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Overcoming The Objections That Keep You From Achieving Massive Success
By Kurt Mortensen,
the CEO of the Persuasion Institute in Orem,
a professor of public speaking and persuasion,
S. Orem UT, U.S.A.
askkurt at persuasioninstitute com
www.PreWealth.com
Become a member of TranslationDirectory.com at just
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Realize
that most objections can be resolved before they even arise.
Cost is often the first objection that is put up, but usually
it’s not the true reason, deep down, for rejecting a product
or service. Nothing de-energizes your persuasive efforts
more than lingering doubts and concerns that remain unresolved
in your prospect’s mind. No matter what you’re selling,
all objections can fit into one or more of the following
categories. Read on….
No matter what you’re selling, all objections can fit into
one or more of the following categories:
1. Fear of failure — “Can I do this? Will this really work?”
2. Lack of support — Spouse, parents or friends unsupportive
3. Can’t make the commitment — Don’t have time, conflicts
with existing obligations, childcare concerns, etc.
4. Not enough motivation — The discomfort of the prospect’s
current situation is not great enough that s/he wants to
make changes
5. Financial concerns — Fear that the prospect can’t afford
it or will be extremely stretched trying to. Is it worth
the investment?
Notice that I listed financial concerns last. Cost is often
the first objection that is put up, but usually it’s not
the true reason, deep down, for rejecting a product or service.
I’ll explain more about this topic later. With an idea of
where objections stem from, let’s talk about when the optimal
time is to handle them. As I already mentioned, the ideal
scenario is for all your prospect’s questions and concerns
to be answered as a natural course of your exchange - not
after you’ve gone through your entire presentation.
Nothing de-energizes your persuasive efforts more than lingering
doubts and concerns that remain unresolved in your prospect’s
mind. When you are “interviewing” your prospects, use your
open-ended questions to help them open up and shed light
on any possible areas of concern. With this approach, you
are opening the door to bring up and cover such issues on
your terms. This persuasive strategy is not a matter of
manipulation; by virtue of the roles you each play - you
as the one offering a solution and the prospect as the one
seeking a solution - it is more practical and effective
for both parties to get what they want.
There are two challenges at play when, after you’ve gone
through your presentation, a prospect still voices concerns.
First of all, you did not discover enough information to
accurately anticipate and diffuse concerns while they were
still seeds in your prospect’s mind rather than rooted plants.
Secondly, if the prospect has to bring it up and begins
questioning you, merely by nature of the dialogue, you are
now on the defensive. This flipping of roles will never
place you in a strong persuasive position. Worse, if you
do project even a hint of defensiveness or insecurity toward
your prospect or product, that in and of itself can breed
more doubt in the prospect’s mind than perhaps the original
concern did. How awful to lose a sale based on mistaken
perceptions! And yet, these details make or break sales
all the time.
Let’s talk about price for a moment. It seems to be everyone’s
top concern, doesn’t it? Independent researchers found that
68 percent of prospects admitted that price was not the
determining factor, but they also admitted that they knew
by experience that stating that the price is too high is
the best way to get rid of a salesperson. Price, in fact,
is seldom the sole reason for buying or not buying something.
When asked the reasons why they did buy something, 94 percent
of interviewed customers mentioned non-price issues as being
the most important factor for their purchase.
If you think about it, it doesn’t make sense to buy something
just because the price is good. What if it’s not something
desirable, useful or necessary? Would you buy it just because
of its price? When you do a good job of helping people see
how your product will improve their lives, change their
lives or move them from their current situation to their
desired situation, price is usually the least of their concerns.
It all goes back to the emotions - the pain of their current
situation sharply contrasts with what they want and hope
for in the future and is thus the true motivator. At that
point, you could name almost any price and they would buy.
I say this not to suggest in any way that you should take
advantage of that psychological tendency but simply to underscore
that price is not the issue.
Now, let’s look at the worst-case scenario: Even after the
best presentation you could muster, your prospect still
has issues. If you ever find yourself in this situation,
there are a number of considerations to bear in mind. First
and foremost, ask yourself if this is a conflict you can
even resolve. Suppose you find out the real reason why your
prospect is hung up on the price is that s/he just declared
bankruptcy. In that case, obviously, no matter what you
do or say, you have no control over the situation. If it
is an issue that is solvable, however, then let your prospect
talk. Just hearing her/him out will diminish her/his need
to contend over price. Conversely, if you become upset,
impatient or condescending, you will just make your prospect
cling to the price issue.
Always remain calm and empathetic in the face of resistance.
This behavioral strategy will come across as more professional,
credible and trustworthy. A calm and caring demeanor also
gives your prospect room to save face if s/he changes her/his
mind. Never back your prospects into a corner. It’s a good
idea to start out at square one and review with your resistant
prospects the many different ways in which your product
meets their needs.
Help your prospects step back again and see how your product
will move them from their current situation to their ideal
situation. If, in the end, they remain adamant, never close
the door. Extend to them the opportunity and invitation
to come talk to you again should they ever change their
mind or have further questions. And lastly, don’t beat yourself
up. There are those people who are just going to resist,
even if you said and did everything perfectly. This rejection
is usually based on their own past experiences and perceptions,
so don’t take it personally.
How do we handle those common put-offs like “I need to think
this over,” “I need to sleep on it,” “I have to talk to
my wife first”? If your prospects are insistent, respect
their wishes, but be sure you’re following up again within
twenty-four hours - forty-eight hours at the absolute most.
If you let too much time lapse between your initial encounter
and your follow-up, you communicate to your prospects that
it’s not important. Then they feel like they’re off the
hook. If you’re not the one calling them, it is very likely
you’ll never hear from your prospects again.
A key thing you have to remember when following up is that
the emotion of the original dialogue has dissipated. You
must bring it back in order to close the deal. This is why
sales that aren’t closed at the first meeting are harder
to close down the road. It’s somewhat of an irony, but the
shorter the sales time, the better. The longer a prospect
has to “think about it,” the less likely it is that you’ll
have a deal. So remember that, when following up by phone,
you’re going to have to exert that persuasive energy all
over again to recapture your prospect’s excitement and enthusiasm.
Moreover, you will no longer have the advantage of being
able to do so in person. Also, you have less time to do
so since your conversation by phone will generally be shorter.
One effective way to minimize the likelihood of sending
someone home who still hasn’t made a decision is to make
a very clear “qualifying statement” right up front. A qualifying
statement occurs when you define at the outset exactly how
you are going to spend your time together. Additionally,
you define what your expectations are for each other and
what you hope to get out of the meeting. In essence, you
are “qualifying” your time together and how it will be spent.
An example of a qualifying statement would be: “Mrs. Smith,
what I’d like for us to do today is find out exactly what
you’re looking for, get all of your questions answered and
see if this is a good fit. If we both feel good about it,
we’ll get the ball rolling for you. If it’s not a good fit,
we’ll be up front about that, too, and maybe I can make
some other recommendations for you.”
Qualification is an excellent approach because it disarms
your prospects. You’ve told them exactly what to expect,
so they can relax. They won’t be caught off guard when you
begin asking lots of questions because they’ll understand
why you’re asking them. Also, using the word “we” is often
helpful instead of “I” and “you” so that your prospects
feel like you’re collaborating together.
By using the “we” voice, you will come across as more of
an advisor than someone who is trying to sell your prospects
something. Most importantly of all, this approach is designed
to give you an answer, one way or the other, in that very
same meeting. In other words, there won’t be any loose ends
remaining when you and your prospect walk away from each
other. Here is another example of a qualifying statement:
“Let’s make an agreement, Mr. Jones. I’m not a high-pressure
consultant, so you don’t have to worry about me trying to
get you involved with anything you don’t want. All I want
to do today is show you how to increase your income in your
business and how it will work for you. Please do me a favor
and let me know today if this is a good fit. Fair enough?”
From this point, walls of resistance have been removed and
you are well on your way to closing the deal.
About the Author: Kurt Mortensen’s trademark
is Magnetic Persuasion; you should attract customers, like
a magnet. Claim your success and learn what the ultra-prosperous
know by going to www.PreWealth.com
and get my free report "10 Mistakes that Cost You Thousands."
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