Guest blog author Mitche Graf

With a few simple techniques, you can soon be overcoming even the most difficult objection with ease, which will lead to more money in your bank account!

If you hear things like…..let me think about it and I’ll get back to you later, or Let me talk it over with my husband and I’ll call you tomorrow, I can get the same thing cheaper at the studio down the street you…you are losing many potential customer each month, but needlessly so. In fact, a good salesperson welcomes those types of objections because they see it as an opportunity to build value in their product. There are time-tested responses that can easily turn objections into more bookings and bigger orders.

When dealing with objections, prevention is ALWAYS the best medicine. Most objections can be overcome simply by addressing them as you go instead of waiting until the prospect brings it up.

There’s no doubt that your studio has perceived weaknesses…..your too big, too small, too new, too far away, too expensive. The tendency for us is to hide our weaknesses so that nobody can see them.

The challenge is to turn your perceived weaknesses into the exact reason whey they SHOULD do business with you. In other words, you can minimize a weakness by turning it into a benefit. For example…..if your studio is on the other end of town, many people would perceive this as a disadvantage….unless you address this potential concern in your presentation.

“Mrs. Jones, although we may be farther away than other studios you may be considering, you will find our service very attentive……just like we were right next door”.

The best time to deal with an objection is before it comes up in conversation.

For example…..if your prospects always are saying they can get their portraits less expensive elsewhere…….don’t wait to hear it from them…beat them to the punch by justifying your higher prices during your presentation. Tell them why you are more expensive on your wedding coverage, or why your wall portraits cost more.

“Mrs. Jones…I’m sure that if you shopped around long enough you can always find someone who can meet your needs for a few dollars less. We don’t claim to be the least expensive or the most expensive. But our customers have found that when choosing us as their photographer, they get a greater value for their investment. They are getting a team of industry professionals and that saves money in the long run. Isn’t that what you are really looking for?”

Likewise, if your prospects are always saying……let me think it over and I’ll get back to you. They are telling you that your presentation did not give them a compelling reason to book the session today. Adjust your presentation to create a sense of urgency and this objection will not be heard from again.

Here’s a great exercise…..down the side of the paper write all the objections that you get on a regular basis, and for the next couple of weeks listen to your prospects very carefully and every time you hear an objection and don’t get the booking, write it down. By the end of the 2 weeks you will be able to see a clear pattern emerge. It will tell you what part of your presentation is weak.

Preplanning your responses will make your life a whole lot easier…..Every day we hear the same objections over and over again, yet we still show up to work each day with the same old stale techniques…….just hoping and praying that today will be different…..but it doesn’t change…….this will absolutely wear you down over time. Once you realize that your income and your lifestyle are directly related to you ability to overcome objections, you may change your tune. Especially considering that the most powerful motivating responses to all objections are already available to you. So instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, why not profit from other people’s experiences?

In fact, studies show that salespeople who use carefully thought out and planned responses make an average of 4 times more income than those who just make it up off the cuff. That’s an amazing amount!

Nobody likes to hear objections because they make us feel like we aren’t doing a good job, or that we are inferior in some way. Just by the nature of objections, they are a mixed blessing. When you have no objections, you have no sale because the customer isn’t interested. And when you have too many objections you also have no sales because the customer isn’t convinced.

Have faith ye people! Objections show a sign of interest, and shows that your prospect or customer is engaged in the sales process. And depending on what type of objection you get, it helps understand exactly where you are in the sales process.

Here’s the 4 steps to overcoming any objection…

1-  Neutralize or Cushion the objection… What this basically means is that you agree with your customer…Using phrases like… I understand how you feel Mrs. Jones, or That makes perfect sense, or I totally agree with you, or I would feel the same way if I were in your shoes. When a prospect or customer says something that could potentially be confrontational, their defensive guard is all the way up, because they are expecting you to react in a negative way, or not react at all.

2-   Repeat or Restate the objection. For example if the objection is “I want to check around before I make a decision……..you can say Mrs. Jones I totally understand your need to make sure you were selecting the right photographer for your needs. In that 1 sentence you have neutralized the objection by agreeing with them, then you have restated the objection back in a way that makes sense to them.

3- Overcome their objection buy giving them a reason to decide today. Mrs. Jones I totally understand your need to make sure you were selecting the right photographer for your needs.. I heard that from many of our current customers before they selected us, But after checking around they found that we were best able to meet their individual needs and provide them with a wonderful experience.

4-     Ask a closing question…..Now, isn’t that what you are really looking for Mrs. Jones?

Of course you will need to add some of your own words, your own personal style, and practice the delivery so you are comfortable with the presentation, but by following these 4 simple steps, you will be able to book more sessions, generate more sales, and make your life much more rewarding.

We talked earlier about the main objections we hear on the phone on what seems like a daily basis. In fact, 8 out of 10 calls that come into a studio end with “let me think about it and I’ll get back to you”, or “let me check with my husband and I’ll call you back……8 out of 10 times!

Experience shows that they never call you back, and you never get a 2nd chance. If you accept that excuse and let them go easily, you are losing 8 out of 10 possible orders…..which means you need to do a better job of helping them overcome their indecision, and get them excited about you!

When you hear this objection, it’s usually a result of poor sales skills and in many cases is totally avoidable by making 1 simple change in your presentation…………Creating a sense of urgency. If your presentation doesn’t create emotion and a sense of urgency, you will hear this over and over again.

Let’s go thru a few objections and see how we can use the 4 step process to overcome them.

– I don’t have time during the week. Can we come in on Saturday?

I would love to be able to come in on Saturday, but unfortunately we are closed on weekends. I would be more than happy to come in early one day during the week, or perhaps one evening after work would work better for you. Would you prefer to come in before work, or would after work be better for you?

- Can I have some proofs to take home and show everybody?

Mrs. Jones I would love to give you something to take home with you, but we now have a better system that will allow you to get only the images you want. We are going to prepare a special slide show presentation of your entire session, and you will be selecting your images during that presentation. You can order only the ones you enjoy the most, which means you will be able to show off your best stuff to your friends and family. How does that sound?

- I will order more later, but I only want the small package right now.

Mrs. Jones, I totally understand the fact that your portraits are ending up being more than you had initially anticipated. But what we have found from our past clients is that once the initial order is placed, they don’t come back to place the rest of their order. What I suggest is this. Instead of going with the 24×30 wall portrait of the family, let’s just go with the 1620. And instead of the 12 way wall collection, we can make that an 8 way. Also if it would help, we can even split your payments up to make it a little easier on you. Fair enough?

Another approach is the FEEL FELT FOUND technique that can be used on just about any objection……..

Mrs. Jones I understand how you feel….. many of our customer felt the same way before making the decision to come to us. But after they had a chance to experience our wonderful service and excellent products, they found us to offer the best value for their investment. Isn’t that what you are really looking for?

So to review…..the 4 steps to overcoming an objection are….first neutralize or cushion their objection (agree with them), repeat or restate the objection, overcome the objection, then ask a closing question.

If you work these simple techniques into your scripts and into your presentation, I guarantee you will book more customers, make more money, and have more time off to enjoy the things that are most important to you.
Power Selling!
- Mitche Graf

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