Coffee's for Closers

20Handle the Person, Not the Objection

‘Don’t be content with being average, average is as close to the bottom as it is to the top’.

—Richard Denny

When it comes to objections, there are two situations that you will face: a condition and an objection, these are very different.

Conditions – a situation out of your control where you cannot do anything, such as the has been made bankrupt, or just signed a contract with another company (if that contract covers every product/service that you offer).

Objections – these are something you can change and overcome.

Why Do You Think People Object?

Have you ever been into a shop where an annoying salesperson approaches you within a millisecond, wanting to know if they can help you? Usually you respond, ‘I am just looking, thanks’.

As you look around, you feel the salesperson's eyes on you, making you feel uncomfortable and on edge. You are holding the item and the salesperson approaches you and asks, ‘Would you like to try it on?’ I call this ‘commission breath’ and no one likes it.

To avoid any confrontation, I normally put it over their till and say, ‘I am just going to get my friend to get their opinion, and I'll be back,’ and then never return to that shop again.

I lied to avoid an awkward situation or conversation. So it's fair to assume prospective customers may lie as well, which we take as an objection and give up.

Sometimes people object as they do not understand what it is that we are offering. Rather than saying to us, ‘Can ...