The Conversion Code

Chapter 11

Proactively Uncovering Objections

One of the worst feelings in sales is getting to the end of an amazing pitch, fully expecting the person to buy, and then getting blindsided by an objection that you didn't foresee like, “Thanks so much for your time Chris, but I need to think about it.” In The Conversion Code, the time to get objections is NOT when you are closing. It's actually before you ever even begin your pitch. Most salespeople focus on and practice overcoming objections; I focus on eliminating them. Early.

A very common “objection” in sales is that the person wants to wait and think about it. There are other common objections too, like the spousal—“I need to talk to my spouse before moving forward”—or the cost objection—“I want to buy, but I can't afford it right now.” Heck, I have even heard “I need to pray about it” as an objection. The nice thing is at any company, these objections will start to define themselves (you probably already know what they are for you).

Expert salespeople proactively uncover these objections well before they ever get them. As opposed to being told that someone can't afford or commit to what you sell at the end of a 30 or 45-minute call, we're going to ask people if there is any reason they can't move forward today, now. In fact, there is no better time to absorb the blow of possible objections than directly following when you've built rapport by digging deep and established trust. Think of it as a quick window where you got them ...