How To Overcome “Smokescreen” Objections
Not all objections are created equal.
There are some objections that need to be addressed. And there are other objections that you’re better off just ignoring.
Crazy, right?
When have you ever heard sales advice that tells you to ignore your prospect?
Hopefully never.
Because it’s a terrible sales strategy, most of the time.
But for some objections (hint: “smokescreen” objections), it’s the right strategy.
There are two types of objections that we’ll talk about in this post:
- Real objections
- “Smokescreen” objections
First, how can you tell if an objection is real?
There are at least a couple indicators that an objection is real:
- Mentioned Before: The prospect has mentioned the same objection more than once.
- Makes Sense: The objection seems to fit the prospect’s situation or you’ve heard a similar objection before from other prospects.
For example, let’s say you’re selling a recruiting solution to a hiring manager. And that hiring manager has been telling you since the beginning,
“I’ll need to talk with our CEO to get approval on budget before we can get anything started.”
That sounds like a real objection.
In this case, it makes sense that a hiring manager would need to get budget approval from the CEO.
Click here to read more about how to handle real objections.
Second, how can you tell if an objection is just a smokescreen?
On the other hand, there are some objections that should NOT be handled. As we mentioned before, these are called “smokescreen” objections.
It’s not always easy to tell the difference, and there’s no universal rule.
But here are a few hints that an objection might be a smokescreen:
- Not Mentioned Before: The prospect gives you an objection that was not mentioned at all in the sales encounter previously, despite your rigorous and exhaustive qualifying.
- Doesn’t Make Sense: The objection doesn’t fit the prospect’s situation. For example, a prospect gives the objection that they need to talk to their partner, but they already told you that they are the 100% owner of the business.
- Kettle Logic: The prospect starts to give you one objection after the other, and the objections are not related, and they might even be contradictory. Click here to read more about kettle logic.
- The Classics: There are some objections that are almost always smokescreens (listed below). Not always, but almost always.
Here are some examples of smokescreen objections that you might have heard before:
- I forgot my wallet in the car.
- I have a customer in front of me.
- I’m too busy for this right now.
- Can I call you back tomorrow?
- I want to think about it.
Be careful, because these objections are not always smokescreens.
When a prospect gives you a smokescreen objection, we know one thing for sure: they’re not ready to buy.
But why?
It’s usually because there is a deeper objection behind the smokescreen.
Sometimes that deeper objection is a real objection that the prospect is uncomfortable saying.
Other times that deeper objection is based in emotion.
In some cases, it’s a combination of the two. For example, maybe the prospect is embarrassed to say that they don’t have enough budget.
If there’s a real objection behind the smokescreen, the goal should be to figure out that objection and handle it.
Click here to read more about handling real objections.
But if the objection proves to be just a smokescreen, then the best strategy is to “walk through” it.
What does it mean to “walk through” a smokescreen objection?
Real objections are like brick walls.
Smokescreen objections are like clouds of smoke.
If you were faced with a brick wall and you needed to get to the other side, what would you do?
You’d have to deconstruct the wall, break through it, build a door, or find a way around.
But you couldn’t just walk through it without breaking your nose.
With a cloud of smoke on the other hand, if you needed to get to the other side, what would you do?
Just walk through.
This isn’t always a natural reaction.
Most people are cautious around clouds of smoke, and for good reason. They can be scary, because you can’t see through them, and you don’t know what’s on the other side.
It’s the same with objections.
When a junior sales rep gets a smokescreen objection, they don’t know how to handle it. Often they’ll try to address the objection head-on in an attempt to overcome it by winning the prospect over to their way of thinking.
A pro salesperson, on the other hand, knows that a smokescreen objection is just that … smoke.
And how do you get past smoke?
Just walk through.
How to “walk through” a smokescreen objection.
There are two steps to “walking through” a smokescreen objection:
- Make an empathy statement.
- Ask a question (not related to the objection).
In the most polite way possible, carry on the conversation without addressing the smokescreen directly.
To avoid making your prospect feel like they’ve been ignored, make sure to use an empathy statement. Here are some of our favorites:
- No worries.
- I totally understand.
- That makes sense.
- I see where you’re coming from.
- I appreciate you sharing that.
But then move right along without skipping a beat.
The best way to keep the conversation going is to ask a question after your empathy statement (make sure the question isn’t related to the objection, to avoid granting legitimacy to the objection).
Now, the exact question you ask depends on how confident you are that the objection is a smokescreen:
- If you have high confidence, then you might just re-phrase your ask for the sale (aggressive).
- If you have low confidence, then ask an open-ended question (conservative).
Here’s an example of a more aggressive approach to an obvious smokescreen objection:
Salesperson:
“Awesome, so all we need to get started today is just to put a credit card on file and then you’ll be all set.”
Prospect:
“Do you mind if I just wait until my partner gets back to the office this afternoon and call you back then?”
Salesperson:
“No worries, Bob. If it’s easier for you, I can take a credit card to put on file now. And then once you’ve talked with your partner, feel free to call me back if there’s anything you want to change. Does that work?”
We especially recommend this approach in a situation where you know for a fact that Bob doesn’t have a partner, maybe because he already told you that he is the 100% owner of the business during qualifying.
Here’s an example of a more conservative approach to a potential smokescreen objection:
Salesperson:
“Awesome, so all we need to get started today is just to put a credit card on file and then you’ll be all set.”
Prospect:
“I don’t know. I’m just not sure. I’m also pretty busy right now. Actually, I just pulled up to a job. Can I call you back later?”
Salesperson:
“No worries, Bob. You’re a busy guy. Tell me this at least, do you think the program could work for your business?”
Prospect:
“You know, it just might. I particularly liked what you said about XYZ feature. But I’m just so busy right now.”
Salesperson:
“I understand, Bob. And I appreciate you sharing that with me. I think you’re right, that XYZ feature is a perfect fit for your business. How about this? I’m going to send the contract over to your email. We could start you on our 30-day trial and then review the results together after that. How does that sound?”
But whatever you do, don’t try to handle the smokescreen objection directly, like this:
Salesperson:
“Awesome, so all we need to get started today is just to put a credit card on file and then you’ll be all set.”
Prospect:
“I don’t know. I’m just not sure. I’m also pretty busy right now. Actually, I just pulled up to a job. Can I call you back later?”
Salesperson:
“Yea, it does sound like you’re busy. What times are you available later today?”
Prospect:
“I can talk again at 4pm …”
And the rest doesn’t matter … you’ve already lost control of the sale.
Because you let the prospect take control of the conversation as soon as you granted legitimacy to his “busy” objection by asking for times to call back later.
If you schedule a call back in this situation, chances are that Bob won’t even pick up.
Brick walls and clouds of smoke.
Remember, real objections are like brick walls.
Smokescreen objections are like clouds of smoke.
Real objections need to be handled.
Smokescreen objections can be walked through.
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