Bike trade sales tips #3: Handling objections from bike shop customers

Objection overruled? How do you deal with that awkward moment in a conversation where the consumer says that whatever you’ve offered isn’t quite right? Knowledgeable cycle sales veteran John Styles examines some of the strategies to keep the sales conversation going and steer customers towards a sale…

In my last article, we talked about questions. I promised you we would talk about objections next. Now there is a step in between asking questions and dealing with objections which is about proposing a solution. Taking out a product and relating it to the consumer’s (stated) needs and suggesting it as the solution. I’m not going to summarise that stage, because from what I observe in stores, most staff are really good at
that bit of the conversation!

It’s the next stage in the sales process, an objection (as it’s called in classic Needs Based Sales Training) where I’ve seen many people struggle. It’s that awkward moment in a conversation where the consumer says that whatever you’ve offered isn’t quite right. I’ve seen a lot of sales lost where the salesperson accepts that at face value and the conversation finishes.

Of course, sometimes the objection is so big, or strongly expressed, that we really do need to accept it. But a lot of the time what the consumer is really saying is “I’d really like to buy this product but…” The trick is understanding the “but.” Maybe it’s the colour, the price, perhaps the product seems too basic for them or perhaps too complex. Sometimes it can be a combination of things.

The process of objection handling

In theory, handling an objection can be as easy as 1,2,3 – but of course it takes consistent practice to build up a good habit until it becomes second nature. So, try this 3-Step process if you can, and be patient – it may take a few goes until you feel it’s working for you…

(1) Lean In

So, the first thing to do is to lean towards (as opposed to away from) their objection by asking more questions, for example: What don’t you
like about it?

(2) Accept

Second, demonstrate that you have listened and accept their answer, no matter your own personal feelings on it. For example, you might think this year’s eye-popping orange is fantastic, but if the consumer really hates fluorescent orange, it’s better to validate their personal opinion than challenge them.

(3) Isolate

The third thing that can help you is to isolate objections. So, if they have voiced one objection, be sure to check there are no more. Is that the only thing that’s troubling you?

Propose again

After you’ve followed that simple three step process, it often feels natural to suggest another solution. So: “If we could solve that issue by offering you another colour would that work?”

Time and space

The other thing you may want to do is give the consumer some time and space. The reason why many consumers leave at this point is not because of the objection itself. It’s because they are feeling overwhelmed. They’ve already invested emotional time and energy in the conversation, and at this point, dealing with something about the product that isn’t quite right can be a bit much. Now can be a great time to offer them a catalogue, a review or a cup of tea and somewhere to sit down.

When you return, you can get straight back into open questioning with things like: How are you getting on? Has a little time helped clarify things? Notice the focus is on them, not the product.

The person

Now that’s a little bit about the process, but I also want to talk about people. Everyone’s different and you’ll see a range of different emotions and reactions when people reach this point in the purchase process.

The angry objector

Sometimes when people get to this point, they can demonstrate annoyance, irritation or even be outright angry. And our normal human instinct when someone shows that emotion is to back up and back off.

Often though, in this situation it can be good to lean in closer, listen and accept. Because nine times out of ten, they aren’t annoyed with you, or the shop and you haven’t done anything wrong. They are simply frustrated that they haven’t yet solved their problem.

An example might be the 6’4” “never cycled before rugby player” who needs an XXL road bike for a charity ride in three weeks’ time and it quite simply has to be red to match the team kit. Of course, you know that’s going to be hard to find but explaining why may simply antagonise this consumer. It may be best just to simply agree, console and offer as many close alternatives as you can find.

The quiet objector

The other object to that is hard to deal with is the quiet objector.  Someone who voices that there’s something not quite right with what you’re offering but isn’t quite willing to say, or doesn’t quite know.

Now in theory all of your questions earlier in the process should have brought out all of their needs. But of course, in practice, people are complex and subconscious or hidden needs are often lurking which tends to show up later in this process.

It could be that the budget doesn’t quite match their aspirations and really they need to be shown the model down. Sometimes the reverse, that they came in with a sensible budget in mind, and now feel they need a “higher status” machine to keep up with their pack.

The shy objector

Sometimes they have a question or an objection that they think you would find silly, so sometimes summarising the previous questions can help bring this out. A classic example would be “I don’t like the saddle, but I feel silly asking if it can be changed”.

The showroomer

And of course, there is always the possibility that they were intentionally showrooming you, never had any intention to purchase and were simply wanting to use your knowledge and experience for free. I guess we can’t win them all.

It all else fails, try a digital handshake

If both you and the consumer have invested time exploring their needs, but you haven’t quite got to a solution, there’s no harm in asking for their mobile number or email address to send them some more information. You might need to spell out that this is for you individually on a one-to-one basis to send them something that’s relevant to them. That you’re not adding them to any kind of mass mailing list or circular driven system (and be careful that you don’t unless they actually want to sign up).

You can also suggest that you’re very open to continuing the conversation digitally so that you can help to guide them to the right solution and that they are very welcome to return. For every showroomer who wants to ‘steal’ your time, there’s another consumer who is worried about taking up too much of your time.

Now I’ve seen this technique used by only a handful of people, often bike fitters in high end road stores. The reason I’m summarising it here is that often I see stores (instead) make a sharp distinction between the digital world and the real world. That is, there are conversations in store, and there are mass (e)mailings, social media campaigns and the website on the other hand. That consumers are somehow binary, either being online or instore shoppers, but of course we’re all shades of grey.

Sometimes the opportunity for an extra sale lies between the two, a one-to-one digital conversation that carries on when the consumer leaves the store. So don’t be afraid to try that, it might only lead to one or two more bikes being sold that week, but that may be the difference between profit and loss.

Of course, there are many ways to sell, this is just an example from one school of thought, one system/process of selling. So next time I’ll take a look the five main ways that sales skills are taught, and why “Sales” is often a word, subject and skillset that many tend to avoid.

John Styles is a veteran of the cycling industry, having worked with leading distributors and brands across the sector. With a well-rounded perspective on the opportunities and challenges facing the sector, backed by a Bachelors Degree in Economics, John Styles is an expert consultant for the bike trade.