Marketing and Sales: Businesses or Consumers and Dealing with Objections?

As the new role of the salesperson to add new business to the company the discussion has come up if I would prefer the approach of adding Businesses or Consumers, or both and why?

Based upon my own selling experience and dealing with consumers on a day-to-day basis, I would have to say businesses. The lack of professionalism in dealing with end users on a day-to-day basis can be exhausting. The swearing, yelling and overall rude comments is what I like to call employee abuse that you have to endure on a day-to-day basis is out of control. There should be laws passed that doesn't allow end consumers to treat employees in this fashion.

In addition to the professionalism, businesses tend to buy more quantity and be repeat customers. Once you have closed a transaction with a consumer, the relationship is over unless there are any problems or issues that need to be dealt with. This can be both a good or bad thing. Business relationships can take years to develop, but consumer relationships can be developed and over with in just a short amount of time.

Based upon the two facts I just presented, I feel that companies can do a little of both to expand their sales. With proper advertising they can reach the consumers. In addition, I would continue to ask for referrals from current clients with are friends and associates of the current business owners. I would also develop a sales plan to start marketing to new businesses in the area to expand Studio Productions current client base.

As sales professionals we deal with objections every day. There are different types of ways we can respond to objections. Of the types of objections: Forestalling, direct denial, indirect denial, translation/boomerang, compensation, questioning/assessing, or third-party reinforcement, I feel the most 2 effective are third-party reinforcement, and questioning/assessing.

An example of third-party reinforcement would be Dr. Maas and better sleep though science. Simmons Mattress Company has used this approach in the past. They have endorsements though Dr. Maas whom is a well known in the mattress industry.

An example of questioning/assessing would be to change the objection into an advantage. We can do this by assessing the customer's needs with budget. It has been my experience when working in the furniture industry that many times customers want to have the $5,000 sofa yet their budget only fits the $599.99 sofa. There are many advantages to having a less expensive sofa, for instance, when they get tired of it in 5 years, they haven't spent a lot of money on it and can justify the cost of purchasing a new one.