I object!
It’s the climax of many TV courtroom dramas, and it’s often the turning point of the story. It surfaces the truth or redirects the focus to information that is helpful or relevant.
Wouldn’t it be nice if during our prospective client conversations, they were also that open with their concerns, perceived challenges, discomfort, or misunderstandings? After all, once that information surfaces, we can begin to help them work through those concerns.
Why Prospects Hide Their Objections and Concerns
Unfortunately, those concerns, challenges, and objections are often hidden.
Why don’t prospects freely share their objections and concerns? There can be many reasons including:
- They fear that once they raise a concern, they’ll be confronted with a “hard sale” to change their minds.
- They don’t want to hurt your feelings or cause conflict.
- They’re unsure of their own concerns or about the value of what you’re offering.
So, what happens instead? Rather than “upsetting the apple cart” they stay silent and let you think they don’t have any objections. Then maybe they cut the conversation short, refuse to commit, or change their minds their minds later.
You Have to ASK for Their Objections
That’s why we need to make space and specifically ask them to share feelings, thoughts, concerns, and ask questions, such as:
- “Well what do you think about this?”
- “How does this sound to you?
- “What concerns do you have about what we’ve discussed?”
- “What might get in the way of us working together?”
In the right context, those questions will surface fabulous information that allows you to get to the root cause of their thoughts or feelings. Only then can you determine what information will be helpful to them.
Want more information about the Stop, Drop, and Roll strategy for working through objections collaboratively? I discussed that topic in this video: Working Through Objections
Create Space for Objections and Save Your Sale
When you ask, it won’t create the climax courtroom drama situation. In fact, it may be the opposite. The flow of the conversation can continue productively once the concern or objection is verbalized.
Ultimately, it’s about YOU being comfortable enough to leave space open and to ask for their concerns, challenges, questions, or outright objections because hidden concerns and objections don’t go away; they kill or stall your opportunity to serve that person.
Financial Advisor sales training doesn’t have to focus on pushy tactics or high-pressure pitches. Genuine Sales teaches the fundamentals for sales success that allow you to be genuine, ethical, and successful!
