I’m often asked, “What is the right amount of times to respond or ‘come back’ after a concern or objection?”
Hmmm. Is there a correct number of anything when working through objections collaboratively?
No!
“It depends,” I respond.
It depends on the situation, the other person, and how far along you are in your sales process. There’s a very fine and gray line between persistence and peskiness.
You can definitely go too far! Take for instance the call I received on Sunday night. It was from a very persistent sales rep who wanted my husband and I to “collect our free airline tickets” by attending a meeting for a time share rental.
The problem was, we don’t need a time share nor could we attend a preview 90 minutes away by car – necessary to pick up our tickets of course – with a 3 day notice.
Yet, no matter how strongly I told him “no” he just kept coming back. Of course, I played through it to see how many times he would come back at me. After SIX – yes SIX objections – he still was not letting go.
Now, THAT is pesky. In fact, in this case, it was pesky after just three responses and ‘come backs.’
I was done after the sixth, and interrupted him to tell him I appreciate how passionate he was, that it was a final “No,” and hung up.
It’s the same for us, we don’t want to give up too easily as often the first objections or concerns can be worked through collaboratively using Stop, Drop, and Roll. (If you missed the the details on how to Stop, Drop, and Roll through objections, click here.)
Yet we need to pay attention and let them move on when it is clear we will not advance our sale.
Then you can move on to more viable buyers as well and not be a pest.
What do you think? How can you persistently address objections without being pesky?
Leave a comment here and you’ll be entered into the drawing for a signed copy of Conversations That Sell!
Congratulations to Kimberly Gomez of Impeccable Image for winning the book for her comments on Stop, Drop, and Roll. Your book is on the way.
