You have probably heard the Chinese Proverb
Give a man a fish and
you feed him for a day.
Teach a man to fish and
you feed him for a lifetime.
The same is true of objections; copy someone else’s response to a specific objection and move on from that one, learn a process for objection handling and deal with them ALL.
So we’ve reworded the proverb
Give a salesperson a response and
they can handle one objection.
Teach a salesperson to create their own and
you eliminate objections for a lifetime.
If you were to keep track of the objections you hear for one week, my experience shows there are three to five that keep popping up for you.
Objections Aren’t Questions; Don’t Answer Them!
Objections are always in the form of a statement; the prospect or customer has not asked us anything.
That being said, most salespeople begin to defend their position, product, or service… yup, sounds a lot like an argument.
PLUS, if someone says, “my favorite color is blue,” you don’t respond with “no it isn’t it’s red.” Do you?
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW – Once someone has stated an objection, their brain has been turned OFF.
Yup, they haven’t hit the release button on their phone to hang up on you – but they sure have done that in their brain.
Not only are they no longer listening, but every defense is also up against anything you might come out and say next.
Your #1 OBJECTIVE needs to be,
turning their brain BACK ON.
Objection handling is NOT about changing their mind… it is about keeping the conversation going.
A conversation is an exchange of ideas, if their brain isn’t on – no exchange can take place.
Last week’s Chip off the Block, Moving PAST Conversational Resistance, gave you a two-step ACKNOWLEDGE & ASK A QUESTION formula.
Later in the sales process, when it’s an objection you need to add a middle step: TELL A STORY to get the prospect re-engaged in the conversation.
- Give an example of a prospect who later became a customer from the same situation.
- Use yourself and how you buy as a story.
- Create an analogy or metaphor from outside what you do (price example: use cars – Tesla vs Kia).
- Don’t have your own story – borrow one from a teammate.
This month I’m challenging you to track the objections you hear: then make sure you have a story to tell, craft it so it’s short and engaging. Then make sure your open-ended question relates to your story and feels conversational!
Conversationally yours,
Lynn