Episode #439: Diane Helbig

In this episode of Sales Reinvented, sales expert Diane Helbig joins us to tackle one of the biggest hurdles in sales—handling objections. Diane shares her strategies for understanding and responding to objections with empathy, confidence, and a solution-focused mindset. 

From listening carefully to asking the right questions, Diane helps us see how thoughtful responses can turn potential roadblocks into opportunities. Tune in as she outlines her top dos and don’ts, shows how empathy can build trust, and reveals how the power of listening and learning can lead to sales success.

How Diane responds to objections

To avoid objections, Diane advises doing everything you can to gather information. Your job is to match your solution to their problem—but only if there is a match. If there is an objection, you need to get them talking to learn more.

Repeat back what you think you heard. “If I’m hearing you correctly, this is a concern of yours, is that fair?” Then she’ll ask them to tell her more to help her understand why it’s concerning. 

Diane always asks two questions: 

• What will the impact be to your and your business when you make this decision, whether it’s with me or someone else?

• What will the impact be if you don’t? 

These questions start them thinking about the real impact and whether or not it’s significant enough for them to make a decision.

Diane advises to avoid agreeing with their objection because it’s telling them not to buy from you. 

The role of empathy in handling objections

Sales conversations are tricky. Prospects feel vulnerable. They need and want to be heard. We want to make sure that we’re hearing and acknowledging them. We need to ask questions, thank them for their answers, and dig deeper. 

If they don’t want to answer a question, lean into it. Instead of saying, “What’s your budget for this?” ask “Have you worked with a company like us before?” If they’re uncomfortable sharing, you can ask where it’s coming from. Employing empathy helps them trust you. 

How to handle objections with confidence

Shift your mindset from “telling and selling” to “asking and learning.” Salespeople encounter objections because they talk too much. They have no idea what the prospect’s needs are, what their timeline looks like, what the decision-making process is—nothing. 

Diane tells sales teams to start by asking questions to learn as much as you can. When you’re ready, you can say “I believe we have a solution for you, may I share it?” Summarize what you heard and plug in how your product or services makes the investment equal to the value you’re going to get. 

Listen to hear Diane’s top three objection handling dos and don’ts.

Overcoming your own objections 

Diane had a client reach out for help purchasing a color copier (which was expensive at the time). Diane told her client that she didn’t need one. To prove her point, Diane started asking about the documents, where they were coming from, if they’d ever use the copy function, etc. 

It turned out that her client did indeed need a color copier! Through asking questions and listening to her answers, Diane realized it was exactly what she needed and helped her determine which copier was the best fit.

Diane got the clarity around the actual need and the potential impact on her client’s business. They came to an understanding of the perfect solution. 

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