When talking with prospective customers for your cleaning business, you're bound to have objections. To minimize objections, it helps to know why people raise them in the first place. Here are some of the main reasons for objections:

*Your presentation was weak and didn't fully answer their questions

*You didn't establish trust or credibility

*You didn't establish need

*You didn't completely qualify the buyer (you didn't do enough research on this prospective customer)

Why do so many people struggle with handling objections and why are there so many objections to overcome in the first place?

*Lack of product knowledge

*Lack of sales training and techniques

*Lack of self-confidence

*Not prepared, didn't practice

The best way to overcome objections is to prevent them from coming up in the first place.

*Make a list of every possible objection you can think of. Think about past sales calls you've made and write down the objections you've received.

*Write down your responses to your list of objections.

*Incorporate your answers into your presentation so you've answered the objections before your prospect has a chance to bring it up.

*After rehearsing your presentation, try role-playing with a colleague, friend or family member.

*Try out your presentation on prospects. Make any needed revisions and track what works and what doesn't.

You might want to incorporate some of the following into your presentation:

*Use real-life stories of similar situations. For example, if you had another customer that made the purchase despite having the same objection, use that example in your presentation.

*Use testimonials. Perhaps you had a customer that had a price objection initially, and then later realized that he actually ended up saving money. Prospects might not believe it when you tell them the story yourself, but if you have a written testimonial from someone else, it's much more powerful.

*Offer a comparison chart - your service versus the competition.

*Use phrases like, "Our experience has shown..."

*Use a phrase like, "Our existing customers had similar concerns, so in response to their concerns, here's what we did..."

Cleaning companies often find themselves having to overcome price objections. The important thing to remember is to discuss the value you provide to the customer before you start talking about price. This is why we stress talking about benefits rather than features. Benefits show value, and people are willing to pay more if they perceive the value to be high.

Try this exercise. Take a blank sheet of paper and make a list of the features you offer. Underneath each feature, write down the benefit the customer will receive. For example:

Feature: Bonded and insured
Benefit: Peace of mind that your contractor has taken steps to protect the building and its contents.

Feature: Employee training
Benefit: Employees take pride in their work and stay with their job longer when they receive training. This means the customer's building will receive higher quality of work with more consistency.

Feature: Building Inspections
Benefit: We make sure the quality of service is up to your standards so you don't have to spend time worrying about it.

Feature: Managing supplies
Benefit: You don't have to worry about running out of supplies or spend time picking up or ordering supplies.

Feature: Cleaning certifications
Benefit: Peace of mind, knowing that we're experts in our field. We're not experimenting with procedures on your furniture and flooring. When you need something done, all you have to do is ask.

This exercise should get you thinking more about the specific benefits that you need to talk about with the prospect. When he sees the value you offer, he'll have a better understanding of why your prices are what they are and will be less likely to object to your price.

What do you do if the objection has nothing to do with your service, but the simple fact that the prospect is happy with his current contractor? You need to start asking some key questions that will get the prospect thinking about why he should start shopping around, even if he's happy with the current contractor. Here are some tips for getting more information:

*Find out what is it about the current contractor he's happy with. What are they doing right? What does he like most about the contractor?

*Ask what changes he would make if he could.

*Question his selection process (not his selection!) Ask him by what standards does he judge his contractors by?

*You need to show a difference between your business and the current contractor. For example, perhaps you're using new technology that the current contractor doesn't have -- a telephone timekeeping system. This technology pages supervisors if an employee doesn't show up for work. This ensures their building will never miss a service.

*Ask if he regularly shops around for all his products and services. After all, don't we owe it to our business to make sure we seek out the best value regularly for all our goods and services? By doing this, it also keeps vendors and service providers on their toes if they know they're not guaranteed the business.

*If you offer a service the current contractor doesn't offer, see if you can get your foot in the door by offering a sample service. For example, if you offer hard floor care, and the current contractor doesn't, offer to strip and wax a section of a floor in order to demonstrate your services. Perhaps you can get that piece of their business.

Preparation and practice is really the key to overcoming objections. Unless you're a seasoned sales veteran, you'll likely be nervous when calling on prospects. However the more knowledge you gain about your business and the more you work on your sales skills, the easier it will get. Before you know it, you'll have a great system down and will be getting as much business as you can handle!