Leveraging Voice of Customer Data: Turning Objections into Sales Opportunities

Imagine you’re delivering a crucial sales presentation. Suddenly, your potential client raises an objection. Instead of being caught off guard, you respond with a perfectly tailored answer that addresses their concerns head-on. This isn’t a matter of luck or guesswork – it’s the power of Voice of the Customer (VoC) data in action. 

 Customer experience initiatives offer invaluable insight into your customers’ preferences, pain points, and expectations. By utilizing this information, sales teams can craft more effective pitches, handle objections with confidence, and ultimately win more business. 

Unlocking the sales potential of voice of the customer programs 

In a crowded marketplace, cutting through the noise in sales has become more challenging. Prospective customers are inundated with options, making it crucial for businesses to differentiate themselves. This is where Voice of the Customer (VoC) Data and Customer Experience (CX) programs become invaluable assets. 

While most companies have implemented some form of a VoC program—often starting with Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys to measure customer sentiment—the true potential of this data regularly remains untapped. Organizations frequently silo this information, which prevents sales teams from accessing its full value.  

PRO TIP: Maximize your NPS survey results 

Ensure you’re getting the most out of your NPS survey by including an open-ended “Why did you choose this score?” field for unstructured feedback and ask about areas for improvement and favorite brand aspects. This approach provides crucial context for scores, identifies strengths and weaknesses, and increases survey relevance for customers. This enhanced survey provides a deeper understanding of the factors influencing an NPS score, enabling more informed decisions to improve customer satisfaction. It also provides you with direct customer feedback to utilize in your sales objections.

Voice of Customer data Survey question example

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When sales teams have access to VoC feedback, they gain a powerful tool for attracting and converting potential customers. Voice of the Customer feedback:  

  • Provides real-time social proof: Feedback from existing customers offers real perspectives on product or service experiences, helping potential customers make more informed decisions. Positive experiences shared by current customers serve as powerful testimonials, influencing potential customers’ decisions. 
  • Addresses common concerns: Frequently mentioned issues or praise in customer feedback answers questions from potential customers that they haven’t asked yet. 
  • Showcases use cases: Current customer experiences illustrate various ways to use the product or service, revealing potential use cases that new customers hadn’t considered. 
  • Builds trust: Transparent sharing of customer feedback, both positive and negative, can increase credibility and trust among potential customers. 
  • Competitive comparison: Feedback often includes comparisons to competitors, which is invaluable to potential customers evaluating different options in the market. 

Building trust with the LAARC approach 

In the sales process, after you’ve wrapped up your demo or presentation, the next crucial—and often intimidating—step is managing any objections or pushback from the customer. Successful objection handling requires active listening, empathizing with the customer’s perspective, asking probing questions to uncover underlying issues, and reframing objections as opportunities to highlight product value. 

The LAARC approach helps salespeople have more meaningful, customer-centric conversations when handling objections. This framework emphasizes a collaborative problem-solving mindset to move the sale forward.  

LAARC stands for: 

  1. Listen: Engage in mindful, active listening—not only will this help your prospect feel understood, but it’s also the key to uncovering what truly matters to them and addressing their objections effectively. 
  1. Acknowledge the Objection: When your prospect raises an objection, don’t simply push past it or try to address it right away—acknowledge it and show that you genuinely understand and respect their concern. 
  1. Ask a Question: Objections are seldom straightforward. They often stem from fear, or misunderstanding. Ask questions that dig deeper into the root of their objection, allowing you to address it effectively and move forward. 
  1. Respond to the Objection: When the customer sees that the sales rep fully understands their objections, the salesperson can craft a well-considered and empathetic response that includes a solution. Hint: this is where VoC data comes into play!  
  1. Confirm the Objection was Handled: Many salespeople overlook this step by responding to an objection and then quickly moving on to the next part of the sales process. Confirm that you have genuinely resolved the objection rather than simply assuming your response was effective. 

This structured yet adaptable framework helps convert objections into opportunities to build trust and keep the opportunity moving.  

The Respond phase of this framework is where you’ll utilize Voice of Customer data to extract the insights you need. VoC data is particularly valuable when you don’t have a branded case study, customer testimonial, or referral to rely on. 

Handling objections with VoC insights 

Let’s explore a few examples of how we’ve tackled common objections with real customer feedback.   

Implementation and support concerns 

Customer Objection: “I’m hesitant to introduce a new product to my team and the time it will take to implement and learn.” 

Sales Response: “We completely understand how difficult it can be to incorporate a new tool throughout a team and organization.  However, our customers consistently highlight ease of use and seamless implementation as the top benefits of using Alchemer.  In a recent survey sent out to our current customers we found that 80% of customers agreed that implementing Alchemer was fast and easy.  When asked, “What makes Alchemer special?”, 37% of customers selected “Ease-of-use” as the standout feature. In fact, we put together a whole blog post on how easy we are to use!” 

 Here are some recent NPS standout responses from our customers when we asked what they loved about Alchemer. 

“I love how user friendly it is and how you can find instructions on all the different options to create the surveys.”  

– Director of CX at a Global Beauty Company 

“Alchemer is easy to use, easy to learn and the technical support is good.” 

– Senior Director, Legal Operations at Business Software Company  

“I love how intuitive it is. I love how easy it is to use.”  

– VP at Global Sports and Entertainment Company  

“The platform is comprehensive, easy-to-use. Downright comforting pace-of-mind wise.”  

– Project Director at Market Research Firm 

Price objections 

Customer objection: “You’re too expensive.” 

Sales Response: “The initial cost may seem pricey, but our customers often see a return on their investment almost immediately. In a recent customer survey, we found that 92% reported their ROI, after implementation, met or exceeded expectations. We find our customers consistently find greater value in choosing us over our competitors. 

Additionally, our unmatched support is included in the overall cost, unlike other companies that charge extra for it.” 

Here are some recent NPS standout responses from our customers when we asked what they loved about Alchemer.  

Simplicity. Value. Unlimited responses. Plus, the few times I’ve had to contact you, the response was A+ for the plan I’m on, I shouldn’t expect the response times and support you get.” 

– Owner, Marketing Firm  

Value for price vs competition” 

– President, Health Care Consulting Firm 

The unlimited amount of surveys and the support!  Support is really fast and helpful.”

– Founder, Gaming Market Research Firm  

Ease of use and you have a WONDERFUL customer support staff with a quick response time – love it!” 

– Accreditation and Compliance Specialist, Higher Education  

“Really just the sheer ease of use / functionality for the money… a very good value.  And support is always a joy as well.” 

– CEO, Market Research and Consulting Firm 

Competitor comparisons 

Customer objection: “We’re currently using your competitor X for our solution, and it works well for a company of our size.” 

*Note: Before you respond to this, or a similar, objection be sure to discover how their relationship with the current supplier is progressing, and whether there’s anything they feel is lacking or unsatisfactory with that supplier. This will help you dig deeper and pinpoint the areas where you stand out against your competitors. 

Sales Response: “Among our customers similar in size to yours, we maintain an average NPS response of 9. Many have highlighted our features, functionality, and value as key differentiators from competitors.” 

Here are some recent NPS standout responses from our customers when we asked what they loved about Alchemer. 

Cost, functionality, and value compared with Qualtrics.” 

– Chief Researcher, Global Research Agency  

We have been immediately impressed with its included range of features and the breadth of functionality. We were previously using SurveyMonkey and Alchemer’s capabilities are going to save us so much time.” 

– Scientist, Constituent Experience Management 

“There’s so much Alchemer does better than Qualtrics. Also: Great customer service that beats Qualtrics. Keep up the good work.” 

 – User Researcher, Software and Technology company  

It’s a more robust tool than Typeform, Google form, Survey Monkey, etc. but at a decent cost compared to Qualtrics.” 

– Manager, UX Research, Global Software Company  

Once you identify the common objections your sales team frequently encounters, you can strategically gather the relevant data to address those concerns head-on. By incorporating this information into your sales scripts, you’ll equip your team with tailored responses that not only overcome objections but also reinforce the service or product’s value. This proactive approach strengthens your sales process, making your team more confident and persuasive during customer interactions, ultimately leading to higher conversion rates and stronger client relationships. 

Conclusion 

Whether you’re facing implementation concerns, price objections, or competitor comparisons, Voice of Customer data is a powerful tool to overcome obstacles and drive conversions. By integrating these customer-centric strategies into your sales process, you are not just selling a product or service – you’re offering a solution backed by the authentic experiences of satisfied customers. Leveraging VoC data is a game-changer for sales teams aiming to elevate performance and close more deals.  

Are you ready to win more deals? Talk to us today!  

Not quite ready for a demo? That’s ok too! Here are some additional resources:   

  • Integrations– Break down organizational silos and ensure you’re getting the data you need. Check out how Alchemer integrates with Salesforce and hundreds of other prebuilt integrations to seamlessly connect Alchemer to almost any platform. 

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