The following was adapted from an interview conducted by Dan Walker, host of SalesRepRadio, a weekly podcast offering tips, best practices and expert advice for sales professionals across North America and around the world.

Q: As sales reps, one of the major obstacles we encounter in doing our jobs is customer objections -- having to overcome them, deal with them or move our prospects away from their concerns.

Joining us today to address that very issue is the President and Founder of Engage Selling Solutions, Colleen Francis. Colleen has delivered customized sales training programs to companies all over the world and is an expert in dealing with and overcoming objections. Colleen, thanks for taking the time to speak with us.

Colleen Francis: Thank you, it's nice to be here.

Q: It really does seem today that objections have almost become a standard part of the sales process. Is there any way to eliminate objections or at least reduce them?

Colleen: That's a great question, Dan. I don't think that objections will ever be eliminated completely. However, we have developed several techniques that can help you dramatically reduce the number of objections you get throughout the sales cycle.

The first thing to remember is that objections are a natural part of the sales process. Put yourself in the consumer's shoes for a minute, and think about the last time you made a major purchase -- a house, a car or maybe that Harley you always wanted.

It was a big investment, and you wanted to make sure you were making the right decision, so you probably started second guessing yourself even before you made the purchase. Do I really want to live in this neighborhood? Can I really afford those mortgage payments? Is a convertible really a good idea when I live in Alaska?

Those are all objections, and objections are our brain's natural reaction to the fear of commitment. We all want to make sure were doing the right thing before we commit to do it. Sales reps need to remind themselves that an objection doesn't necessarily mean the prospect is moving away from the sale. In fact, it may mean the prospect is getting close to making a decision, and they're just freaking out over the idea of spending all that money.

From a business viewpoint, the prospect is probably thinking to themselves: I'm going to be spending half a million dollars here; if this is the wrong decision, am I going to get fired? That's an important thing to remember. Objections are going to come naturally, and the larger ticket the item is that you're selling or the more money you're asking the prospect to send, the more often those objections are going to arise.

As for the second part of your question -- while we may not be able to entirely eliminate objections, yes, we can reduce the number of objections we get. The best way to do this is to preempt your prospect.

Q: Preempt your prospect -- can you explain that one to me?

Colleen: What I mean is that we, as sales people, can bring potential objections up before the client gets a chance to.

For example, let's say you're selling a product that you know is in the top price range among all your competitors. You need to bring that up early on in the sales process, by telling your prospect something like: Dan, you need to know that we're not the cheapest product on the market. You can always find someone who can deliver this service for less money than we can. I can promise you that we will be competitive. Knowing that we are not the cheapest option, does it make sense for us to go forward?

Usually, the prospect will assure you that price isn't their only consideration, and ask you to continue with your discussion. And by bringing up that price objection early on, it makes it very difficult for them to raise it later.

In fact, you can use this approach with almost any kind of objection. For instance, if you find that many of your prospects object to your turnaround time, tell them early on: A lot of our clients are concerned about the time between placing an order and getting the product delivered. Normally it takes us about six weeks. Is that going to be a problem for you? Or if you think they might object to displacing their current supplier, ask them: How are you going to justify switching companies to your CFO?

Then talk them through those objections up front.

Q: What about provoking an objection? Are there any behaviors or approaches that act like triggers to provoke objections?

Colleen: Yes. A lot of it is simply how you carry yourself through the initial stages of the sales process.

The more questions you ask and the more involved the prospect is in the process, the less likely they are to object. Similarly, the more often you're able to provide a proposal or presentation that gives the prospect the information they want or need, the more you focus on them and the less likely they are to object as well.

One of the things we need to do when a prospect raises an objection or asks a question, is help them discover the answer on their own. We do that by asking questions.

When a prospect says your price is too high, ask them: How high is it? Have you found something else on the market for less? Is price the only consideration? In general, I recommend asking three questions to help further define the objection and lead the customer to their own conclusions.

It's also a good idea to script and practice your answers to the most common objections in advance. I think it's a real tragedy that most sales people aren't prepared to handle objections, because the reality is, there are only about three or four major objections that tend to come up over and over again: I'm not the decision maker, I don't have any money, I don't have any time and I don't have any needs.

If you're honest with yourself and look at all the objections you get on a regular basis, you'll see that they almost all fit into one of these four key categories. Yet in my experience, more than 80 per cent of the sales reps out there are not prepared to deal with these four common objections.

As sales professionals, we need to know our answers to these objections right up front. And we need to document them, practice them, use them with our prospects and go back and refine them.

As an added bonus, sometimes having good answers to a customer's first questions can help eliminate future ones in the sales cycle as well.

Q: How about a few quick tips for dealing with those objections?

Colleen: One of the best tips I can suggest is to always acknowledge that the customers objection has a right to exist. If a prospect tells you that your prices are too high, you can say: Yes, you're right. As I mentioned, our prices are not the lowest in the industry. Did you find something lower from a competitor?

When you support the client's objection, it helps put them at ease and makes them more willing to listen to the answer. In essence, we need to show them that we understand or acknowledge the position they're in before we can help move them away from their objection.

I might say something like: Bob, I can understand that you're not happy with the price, I get a sense that the proposal I sent has made you uncomfortable, I sense that the implementation timeframe doesn't fit your needs or I can appreciate why you're concerned about our pay up front policy.

Whatever it is they're objecting to, give them the right to have the objection in the first place, and then you can work through it together.

Q: A very good, common sense roadmap to dealing with those pesky objections. Any final words of wisdom?

Colleen: I would encourage all sales reps to really focus on the prospecting part of their business, because handling objections is much easier when you have a pipeline full of business.

Having a full pipeline allows you to be creative, to take some risks and say to your prospects: If I can't find a solution, does it mean it's over between us? It also allows you to walk away from business or customers who are not going to be profitable.

Always keep this in mind: if a prospect has a habit of objecting to everything you say, is that prospect going to be a good customer? A wise sales manager once told me: Prospects are not like fine wine; they don't grow old gracefully.

I always say to my clients, if your customers or prospects are that difficult to deal with before they've given you any money, imagine how they're going to be as customers! Your time is valuable, and you have to be willing and able to walk away from business that you don't think is going to be good for you or your company.

Q: Colleen Francis, thanks so much for the valuable insights.

Colleen: Thank you so much for having me.

The discussions and debates in the business world over helping customers with real people or software -- help desk staff or help desk software -- just might be missing the point. The fact is, at some point in a certain number of instances, it takes a real live person to solve the problem. The challenge is not to take your employees out of the loop and force your customers to use a FAQ list or fill out a web form (ticket), it is to maximize the value, to the customer, of both online and human resources.

To that end, we will look at a few improvements you can make for both your help desk documents and your help desk personnel. The overall picture reveals a system that directs and leads customers to the fastest, least costly and most practical solution, however that can be delivered. It will begin with self-help (online resources) and, for the few most serious cases that need it, end with personal attention. This phrase brings up an important point. The customers need to feel they are getting personal attention even from your FAQ page and your "ticketing" system, if you are using one. They need to feel secure with your process and confident in your staff's abilities.

Better software solutions

- Help the customers help themselves: FAQ pages should be the first place you direct customers to get assistance. Perhaps the best way to develop a strong, effective FAQ is to assemble it with input from users, help desk staff and management. The list of FAQs should be comprehensive without being daunting, and cover the "percentages" by addressing issues in order from most to least likely.

- Empowerment with orderliness: Your website copy, print materials and operator scripts (for live phone calls) should all strongly encourage the customer's use of your online "knowledge base" and/or FAQ pages.

- Self-service system: If you install some sort of "incident" or "ticketing" management system, make it customer-driven, and again empower the customers to follow up, get replies and initiate further conversations directly from the web forms to which you initially directed them.

- Easy (and simple) does it: Your FAQ and/or knowledge base need to be simple, easy to use and focused on the roughly 10% of problems accounting for almost half of the calls. If the online tools take too long to get to the solution, or otherwise misdirect customers or waste their time, they will pick up the phone and call. You want to minimize that.

Better staff solutions

- Don't fret the metrics, but do learn from them: It is always important to develop and provide clear metrics to your help desk staff, without obsessing over them. Give your staff information on average call-handling time, average "speed-to-answer" and other aspects of their day-to-day duties. Using these metrics effectively can lead to more calls being handled by the same number of staffers, and can help even those who already were productive become even more so.

- Teach "triage": Ensure that your help desk representatives know the difference between low- and high-priority issues, and deal with the first kind by quickly starting a ticket and getting to the next call. If your help desk staffers do not differentiate wisely among calls during busy call periods, the customers needing the most personal attention may end up waiting in the queue. Staff should not waste time on matters best handled by the customers themselves through the web resources.

- Leverage the other experts in the company: If you draft some smart (and hopefully articulate) folks from other company departments, ones who know the products and services well, you can augment your help desk staff during "crush" times. Sometimes calls will come in for weeks after new implementations or installations are done, new software versions are released and so on. You will not only have in-house back-up for any potential "call surges" but will also build team spirit and interdepartmental camaraderie that will benefit your entire firm, sometimes in unexpected ways.

- Support your local help desk: Good morale always helps "in general," but it also boosts help desk productivity in particular. Spending "quality time" with the help desk staff may not be at the top of every CEO or CIO's to-do list, but an investment of just half an hour or an hour can make all the difference in staff attitude. Executives, managers and supervisors all need to convey to the help desk representatives that they are important, that they are on the front lines and that they are part of the firm's success formula. Demonstrating how much you value the team goes a long way, particularly when you believe it and even more so when it's true!

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Any business owner and marketer worth his or her salt know that product resistance and customer doubt is part and parcel of marketing the business. You just cannot please everybody. More often than not, people in general need to be convinced first of your product’s value before they can even decide to buy from you.

Even with catalog printing, no matter that you have a wider array of offers spread out in the pages of your collateral; you know that you need to consider several factors to help you alleviate any target clients doubts. It may come from a particular issue or concern that your target client has in your cheap catalog printing for example. He or she may not like the way you used your colors or designed your collateral.

It may also be that they are particularly averse with your products effectiveness when it comes to solving an issue or a problem of theirs. Whatever their reason, the fact is that your target readers are prevented from making a favorable decision to buy from your catalog printing and they can either express it verbally or otherwise.

The verbal part is easier to address. But when resistance becomes non-verbal, that is the time when you need to learn to read between the lines so you will be able to interpret their body language and expression.

The good news though is that even an objection to your catalog printing or even cheap catalog printing is better than no reaction at all. This just means that even with an objection, your target clients are actually contemplating your offer. There might be a few concerns that your readers may have that is why they are having a hard time deciding to buy from you. Nevertheless, any reaction is a good thing. You just need to properly address these concerns in order for you to turn them into buying clients instead of a doubting Thomas.

As a business owner and marketer, you need to know this at a very early stage of your marketing campaign. In addition, you also need to consider that not all concerns are the actual issues your target clients would want to convey. Sometimes their objection is just their way of getting more information on your product or service. Unless you understand and provide your readers with answers to their issues, you will really have a hard time convincing them of the value of your offer.

The key is to understand why your target clients are saying a qualifying no and try to overcome their issues. When you are able to rise above the rejections and doubts, that is the time that your target clients will more than likely go for your offer, even to the extent of going to your business repeatedly for their needs.

When you ask your prospects to agree on a sale, be sure to provide them with answers that can alleviate their doubts. At the end of the day, marketing is all about providing the best information so your target clients can make a decision, which is favorable to your business.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit: Cheap Catalog Printing, Catalog Printing

Customer service communication is a concern for any E-Biz owner. You've got to respond to every inquiry, address every issue, and still find time for the many other responsibilities running an online business entails. According to E-Biz attorney Cliff Ennico, "Customers today want instant answers and get miffed if you take too long getting back to them. With so many emails and voicemails to answer, and only so many hours in a day, it becomes an increasing challenge to keep up with it all." While you can’t please everyone, Ennico suggests some steps you can take to stay on top of your customer relations without sacrificing your every spare moment:

DON'T Answer Email in Real Time -- Stopping to respond to every email, as it comes in, can become a real source of distraction. Instead, budget blocks of time specifically for clearing your inbox. Depending on the volume of emails you get, you may need to set aside anywhere from an hour to a few hours, at least twice a day, to answer customer service emails. Explains Ennico, "That way, even the most impatient buyer is never more than a few hours away from getting a response."

When you do get to your email, delete your junk mail, then sort your remaining messages into three categories:

Respond To Now -- If a message can be responded to in ten words or less, do it immediately, rather than letting it pile up. The vast majority of emails can be answered this way.

Respond To Later -- If a message requires a lengthier response, or will take time to read, move to the next one and come back when you reach the end. If an inquiry can’t be addressed in under twenty-five words, consider a reply such as, "Your message deserves more time than I can give in an email. Please call me."

Respond To Never -- Many people struggle with ignoring any email, but there are times when it’s best not to respond, even at the risk of being considered rude.

Over the course of the day, these categories will change. What was a Respond To Later will become a Respond To Now, etc.

Turn Your Ringer OFF -- It's okay to silence your phone when you're working. Leave a professional sounding voicemail telling customers that you're away from your desk (they don't need to know if your desk is the kitchen table) and you'll return their call as soon as possible. If you answer the phone each time it rings, you can easily get to talking and find time quickly sliding away from you. Beyond that, you break your concentration flow. It takes time to refocus on what you were doing and where you were in the process.

Just like with email, set blocks of time aside to answer your voice messages. Base the amount of time you allot for returning calls on how many you normally receive, and how much time you usually spend responding. You may not be able to reach everyone during your scheduled time... that's okay too. Telephone tag is a fact of life; you'll connect sooner or later.

Managing your communications effectively can be the difference between running a successful e-business and letting your e-business run you. Says Ennico, "Plan your days ahead of time and, as much as possible, stick with the plan. You'll be amazed at how the simple act of creating an organized Customer Service Schedule can free your time up.”

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Have you ever called a customer service number for a company and had to go through multiple numbers before you could actually talk to someone? It’s both frustrating and maddening. By the time you get to talk to someone, you're usually so mad you can’t make sense anyway and nothing gets resolved. Well, what is the definition of customer service?

It just so happens to be a company or an organization's obligation to meet or exceed the customers needs or wants. I'm not sure how that can be accomplished by making the customer angry and frustrated. Most businesses have an 800 number to call for complaints or questions. So, when you reach that number you expect to be able to ask someone your question or state your complaint with the expectation that it will be followed up on.

Coming and going is the name of the game. You get them to come in and give them great service and then you send them out happy and wanting to come back. So, you make them happy and satisfied both coming and going. You also want them to give you a good recommendation to their family and friends. Anyone can sell someone something once, but without great customer skills, they won’t sell them anything else.

So, how do you find good customer service? Well, of course one way is to ask your friends and family for tips on who they do business with and what their experiences have been. Another is to have done business with them yourself and have built a relationship with them. This will tell you how you will be treated when you need their service. When you are considering doing business with someone, call them and ask a question. If they answer the phone right away and are polite and helpful, then they probably will have good customer service.

What about customer service units? These are companies that are hired to answer the phones for businesses and give assistance to the caller. Sometimes they are not equipped to handle a particular problem, but they can direct you to someone who can or give you some assurance that someone who can assist you will call you back.

The benefit of hiring a customer service call center is that most businesses can’t afford to hire staff to answer the phones 24/7. The call center will take calls, field them to the proper place or they may be trained to give you what you require then and there. These call centers can also be customer interaction centers. Customers can call them, fax them, chat online, email or even instant message them, making the business you're seeking help from available whenever you need them.

Some call centers have a multi-tier support system. This is good quality assurance for the company who hires that type of call center. The first tier consists of operators who direct calls to the proper department and handle general questions. If the caller requires more assistance than the first tier operators can give, the call is transferred to the second tier. And if the caller requires still more assistance, the third tier is usually made up of skilled technicians that are specially trained.

The bottom line in customer service is to treat your customers as you would like to be treated.

Learn about Customer Service at www.totalqualityassuranceservices.com

What is customer service? Have you ever stopped to really think about this question? We have trained literally thousands of people and hundreds of organisations in customer service. No matter who the person or what the organisation, the answer to this question is always generic. They will say: "Customer service is about giving customers what they want" or perhaps "it's about satisfying customers" some times they will say that it is about "making customers happy."

While at first glance these answers may sound correct, nothing could be further from the truth. Say for example that you ran a restaurant. If a customer were to enter your restaurant and ask for some office supplies would you be able to give the customer what they want? Would you be able to satisfy a customer who was looking for some jewelry if you worked in a hardware store? No, it would be impossible. The best that you could do would be to politely tell the customer where they can go and get jewelry. Obviously, customer service is not about giving customers what they want, or even satisfying customers.

The same is true for the way we give customer service. When we ask the question: what is the most important thing for good customer service, almost everyone we ask will answer: smile. While this may be good in some cases, it is not appropriate in all cases. Just imagine if a distressed mother came up to you and told you that she had lost her 2 year old child in your store. Imagine how she would respond if you were to smile at her? Or imagine if a customer told you that he/she slipped while climbing the stairs or escalator in your store, and as they explained their excruciating injuries, you smiled back at them.

The truth is that customer service is not about practicalities, it's about principles. The practicalities may change but the principles stay the same. Staff are not meant to smile all the time, to give customers everything they want, or to satisfy all their needs. Staff are meant to promote the organisation and its values. If you want to increase the impact of your customer service teach staff to represent your organisation and its unique traits.

When we teach customer service training modules we first focus on what the organisation values, what it's all about and what does it want customers to see. Once we have done this, we move on to how to serve in light of these values. This is a very easy way of getting staff to change the way they serve, it produces better results and is a lot more fun to teach.

Here is something you can do to help your staff engage in effective customer service. Take a black/white board and draw a very basic house. Ask staff to take a piece of chalk or the white board marker and to take turns to turn this basic house into your organisation/company. They may add pictures or words to the basic drawing. Some will add words like: quality, professionalism, friendliness, service, money, speed, or simplicity while others may draw things like customers and staff.

Now ask staff this simple question: in light of this picture, what does a good customer service representative do? The participants will now find it easy to see what customer service is really about in your organisation. They may say for example, in light of us being a friendly company we should smile. Or perhaps they will highlight the organisation's professionalism and explain that it's professional to stand up straight and to dress appropriately.

Instead of teaching staff practicalities, teach them principles and the practicalities will follow naturally. We have a free, 2 hour course which you can download and run with your staff to help them improve their customer service. Just visit www.griffin.ie You can also email me at stephen@griffin.ie