I’ve always wondered how to overcome objections in sales without being pushy and manipulative.
I thought the best way to do things was to push people down a path of telling them how it all works, and basically, they’re absolute idiots if they don’t choose YOU and YOUR solution.
I had this mindset throughout my last sales job for 3 years, and truthfully, it felt horrendous.
But around 2 and a half years ago, I entered the world of overcoming stalls/objections properly, from a place of service and understanding. And pushy/persuasive sales became a thing of the past.
It became apparent that whenever you get into conflict or try to tell people what to do, your prospect doesn’t like it and won’t react the way you want them to.
You’ll hear things like:
‘I’d love to but its too much money’
‘I’d love to but I need to check the numbers and run it past the board again’
See, the thing is, if you’ve:
- Done your job properly
- Asked loads of questions
- Understood your prospect and their buying pattern
…Then you’ll know that these are NOT objections, they’re stalls, and your prospect is using an internal script to push you away.
I’m talking like I’ve never done it, but…WE ALL DO IT! It’s ingrained in us to push salespeople away.
Going on the basis of the Elite Closing Academy formula, sales is hard (work) and closing should be easy – not the other way round.
This enables me to see that these standard statements are neurological lying stalls, not objections.
However, there is a red line in my world…
Deaths and Funerals.
These are legitimate objections that you shouldn’t even consider overcoming. It’s a massive red flag. Of course, there are others, but these are the most obvious.
BUT
‘It’s too much money’…’It’s not the right time’…’I’ve got to check the diary’
…Are NOT reasons for you to avoid going towards and overcoming a standard stall (as long as you’ve completed the sales part of the process properly).
So, here’s the thing that I get asked the most by our 3 day training attendees…
“Jack, how do I overcome stalls and objections without confrontation and without telling the prospect why they should purchase my product/service?”.
Easy:
The 3A’s
Agree, Appease, Accelerate
This technique alone has literally changed my life. Not only regarding my results, but also my inner certainty when selling.
So, here’s the first step:
Agree
You should never ever ever ever ever disagree with your prospect. Doing this eradicates any kind of conflict.
By the way, when I learnt this, I couldn’t get my head around it. For years I was always told to prove them wrong.
But you must always AGREE.
Prospect: “I’d love to but its too expensive”
Me: “I completely understand it’s too expensive”
Not only do I believe that this technique has been the number one thing to have transformed my mindset around sales, but it’s also responsible for 80% of my additional income since joining the Elite Closing Academy.
The most important thing to remember when someone responds with a stall or objection is to take the sting out of the way they feel. Soften off and ensure you stray away from conflict!
And the best possible way to soften off in this situation is the second of the 3 A’s:
appease
“I understand it’s too expensive, let’s park money to the side for a second, and so that I can understand…”
I can’t tell you how much your prospect feels heard when you use this kind of language.
Think of a time when a salesperson called you up and you had fear around what they were selling, but all they did was explain every reason why you should buy their product/service.
Are you more or less likely to go ahead?
I mean, everyone’s different, but I believe that people are generally just fed up with being told what to do!
We’re all human. We’re bound to feel unsure, change our minds or have questions. So you’ve got to be good with this.
accelerate
The third and final element is ‘Accelerating’ into a question…
“I understand it’s too expensive, let’s park money to the side for a second, and so that I can understand, what 3 things other than money do you see in my product/service that could get you even bigger results?”
By the way, this is how you serve someone who is in complete fear and is trying to push you away, EVEN THOUGH THEY REALLY WANT IT!!
The acceleration into a question is so critical.
In this situation, most salespeople have the tendency to explain how and why their prospect should invest in their product/service.
If this is you, my advice is please stop! Immediately!
I’ll leave you with a critical piece of advice:
If a human being needs what you do, is a great fit and can improve their results from working with you, then lacking the skills to actually close them is selfish, and you could be holding them back.
This was me at one point, and it pains me to think how many people have previously needed what I was selling. And they walked away with the same pain that I could’ve solved.
And it’s also very eye-watering when you think about how much was left on the table!
People have thanked me for closing them on more than one occasion. And here’s the reason why:
By having the skill to overcome a standard stall, they’re now getting results that are not only changing their lives, but also the lives of people closest to them.
Remember, closing is serving someone who needs what you do to get bigger results.
Jack Duggan
Head of sales at The Elite Closing Academy and Expert Empires
