "If your partner says no for any reason, we'll refund you, don't worry." If you can refund, say so. If you cannot, there is no sale yet, and they need to bring the other person.
- Prajwal's own approach: he would ask whether the programme would help them, and they would agree. Would it harm them? No. Then: would your parents or your husband really say no to your being healthier? Not likely. So join today, we have limited slots, and if your husband says no, we refund your money. He adds that a person who decides independently is not likely to hear "no" from family anyway.
4. They do not like the product, or do not believe it works
Explain what the product is and what it does, then show results. His example: as an online trainer, a prospect asks, "Does online training even give results?" The prospect does not believe it. Explain how it works and show results from real clients, and the belief follows.
5. They hope for a cheaper alternative
This is a competition objection, and it is easy to overcome if you plan for it from the start. Trying to overcome it only when the customer raises it is much harder.
In a market with competition, customers look for cheaper options and may use that against you. Your answer is to build something close to a monopoly. You cannot get there by shutting competitors out, which is illegal. You do it with a unique selling proposition, and you get that by choosing a niche, one so specific that others cannot easily copy it.
His example: a personal trainer who helps everyone will be replaced by another trainer tomorrow. A trainer who helps busy entrepreneurs lose weight has a niche. He then shows testimonials from other entrepreneurs, with a message that this programme was built for them. In online training a general fitness plan can be bought for very little, yet people pay lakhs to work with a niche trainer they like. That is niche power.
If you sell the same product as everyone else, build relationships. Use trust-building ideas from his earlier sales video: mirror their body language, listen without criticising, agree instead of contradicting, then ask questions. The more competition, the more you rely on the relationship as the reason to buy from you.
6. They do not trust you
You showed testimonials and did everything, and they still do not trust you. Then give a guarantee. Many people are afraid to, because they think customers will exploit it. But you can guarantee something in every business.
His example, a home cleaning service: "We arrive at the time you choose, clean your home in two to three hours, and leave it clean. That is our guarantee." If you cannot promise two hours, promise that you will come within two days. Whatever your way of working, you can guarantee that. The customer's fear that you will not show up or not clean disappears.
And do not cheat. Build your reputation and brand.
Where to go deeper
- His in-depth videos on each objection (made, or promised, by him).
- A Brian Tracy book on closing sales, and others on handling objections.
- Other sales trainers on YouTube. He recommends hearing many voices: each fills in a different part, and with enough of them you connect the dots.
His closing line: sales is one science; only the art, the way you present it, differs.
Which of the six do you hear most from your customers? Tell me in the comments.