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Before my wife Melissa and I were married, she lived in New York in a very
small,
one-bedroom apartment. So at times when I would work in New York
I would come home to her apartment and immediately when I walked in the door
I would empty my pockets of my cell phone, my wallet
my keys, and anything else I had in there and spread them out
all over her kitchen counter. And Melissa, who likes to have
things a little bit more orderly than that, was not so happy with my approach.
So what she decided to do was
make a little dish in her apartment
that said with the label on top of it Adam's
Miscellaneous Stuff. And I felt like I was being
put into a very small box with all my stuff. So I guaranteed her,
that Melissa, I would put my stuff anyplace
in the apartment except for that dish
that was meant for Adam's Miscellaneous Stuff.
And in this particular instance, as in other times,
people, even me, can become irrational
when there's some resistance because emotion can get the best of us.
So using a process helps us work
with people when there is resistance, verses against them.
We all get resistance. It comes in many forms
and in all facets of life. Objections, concerns and hesitations are a natural
part
the decision making process and can come up anytime in our conversations with
prospects and clients.
It's important to remember that objections are not necessarily an
indication that the customer does not want to do business with you.
And your approach to dealing with resistance can be as important
as your actual response. Top sellers maintain a positive attitude when it
comes to objections and they welcome them.
Objections can be buying signals and requests for more information.
Would they really be stating a concern about the price
if they weren't actually interested at all? Probably not.
The worst objection of all is the one we never find out about
because we don't actually have the chance to resolve it. In most of our
businesses,
there's a fixed number of objections that come up over and over again.
Buyers are concerned about price, a previous poor experience,
they're unsure if digital advertising will work for them,
and there's probably a few others. We observe most top performers
who have a process to create a collaborative dynamic
instead of a defensive or antagonistic one. Here's what they do.
Let's assume we get a price objection, something
most of us face occasionally. The prospect may say I'm a bit concerned
about the investment.
The first step is to cushion. A cushion is a statement about empathy,
like I can appreciate where you're coming from or
others have been concerned about their online investment as well.
People do not like to feel alone so with this cushion,
you're normalizing the concern and acknowledging that it's a legitimate
issue. The second step then, is to clarify.
Could there be a lot of underlying reasons why your prospect is concerned
about the investment.
They may have a limited budget, they may be unsure of the value,
they may have considered a competitor's offer that appeared to be cheaper.
There are many issues that could lie behind the initial objection
and how you handle that issue is dependent on what the underlying
issue is. So you better find out. And we do this with clarifying questions like,
could you give me a bit more context around your concern?
Or, tell me a bit more about what's on your mind?
As you're considering this, it's critical to watch your tone during this process
as how you say what you say, can be more important than what you say.
What's your specific concern, may not be as helpful as,
what is your specific concern? Step three is to restate.
Once you've done a few clarifying questions, it's a good idea to restate
what you heard.
This may sound like, to confirm, you're a bit unsure how these branding efforts
online will
actually result in in store sales, is that correct?
Assuming you've done a good job listening, which is critical here,
the answer to that confirming question is usually some version of yes.
Now you and your prospect are sitting on the same side of the table, ready to work
through the issue
and you're not defending one another's position.
Step four is to respond. Now where do most people go as soon as they hear the
objection?
Correct. They respond right away with why their products and solutions are
such a great investment.
They may be exactly right, but it often does not matter if it doesn't feel right
to the prospect
and you haven't lowered their resistance, they will not move forward.
So, it is not necessary to cushion, clarify and restate
every time, but usually if you spend a little time there
you're able to work with a more receptive audience when it comes time to
respond.
So what do you say? Your response is up to you.
You can explain your value, your clear results
or you're offering versus the competition. We're pretty sure you're
great at that.
The point here, is to focus on the process, so again
your audiences more willing to listen. The fifth step is the trial close.
Trial closes are check-ins, like does that help address your concern
or does that make sense? Here you test the waters again
to get a sense if there is still resistance.
It is another way to partner with the client verses defend against them.
Think about your next meeting and one or two objections that you expect to hear.
How will you cushion clarify and restate them
before responding. Here are some best practices to help you succeed.
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