Avoiding the Sales Objection’s Abyss
Do you remember the movie, The Abyss? This James Cameron thriller takes place in one of the deepest parts of the ocean, on the edge of an Abyss, a sheer drop-off which goes down for miles. I remember watching the movie as a kid and being absolutely terrified. Not only was it a jumpy film, but the dark, underwater setting set me on edge as I constantly found myself holding my breath for the actors.
At one point in the movie an underwater rover, which had become disabled, falls off the side of the cliff and begins sinking into the abyss. As it sinks into the darkness, the pressure of the water is too much, the glass enclosure implodes, and the character inside dies. It was at that moment I realized “Yeah, that is NOT how I want to die.”
You can click the following link to see the scene if you absolutely must: Lt. Coffey’s Death
Needless to say, I didn’t watch that movie again for a many years. Even to this day, sinking into a black abyss is still one of my greatest fears, which is why I never swim in open water.
Undoubtedly we all have our various fears and phobias. Some fears are important and protect us; everything else is completely irrational. Like one young boy scout I saw shivering on the bank of a lake where I was camping. He had all of his swimming gear on and I asked, “Why aren’t you getting in?” He said, “The rational side really wants to. The irrational side says, the moment I step in the fish will attack me.” It’s those kinds of fears we need to challenge and conquer.
One fear that many of us face is the fear of rejection. This fear gets in the way of us being truly successful in sales because we connect a sales objection with being personally rejected. I can completely relate to that feeling. When you put yourself out there to discuss a product or service you feel will benefit your member, and they say no, it’s hard not to take it personally. But this is exactly what I am asking you to do.
Most sales objections are actually caused by one of four things:
- You have suggested a product or service which isn’t a good fit for the member
- Your timing just isn’t right
- You have focused on the wrong benefit
- You have failed to create enough value in the product or service
Understanding this, I hope you can see that objections are not rejections. They are rather a request for a different explanation, more education, or a different spin on the solution. In fact, I would say that behind every sales objection is a potential sale. So, we shouldn’t fear them, and we shouldn’t abandon ourselves to the preverbal abyss when the member says “no.” In fact, most sales objections can actually be overcome, or better yet, managed.
What is the difference between overcoming an objection and managing an objection? Overcoming an objection happens after the member has said no. Managing an objection is the process of selling in a way that does not elicit objections, or which resolves them before the member has an opportunity to object.
For some, managing objections may sound like a foreign concept. It generally seems like a foreign concept because the individuals have been taught to sell with the, “just ask for the business” approach. Here is how that approach sounds when selling a credit card:
“So we are running a really great credit card offer this month. We are giving our members 500 rewards points just for setting up a new card and making a purchase within 30 days.
Is that something you’d be interested in opening up?”
There are two fundamental flaws with the “just ask for the business” approach. First, it ignores the member’s individual needs. And second, it asks the member to make a buying decision before he or she is ready. That is why, more times than not, this approach results in a sales objection from the member. Those who use this approach have....-->
Do you remember the movie, The Abyss? This James Cameron thriller takes place in one of the deepest parts of the ocean, on the edge of an Abyss, a sheer drop-off which goes down for miles. I remember watching the movie as a kid and being absolutely terrified. Not only was it a jumpy film, but the dark, underwater setting set me on edge as I constantly found myself holding my breath for the actors.
At one point in the movie an underwater rover, which had become disabled, falls off the side of the cliff and begins sinking into the abyss. As it sinks into the darkness, the pressure of the water is too much, the...