Here’s the process for listening through objections.
Step # 1: Embrace The Objection.
Love it. Be excited about it. Look forward to it. Embrace it.
If you come from “I don’t want to hear this” or defensiveness, you are thrown into being argumentative. And you don’t want to be in this element.
If you do, you will have to push people and when you do, they will push back.
Instead, as in Martial Arts, you simply redirect your opponent’s energy. You remain centered while they fall forward to the mat.
So Step # 1 is to Welcome The Objection.
Now Step # 2 is to Define The Objection.
Make sure that you and your customer or prospect are speaking the same language. Ask, “What do you mean by that? Or, repeat back to them what you think they said: “I hear you saying such and such, is that right?” Check it out. Make sure you both mean the same thing.
This is especially important when you get an objection like, “Is this one of those pyramid schemes?” You might reply something like, “No, it is not, and may I ask, what do you mean by “a pyramid scheme?”
They probably don’t really know what a “pyramid scheme” is, but they may have a real concern about whether or not your opportunity is legal. You won’t know until you ask.
Another example is, “ Is this like Amway?” What are they really asking? What does “like Amway” mean to them?
Tell the truth. Any network marketing opportunity is like Amway. But follow that by asking, “What is it about Amway that bothers you?” Give them the opportunity to be specific about what they do or do not care for. This is also useful information to keep in mind when you describe your company.
You should do this with whatever product you are offering the customer or prospect.
Take their side and have your question agree with them. Don’t confront them.
Step # 3: Embellish the Objection.
You now champion the objection. Say, “ can understand that. Tell me more.” Or, “Can you say more about that?”
Don’t be a cop and try to collect evidence to use against them later as most of you have learned in the past that this was the way to do it.
Your request must be sincere. It is beneficial to preface your request “for more” with a statement of agreement, such as, “I know how you feel.”
Play the role of helping them tell their feelings to a phantom salesperson. What you want to do is to help them out. Encourage them to come up with more about the objection. If they say it in black and white, add color. The more vividly you can help them picture the objection, the more fully they will be able to express it.
Your job is to empower the objection. Step over the line between the two of you and take their side. Help them express their objection.
For example, as the person is telling you about their frustration with time, “I get my son ready for school, get him breakfast, pack his lunch, and then I’ve got to take my daughter to daycare…,” you can add, “And you have to pick her up in the afternoon too.”
Again, help them fully express their feelings.
Step # 4: Purge The Emotion.
If you have got a sense that the person is leaving something unsaid, point that out and help them say it. For example, if someone has objected by saying, “Is this like Amway?” there is a chance they have had a personal experience. Ask them about that. Ask if anyone else they know had a similar experience. Ask what that means to them, how they felt about it, what bothers them most. Encourage every negative emotion to pour out fully, exhausting their supply.
You can do this with any product or service you are offering.
Now, how will you know when they have exhausted their feelings?
Most of the time, you will know it is complete because the person will change their state of being.
You will see a dramatic shift in the person’s facial expression and their body language. They will breathe a sigh of relief, put their arms behind their head, and relax in the chair and then you will notice a sense of peace surround you both.
Being fully heard has a dramatic effect on most people.
LISTENING THROUGH OBJECTIONS is not always easy. For most of us, it requires a 180 degree shift from how we have been taught to do things. And, the impact it will have as you begin to master it, both on your business and on your life as well, will be one of the most positive and profound things you can imagine.
Influencing with integrity is a high art. When you do it well, you will be a master artist.
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