Handling Objections
Handling objections is one of the most important skills to learn and understand.
These objections can test your confidence and slow down your progress.
This is why it is so important that you understand this skill early on to avoid any pitfalls.
As you gain confidence in yourself you will be better able to handle any objections that you receive.
Objections really do help you because they allow you to get to know your Prospects better through your conversation and rapport building.
It’s the Now-Like and Trust aspect which is the foundation of your success as a Network Marketer.
Remember, your prospect is more than likely afraid of risk.
Objections are typically expressions of their fears and concerns.
So treat them with respect and understanding as you move them through the process.
Think about your own experience when you joined your Company.
What were your concerns, your main objections?
How did you address and overcome them?
It’s more than likely that your prospects will have the same ones too.
You, no doubt, are excited about your new business because you believe that you have a great product or service and it is just what everyone needs, right.
But when you talk to others, sometimes you don’t get the response that you had hoped for.
Sometimes you have to deal with objections.
Here’s the trick:
Don’t get discouraged!
Don’t take it personally.
Their objection is related to your opportunity, it’s not about you!
A real objection is nothing more than a request for more information.
As you build your business, you will no doubt encounter many objections.
Being prepared for them is one of the primary keys to success in dealing with them.
In other words, you don’t want to be surprised when you hear them.
You need to find out what the real objections are. Again, I emphasize real because some objections are not real. Sometimes people will use objections as an excuse, or simply to end the conversation.
Once you find out what the real objection is then you need to deal with it and move on to the next step or move them off your list.
There are 6 key Steps to Handling Objections
1. Hear them out: When someone is taking the time to explain what their question is or what concerns them about your business, take the time to listen.
Do not jump in and immediately try to address their objection as they may have more than one and you want to give them adequate time to finish their thoughts. Wait a couple of seconds (2-second pause) to allow their comments to sink into your conscience thought process.
2. Deliver it back: “Let me see if I understand your concerns correctly. You’re saying…..” By rephrasing the concern, you are essentially asking for more information and confirming you have the concern correct.
You want to be certain you understand the real concern. In doing this, you’re asking your prospect to trust you.
As an example, the Prospect says;
I do not have the time to devote to building a business.
Your response;
I understand how you feel, I felt the same way when I first looked at this but what I found is that I can weave this business into my normal daily routine.
Remember, I know how you feel, I felt the same way and here is what I found.
Feel, Felt, Found.
You can use this technique for any objection you receive.
3. Question it: Your intention here is to clarify the objection by restating it back to them, such as “Let me see if I understand you correctly?”
How you ask this question is critical.
If the prospect objects to the way you are asking the question, you could offend or lose them. Confirm you understand.
And, most importantly, often when a prospect hears the objection coming from someone else, they may realize it is not really an objection after all. It might of been just a “smoke screen.”
Ask the question, gently!
4. Answer it:
Once you are sure you understand the true nature of the concern, you can address the concern with confidence.
5. Confirm your answer:
After you have answered the question, make sure you take a moment to confirm that your prospect has heard, understands and accepts your answer.
Now, this is very important!
If you do not complete this step, it is possible that your prospect will raise this concern again later.
You can confirm your answer by simply using a statement like; “Does that make sense to you?”
If, for some reason, your answer is not acceptable, this is where you will find out.
6. Transition:
Once the objections are handled, now you need to transition back into your presentation.
Using non threatening and non aggressive transition phrases work well.
For example, you could say; “by the way, where were we or let’s get back to (it).
These phrases are extremely useful to change gears and move on to the next topic or get back on track with your conversation. You need to take some type of action that signals you are moving forward. And, if they are not yet ready, they will let you know.
Every network marketer who is successful at recruiting, quickly learns to overcome an objection by turning it to the customer’s advantage.
The key to overcoming objections lies first in understanding why the prospect objects.
There are six common objections that you are most likely to hear.
1. No Time
2. No Interest
3. No Money
4. No Success
5. I’m Not a Salesperson
6. It’s a Pyramid
1. If your Prospect tells you that they have No Time, you could say something like: “I can appreciate that you are very busy with your normal routine. I know exactly how you feel. I felt the same way and what I found is that I didn’t have time to spend with my family or anything else I wanted to do.
Now I feel like I am in better control of my life!
2. Your Prospect says they are Not Interested.
They say something like: “I have no interest in your business.”
They are assuming that they already know what you are going to tell them.
This is where you pretty much have to throw it back at them and follow up with a question.
Your response could be: “I can understand how you feel, because if I didn’t know what I now know about the business, I certainly wouldn’t have been interested either.
But, just a moment ago didn’t you just tell me that you don’t have time to spend with your kids? I recognize you want more time to spend with your family.
What if this business could help you by giving you more time? Wouldn’t that be of interest to you to at least find out what it is?
3. No Money.
This is a very common objection and it is one of the easiest to handle.
You could say something like, “I know how you feel, I was in the same situation a year ago myself and I felt very strongly that I didn’t want to be in that same situation ever again.
I found a way to financially help myself and my family and that is why I feel you should take a look at this program.
4.Then there is No Success.
This is usually based on a previous experience they, or someone they know, had with another Network Marketing company where they didn’t make any money.
Here is a great response to them.
I know how you feel, I was involved in a company a while ago and I felt that it wasn’t the right fit for me so no matter how hard I worked I couldn’t make any money.
What I found with this business is it’s a much better fit for me, and that is why I want to share it with you.
5. How about I’m Not a Sales Person.
I hear this from a lot of people,
I’m not a sales person.
I can’t do this business.
I tell them “that’s great” because I’m not looking for sales people.
I’m looking for people that are open to making money and share the opportunity with others.
Now, if I showed you how to share new ideas with others and you could make money in the process, would that be of interest to you?
6. And lastly, the Pyramid.
You will hear the word Pyramid often.
Network Marketing and affiliate programs are not pyramids but are non-traditional businesses.
Pyramids are illegal.
Networking marketing companies, on the other hand, are responsible for over 28 billion dollars in sales annually in the United States alone.
Here is how to handle this:
I know how you feel, I felt the same way when I was first presented the business. But what I found is that our company has a great relationship with the attorney generals in all fifty states and the federal government would not permit a pyramid to operate.
We are not a pyramid but a non-traditional business.
That is why you should look at it.
Sometimes I will mention that most businesses are set up the same way. Using my hands I form a pyramid and say there is a President, Vice President, Office Staff and Employees.
There are more objections out there but the six just discussed are the most common.
Once you learn how to address and overcome these objections you should have a lot more success in growing your business!
Here are some useful tips when handling objections:
Make sure you LISTEN before answering any question.
LISTENING is the key to fully understanding where the prospect is leading you and if you really LISTEN you will be able to overcome objections.
For more on this, see our Blog on Listening Skills.
1. Make sure you understand their objection.
Many prospects get lost when you sum up the objection too quickly and you don’t hear the prospect’s entire concern.
2. Don’t interrupt or try to anticipate what the person is trying to say.
You’ll probably misunderstand and offend them.
Your prospect will be much more relaxed and receptive if you let them finish the question.
3. If possible, delay answering a prospect’s objection until you have completely addressed the current point you are discussing.
However, don’t appear to avoid their question.
For example: That is a great point.
I’ll answer that in just a minute, OK?
It is important to handle one issue at a time and keep the flow of the meeting or call.
4. Don’t place undue emphasis on any objection. It may simply be a question.
Always ask a qualifying or clarifying question to make sure you got it right.
They say I hate Network Marketing.
Your response might be; “Really, why?… What kind of bad experience did you have?”
5. Never treat any objection as an unjustified question, either by facial, vocal or body expressions, especially when it
is a friend or relative.
6. When answering an objection, avoid an argument by using such phrases as “I suggest” and “as you know” or
“consider this.”
As you can see, there really is no objection you can’t address.
Mastering these techniques is extremely important to your success. Your mentor/leader has learned these techniques and wants to help you succeed. One way that is extremely successful is “role playing” with each other. Doing this method allows for you to practice and not jeopardize your business success with a potential prospect. “Practice makes perfect”
It will increase your confidence and improve your results.
Making sure you recognize the true meaning of an objection is a primary factor that leads to your success in this industry.