Sales conversations are scary because fear of rejection is woven into our DNA. And in sales conversations, you know you’re about to be rejected when you start hearing those dreaded objections.
Objections feel like nails going into the coffin.
….but they don’t have to be!
Of course, we all want our sales conversations to go smoothly without hearing any objections, but it’s unrealistic. So if you’re still secretly hoping to avoid objections, you will always be thrown off by them.
If you want to handle objections with confidence and grace, you need to change the way you think about them.
Objections don’t have to be scary. In fact, when you look at them from a certain perspective, objections are exciting!
What if an objection made you feel more confident instead of flustered? What if you looked forward to your sales calls instead of anxiously waiting like a ball of nerves before you pick up the phone or walk into the room? And what if you could get more clients with more ease and enjoyment every time?
Well, in order to make all of those things happen, just reframe those objections to make them work FOR you instead of against you.
“…And That’s Why You Should Hire Me”
One of the best pieces of advice I ever learned was from one of my first mentors, Alan Weiss.
Alan said that whenever you get an objection, you should use the phrase, “…and that’s why you should hire me.”
For example, I started my career as a speaker and coach in my early 20’s. So, naturally, I feared one objection the most: “What do you know? You’re so young!” How in the world could I combat that?! I WAS young. There was no denying it.
But with this one phrase, you can turn any objection into ammunition.
So, I reframed the objection by saying, “And that’s why you should hire me,” my mind tuned in to all of the reasons why someone young can be preferable to someone “more established.”
Like so…
“And that’s why you should hire me. Because I’m young, I make it a point to be up-to-date with the latest trends. I haven’t become settled in my ways and I’m not rigid in how I work. Someone who has been doing this for decades has nothing to prove, while I have everything to prove. I’m not resting on my laurels; I’m hungry. Your success is my success.”
Their objection to my age became one of my biggest selling points!
As another example, I’ve had clients become unraveled when a prospect asks, “Well have you worked with a company like us or in our industry before?” The hadn’t and they thought that that was the ballgame. All over.
Even that objection can become compelling ammunition when you say,
“To be honest, no I haven’t, and that’s why you should work with me. What you’ve described seems to have been a problem for quite sometime. It sounds like the same thinking has been creating the same problems. It looks like you guys need an outside perspective. Someone who isn’t entrenched with traditional thinking of the industry. I can bring in my experience and best practices from working with other industries who have already solved these problems.”
Objections stop feeling scary when they become fodder for reasons why you should be hired.
Fear the SILENT Objection
Objections aren’t a bad thing. Objections are continuing the conversation. Objections show that the opportunity is still open. Objections are a sign that there is still room for discussion to get on the same page.
Objections are great!
It’s the silent objection that will crush you.
When your prospect has doubts but is not sharing them, it means they are blocking you from further communication. The silent objection kills your deal. You could be rambling on about how awesome you and your service are, but it doesn’t matter. The deal is dead. You just don’t know it yet.
The truth is that you can sense when your prospect isn’t quite feelin’ it. Their body language shifts; their tone changes. When you sense that, you likely get nervous and try to bulldoze through the conversation hoping that, “If I just keep talking, then I might just land on something that they like. Please, oh, please!” This only makes the problem worse.
The objection stays silent. The doubt is still in their minds.
Instead, just “call it out.” Don’t let them marinate in the doubt!
Say, “I feel like something didn’t quite resonate with your there? What about that didn’t land for you?”
By calling it out you create a door through the wall they just put up. Calling it out demonstrates your confidence and collaborative mindset. An objection doesn’t scare you! You’re actually asking for it! They kind of confidence and authoritative energy is appealing. Babbling through a hidden objection is repelling.
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Avoid the Objection Tidal Wave
Did you know that your sales structure might be making objections more difficult for you?
If your sales conversation feels like you’re trying to convince someone of your value and you feel like you’re doing most of the talking, then you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Out of politeness – and sometimes even out of fear – your prospect won’t interrupt if they feel like you’re on a roll and doing your best to describe your value. Which means that they hold on to all of their objections until the very end of the conversation. You’ve built up your case, and now they’re going to poke holes in it. A tidal wave of objections seems to always crash upon you at the end of your sales pitch.
And what are you left to do? You just gave them your best material!
Objections are a lot easier to fight off one at a time rather than trying to get into a brawl with all of them at once.
That’s why you want to have a conversation, not a pitch.
99.9% of Objections Aren’t About You
One of the biggest reasons why you fear objections is because you think that the prospect is objecting to YOU. They’re not.
Objections stem from
- Fear of change/comfort with the status quo
- A bad past experience
- Flawed thinking/ignorance.
None of those have anything to do with you or your offer. It’s your job to be the detective and determine what is motivating their objection.
If they object out of fear of change or comfort with the status quo, it’s because you didn’t anchor in their problems strongly enough. You haven’t elicited the feelings of frustration or fear that they associate with their struggle. During the conversation, they’ve been emotionally neutral.
If they object because of a bad past experience, then you need to inquire about those details. What did they not like about it? Were there some good aspects? What would they want to experience instead? Then you can remove those fears by demonstrating why you are different and better than that one past mistake.
If they object out of flawed thinking or ignorance, it’s because you made too many assumptions during your conversation and you need to educate them toward a better thought process.
Of course, there are techniques for successfully handling each of these types of objections and how to structure your sales conversation so that you can always feel confident and in control while guiding a successful discussion toward gaining a new client.
If you’d like to step up your influential game in your sales and marketing, drop me a line here. Tell me a bit about yourself and let’s have a conversation. We can see if one of my courses, the Influence HQ mastermind, or 1-1 coaching are a good fit for you. There are plenty of options to help you become your most influential self. Let’s find out which one will work best for you!
In the meantime, use these 4 mindset shifts to never be afraid of objections again. Objections are no longer the big bad boogie man of your sales conversation. Objections are a sign of opportunity and progress.
Welcome the objection.
Let me know if these tips were helpful and if you have your own favorite tips for handling objections!
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