NO SMOKING ALLOWED - OVERCOMING OBJECTIONS! - Damian Johnson

Damian Johnson - “SERVING UP SALES” - Episode 10 - NO SMOKING ALLOWED - OVERCOMING OBJECTIONS!

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INTRODUCTION
Here's the simple truth, it is highly improbable that you will achieve your full potential in sales if you don't learn how to overcome objections. And in order to do that, you must first understand what an objection really is. 

Most sales professionals view objections all wrong. Objections are nothing more than a smokescreen for uncertainty. When potential clients feel uncertainty about you, your product/service and your company, do you know what they do? They give you an objection. It is just a smokescreen! Objections are smokescreens for uncertainty.

Show Objectives - The Why
Nothing is more dangerous to a deal than letting sales objections go unaddressed until the final stages. The longer the buyer holds an opinion, the stronger that opinion usually is — and the harder you'll have to fight to combat it. With this in mind, welcome objections rather than avoid them. What you really want to do is take a proactive approach to identify them. 

Key Issues - Owner Perspective:
You can't run from objections. They are coming, so get ready for them. In fact, invite them. And listen, If you gave up after every sales objection, your pipeline will die a slow and painful death. It's a sales pro's jobs to understand what is going on in prospects' minds when they object so that you can handle those objections accordingly. 

What You Need to Know - The What
There is a process for overcoming objections. And if you want to get good, you need to practice it so that, even if you’re caught off-guard, you’ll have a better chance at overcoming the objection – no matter what it is.
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Generally speaking, there are four basic steps to the process, I like to call it LURK - except with a “C” not a “K”.

1. Listen 
2. Understand 
3. Respond 
4. Confirm 

1. Listen
When confronted with an objection, the first requirement is to listen to the objection. As your prospect is sharing their concerns with you, make sure you are using active listening skills to take in what they’re saying. This demonstrates to your customer that you are interested in their concern and care about what they have to say. Don’t just let your prospect spell out their objections – actually listen.  Listen to understand, not respond.

2. Understand
Once your prospect has stated their objections, the next step is to understand and acknowledge your customer’s concern. This is where you demonstrate you have been actively listening. An acknowledgement can be something as simple as a head nod or a restatement of the issue. Repeating back what you heard to ensure you are understanding correctly. Not only will this help clarify their points for you, but it will also help your prospect feel heard and valued, which is important for building trust.

3. Respond
The third step is to respond by exploring the concerns underlying your customer’s objection. Remember, it is imperative that you understand exactly what your customer meant by what they said. After you have confirmed you understand where your prospect is coming from, continue building trust by empathizing with your prospect, and validating their point of view. Whether or not they seem like a serious issue to you, you must respond by acknowledging that your prospect’s concerns are valid. If they feel like you’re not taking the objections seriously or are just trying to steamroller them into an agreement, it’s unlikely you’ll end up closing the deal.

4. Confirm
Reiterate the objection and confirm that if you’re able to overcome it, the prospect will be happy to move forward with the deal. Remember, only once you have a complete understanding of your customer’s objection can you offer your response in the form of a recommendation, an alternative, a solution or a next step designed to address the customer’s concern and close the transaction.

Objection handling doesn’t have to be a painful activity for sales professionals. Instead, objections should be viewed as opportunities to help your customer and to grow your relationship with them.

What You Need to Do - The How
The good news is that, no matter what you're selling, Sales objections almost always fall into 1 of 6 categories:

• Price
• Competitor/Relationship
• Time/Resources
• Timing
• Product/Value
• Dragging their feet

Common Sales Objections
Here are 10 Common Sales Objections, I will list them first and then we'll walk through how to handle them.

1. “Now’s Not a Good Time.”2. “It’s Too Expensive.”3. “I’m Already in Another Contract.”4. “Just Send Me the Info …”5. “I Don’t Have Time to Talk to You Right Now.”6. “I Need to Run This Past My Boss.”7. “Product X is Cheaper.”8. “You Don’t Offer Feature X.”9. “I Need to Get a Few More Quotes.”10. “You Have a Bad Review.”

During the show we will walk through each of these objections and how to handle them so you can focus on SERVING UP SALES!!!
 
Damian Johnson 
Having over two decades in a successful sales career in the mortgage sector, Damian continues to pursue his passion in sales and people development.

Damian is also the Owner of Mandeville Ingleside LLC, whose mission is to develop and equip leaders, professionals, business owners and individuals who are able to build stronger teams that deliver demonstrated optimal performance and results.

Damian is passionate about equipping leaders and helping people to take action that will maximize their potential. His success and experience has allowed him to advance his reach, influence and impact by working with international organizations and teams who want to leverage their sales teams potential through in-person and virtual training programs across the Caribbean Islands (Trinidad, Barbados, Jamaica), Europe (U.K.), Africa (Liberia), and South America (Costa Rica). In a strategic pivot to expand his reach internationally, he is also a Radio Talent with the International Business Growth Network.  You can connect with Damian on Facebook and Instagram via his handle @iamdamianjohnson

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