Objections: The Ultimate Guide for Mastering The Art and Science of Getting Past No (Book Summary)

Objections: The Ultimate Guide for Mastering The Art and Science of Getting Past No by Jeb Blount

 

In addition to addressing mindset/psychology, the book explores 4 types of objections:

• Prospecting Objections Time is the hardest ask in sales.
• Red Herrings A red herring is an irrelevant topic or issue
• Micro-Commitment Objections
• Buying Commitment Objections

 

Prospecting Objections

• On any prospecting interaction, your goal should be to get to a yes, no, or maybe as fast as possible. In prospecting, maybe is where you earn your living.
• Five-step phone process
  • Get their attention
  • Identify yourself
  • Tell them what you want
  • Bridge to a because
  • Ask for what you want
• When prospecting — by phone or face to face — you’ll run into three types of responses referred to collectively as prospecting RBOs:
  • reflex responses – ex. “We’re all set.”
  • brush-offs – ex. “Why don’t you just send over some information?”
  • true objections – ex: “There is really no reason for us to meet right now because we just signed a new contract with your competitor.”
• When you get true objections, you must use your good judgment. There are three decisions paths:
  • Turn the objection around and meet anyway.
  • Shift gears and gather information — especially around buying windows, contracts, budget, size of the opportunity, competitors, and stakeholders.
  • Hang up, move on, and come back to the prospect at a better time.
  • There are common sets of RBOs unique to every industry and usually three to five that make up 80 % or more of prospecting objections. Master and become effective at turning around prospecting RBOs.
• Leverage the three-step prospecting turnaround framework to develop simple, repeatable scripts that you say without having to think — allowing you to rise above your emotions. Work and work until the script sounds natural and becomes their voice.
  • Ledge – a memorized, automatic response to perceived or real rejection that does not require you to think. Ex: “I figured you might say that.”
  • Disrupt – The secret to turning around your prospect’s RBO is delivering a statement or question that disrupts this pattern and pulls the prospect toward you.
    • Ex: “Awesome. If you’re getting great prices and service, you should never think about changing. All I want is a few minutes of your time to learn more about you and see if we are even a fit.”
    • Ex: When they say, “I’m not interested, “respond with: That makes sense. Most people aren’t the first time I call, and that’s exactly why we should meet.
  • Ask – You must control your emotions and ask again, assumptively and assertively, for what you want, without hesitation, directly following your turnaround script.
• You need turnaround scripts that work for you and sound natural coming from your lips. They need to make you sound authentic, real, and confident.

 

Red Herrings

• A red herring is something your stakeholder does, says, or asks that distracts you from your focus, is misleading, or diverts your attention from the objective of your sales conversation.
• You’ve learned that avoiding objections is stupid, but there is an exception to this rule. You must avoid getting drawn in by red-herring objections at all costs.
• My rule of thumb with an early objection is to ignore it and not talk about it again unless my stakeholder brings it back up.
• Use PAIS to exercise emotional control when encountering a red-herring:
  • Pause
  • Acknowledge – My favorite way to acknowledge a red herring is to simply take notes.
  • Ignore
  • Save
• The sales call agenda framework is a powerful tool that helps you, in these situations, to avoid chasing red herrings, gain control of the conversation, avoid pitching, and appear professional and prepared.
  • Open – Open the conversation by setting a relaxed, professional tone, demonstrating respect, and confirming the time allotted for your meeting.
  • Objective – Next, define the call objective and prime your stakeholder for taking the next step
  • Check – Check the Stakeholder’s Agenda Next, check to see if the stakeholder had anything on their agenda. Ex. “Is there anything else you want to be sure we cover?”
  • Control

 

Micro-Commitment Objections

• Asking for and getting micro-commitments and consistently getting to the next step accelerates pipeline velocity.
• You must never, ever leave a conversation with a stakeholder without a firm next step.
• When I conduct pipeline reviews my default question on every opportunity is ”What’s the next step?”
• A firm, committed next step requires a commitment to action from both you and your stakeholder — and a date on which you will meet again by phone or in person to review those actions.
• Ex: Micro-commitment objection: “My calendar is really full, so why don’t you just call me next week and we’ll set something up.” To which you should respond: “I’ve got a packed schedule next week and I want to be sure I can give you the time you deserve. Why don’t we go ahead and get a meeting booked before someone else takes your slot? How about Wednesday at 2: 30?”
• To move past micro-commitment objections, use the three-step framework:
  • Ledge – Ex: “That’s exactly why I asked.”
  • Explain value – Value is in the eye of the beholder. They want to know “What’s in it for me?” (WIIFM). There are three basic reasons why stakeholders will agree to your micro-commitment request (1) Emotional value (2) Insight value (3) Tangible value:
  • Ask- Once you’ve explained the value of your micro-commitment request, ask again

 

Buying Commitment Objections

• Skipping steps in the sales process exponentially increases the probability that you will get hammered with objections at the close.
• You’ll get price and budget objections, timing objections, status quo objections, need to talk it over with my boss (committee, spouse) objections, buying authority objections, competitor objections, have to think it over objections, need and fit objections, we can’t wait that long objections, and terms and conditions objections.
• Example of a buying commitment objection: “We’re going to need to talk this over as a team.”
• Five-Step Buying Commitment Objection Turn-Around Framework
  • Relate: “I get how you might feel that way.” Simply relating to them as a person. Nonjudgmental agreement causes your stakeholders to feel that you get them
  • Isolate and clarify
    • Isolate: To deal effectively with buying commitment objections, you must isolate and prioritize each objection before moving on. “Other than this, though, what else is bothering you about our proposal?”
    • Clarify: Never, ever assume you know what your stakeholder means; always clarify. The key to the clarifying step, is asking open-ended questions that get your buyer talking and expressing their real concerns. “I’m just curious. When you say our prices are too high, what does that mean from your standpoint?”
  • Minimize – Minimizing is the process of reducing the emotional size of your stakeholder’s objection while maximizing the value of your proposal by reminding them of their pain, desires, wants, needs, and opportunities, reminding them of what they have already agreed to (the yeses you’ve collected) and showing them a brighter future.
  • Ask – Ask confidently and assumptively for what you want.
  • Fall back to an alternative – You must get something: Scheduled meeting Beginning the implementation process Additional demo Pilot or trial period Smaller purchase Alternate product or package Have your best alternatives or fallback positions (multiple paths are better than one) planned prior to your closing call.
• I love it when buyers have deadlines. If they don’t have a deadline, I do my level best to get them to commit to timelines during the discovery/demo phase of the sales process.
• Anything that creates urgency is kryptonite against the status quo and safety bias.
• Leveraging Social Proof to Minimize Objections: This is where case studies, written testimonials, references, and referenceable business outcomes minimize the perceived risk and make it easier for your buyer to move forward.

 

Asking — The Most Important Discipline in Sales

• Three keys to asking that make it easier for your prospect to say yes by transferring your emotions in a way that reduces emotions and resistance
  • Ask with relaxed confidence & purposeful enthusiasm, be direct, and assume you will get what you want
  • Shut-up! Do not be intimidated by silence
  • Be prepared to deal with objections and negotiation
• The foundation of the assumptive ask is your belief system and self-talk.
• The words you use and how you structure those words send the message loud and clear that you assume you will get a yes or assume you’ll get a no
• Ex: Rather than, “I just wanted to reach out to see…”, say, “The purpose for my call is to …”

 

The Science of Resistance

• You cannot argue people into believing they are wrong.
• When you try to resolve an objection with logic, without first considering its emotional origin, it’s like arguing with a wall. In this state, you trigger psychological reactance.
• When you look, act, feel, and sound like every other sales rep who calls, e-mails, provides a demo, presents, pitches, challenges, or walks through the door, your stakeholder finds you boring and shifts into their reflexive buyer script.
• Humans don’t like change. This status quo bias is the top reason stakeholders throw out objections and deals stall in the late stages of the sales process.
• The number-one reason why buyers choose not to move forward with you is not price, product specs, delivery windows, or any of the things salespeople too often blame. It’s the fear of negative future consequences. Buying a new product or switching vendors carries a real risk for stakeholders.
• Ultra-high-performing sales professionals help stakeholders move past their status quo bias by helping them acclimate to change though priming and micro-commitments.
• An example of the priming process is introducing the stakeholder to the next step you plan to ask for at the beginning of a sales call rather than surprising them at the end of the conversation. Priming change is also accomplished during discovery through artful questions that allow the stakeholder to talk about a desired future state.
• Micro-commitments are just that — small, low-risk, easy-to-consume steps.
• Trust, however, is the one emotion that breaks the gravitational force of the status quo.
• Your competitors can also trigger the negativity bias by pointing out flaws in your product, customers they have taken from you, and negative online reviews. Neutralize negative competitors early in the sales process by pre-framing to stakeholders for exactly what the competitor will say and do. Present solid references and case studies that counter and neutralize negative perceptions.
• It’s important to find reasons to meet with your prospects and provide them with additional information and insight as often as possible. You must control and keep your message top of mind. This gives you the upper hand and takes advantage of the availability bias.
• Ask questions during discovery about the desire to change, what might hold them back, or how we might provide programs that would complement rather than displace that vendor.
• To avoid overwhelming your prospect, keep proposals simple and clean — less is better. Place complex charts and numbers in the appendix and address no more three to five priorities, problems, or challenges. Focus on the easiest path to begin doing business with you.
• For each of your prospect’s challenges, build a bridge by showing them their current state, describe your recommendation for solving their problem, and clearly articulate the future state.
• When you ask most people what they like about something, you leverage the negativity bias to your advantage. Most people will respond with a few positives and quickly shift to negatives. For example, when asking about an installed competitor: “John, tell me; what do you like most about ABC vendor?”

 

Managing Objections & Rejection

• You must first deal with objections at the emotional level before you can introduce logic.
• Objections are not rejection. Objections are signs of confusion, concerns, the sorting out of options, subconscious cognitive biases, risk aversion, cognitive overload, and the fear of change. Objections are a natural part of the human decision-making process. In most cases, objections are a sign that your prospect is still engaged.
• This leads us again to the single most important lesson in this book: In every sales conversation, the person who exerts the greatest amount of emotional control has the highest probability of getting the outcome they desire.
• Managing disruptive emotions is the primary meta-skill of sales. The art and science of getting past no begins with self-control. The combination of situational awareness and ability to consistently regulate disruptive emotions is at the heart of mastering objections.
• You become rejection proof when you learn to master your emotions. This begins with an awareness that the emotion is happening and allowing your rational brain to take the helm, make sense of the emotion, rise above it, and choose your behavior and response.
• Self-awareness opens the door to self-control.
• Use positive visualization to preprogram the subconscious brain. Begin by focusing on your breathing. Slow it down. Then in your mind’s eye, go step-by-step through each part of the call. Focus on how it feels to be confident. Imagine what you will say, what you will ask. Visualize yourself succeeding.
• The most effective technique for pausing when dealing with emotions triggered by objections is called a ledge. A ledge can be a statement, acknowledgment, agreement, or question. Examples:
  • “That’s interesting — can you tell me why this is important to you?”
  • “How so?”
  • “Would you help me understand?”
  • “Interesting — could you walk me through your concern?”
  • “Just to be sure I understand your question, could you elaborate a little more?”
  • “It sounds like you’ve been through this before.”
  • “That’s exactly why I called.”
  • “I figured you might say that.”
  • “A lot of people feel the same way.”
  • “I get why you might feel that way.”
  • “That makes sense.”
  • Self-control in the face of obstacles is like a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it becomes.
• Avoiding objections is stupid. Get the Truth on the Table — Early and Often
• I’m intentionally trying to get yes, no, or the objection on the table as fast as possible,
• When they are unwilling to engage, resist emotional connections, refuse to answer questions in discovery, renege on commitments, and rush you through the sales process, it’s a good sign you need to walk away.
• Instead of asking, ”Are you the decision maker?” use indirect questions such as:
  • Would you tell me more about the approval process for large purchases like this?
  • Apart from yourself, who else is involved in this decision?

 

Five Types of Stakeholders – BASIC

1. Buyers: Buyers are essentially decision makers, people with the ultimate authority to say yes or no. There are two types of buyers:
   1. Buyers who can authorize the deal, sign a contract or purchase order, and say yes to the commitment.
   2. Buyers who can fund the deal (write the check).
2. Amplifiers: Amplifiers are stakeholders who see a problem or gap that your product can fill.
3. Seekers: Seekers are stakeholders sent to look for information or who do it on their own.
4. Influencers: Usually seekers have little to no buying authority or influence, yet they put up a façade of authority and block access to other stakeholders. Influencers are stakeholders that play an active role in the buying process. They can be advocates for you, naysayers who are against you, or agnostic. Your goal is to develop and nurture advocates, move agnostics into your corner, and neutralize naysayers.
5. Coaches: Coaches are insiders who are willing not only to advocate for you but to help you with insider information.

 

Five steps to activating the prospect self-disclosure loop

1. Begin with open-ended questions that get your stakeholder talking.
2. Give the other person your complete attention and reward them for talking by using active listening and showing sincere interest.
3. Avoid interrupting, rushing, or talking over the stakeholder.
4. Pause three to five seconds before speaking.
5. Once the loop is running and the stakeholder begins to self-disclose, listen deeply and center your follow-up questions on those self-disclosures.

As you perceive emotional importance, ask follow-up questions to test your hunch that an objection exists and get all the information on the table. Ex: “What has you worried the most about doing business with us?”