The other evening whilst having a quick beer after work with a good friend of mine, also called Alan. He mentioned that he’d been reading my sales training tips on this site and asked if I could cover the old classic sales objection:
“If it wasn’t for the new extension/kitchen/bathroom” etc. etc.
So firstly a big thanks to “DVD Alan” for reading my ramblings and more importantly giving me this week’s subject. Hope this helps mate.
I remember way back when I was a new and eager sales rep learning my trade, I worked out very quickly that the more sales presentations I did the more often the same old objections would crop up again and again, so I made it a personal mission of mine and lost endless nights of sleep working out ways of getting rid of all the most common objections in the early part of my presentation during the statement of intent and fact finding period so that they wouldn’t crop up at the end when I was going for the final close.
For now let’s say you’ve done a perfect text book sales presentation and you’re sure you have a deal when right at the final close, out pops “It’s absolutely fantastic Alan and if it wasn’t for the new extension we’re having built when we get home, we would definitely join your holiday club today”.
How do you get round that one?
Well firstly give yourself a pat on the back because this type of objection is money related. Extensions don’t come cheap so you’ve obviously built some value into your product and price conditioned them at the same level as a new extension/bathroom or kitchen costs.
When you’ve finished patting yourself on the back, you need to work out if this is a genuine objection or just a weak excuse.
Remember A.C.O. (Agree, Confirm, Overcome.)
Agree with them: “I fully understand John and Mary, Extensions don’t come cheap these days, what is the average price of an extension in England/Yorkshire/London now?” If they are genuinely having an extension built they should be able to answer, “Well ours is going to cost us ………… If they struggle to give you a price, then they are lying and it’s just a weak excuse meaning you haven’t really sold them yet!
Either way, once you have a cost, continue with “And how long did it take you to save up for that?”
What you are achieving here is you are going to trap your clients into closing themselves into the “other than the money” corner again.
If they give a time factor like twelve or eighteen months of saving for example. Simply point out that they still had three holidays during that period and managed to save up for the extension so now you know they can afford to join your holiday club. You just redirect the moneys saved for the extension into joining your club and you’re going to save money on your future holidays as well. That would make perfect sense wouldn’t it?
The only other answer they can give you is that they are going to finance it in which case we look at getting a larger loan or re-mortgage over a longer period to include the cost of membership as well and make the payments even lower using the equity in their house.
What have you just done here?
You’ve turned what looked like a no close objection, into a financial “other than the money” objection again.
“So as long as I can show you how to have your extension built, join my holiday club and save you money as well, you’d be fools not to join me today wouldn’t you?.............
I hope that has given you some ideas to play with for now.
Next week I’m going to look at how to get rid of objections before they’re even brought up.
See you then.
How To Overcome The Objection: “If We Weren’t Having An Extension Built”
Timeshare Sales Techniques – The Statement Of Intent
The statement of intent is an excellent sales tool for establishing a number of things right at the beginning of your sales presentation. Firstly and most importantly it is used to calm your clients down and make them feel more comfortable about being on a Timeshare or Holiday Club presentation.
Once you have collected your clients from the reception, have them seated correctly in the warm up area and ordered their drinks, you should give them what is known in the Timeshare Industry as “The Statement of Intent”. Or “Breaking of the pact”
Your clients are probably very nervous, either because of a past personal experience on a Timeshare presentation, or because of all the bad press and warnings they have read or heard about what happens when you attend a Timeshare sales presentation. The easiest way to alleviate their fears is let them know exactly what is going to happen during their presentation. People only fear the unknown. So if you let them know what to expect and in what order. They will normally calm down immediately.
A good statement of intent should go something like this:
“Ok John and Mary, while we’re waiting for our drinks to arrive let me tell you exactly what’s going to happen while you’re with me here today”. “Firstly I’m going to ask you to help me with a brief holiday survey about where you’ve been in the past, where you would like to go in the future, and what you’ve liked or disliked about some of the holidays you’ve taken in the past. It’s a very important part of my job as the information people like you give us, help my company to keep up to date with the ever changing holiday trends and stay ahead of the competition, then I’m going to show you around the resort and you will see why we now have so many members in my holiday club and you’ll realise the benefits that my members get from being part of such a large and well established holiday company, at the end of my presentation you will be given the option of either saying no thanks, in which case I will make sure you get any gifts you have been promised and a taxi back to your hotel, or you can choose to join the other thousands of families who said yes and are now enjoying the many benefits of being part of my club and I will make sure my manager is available to sort out the best possible deal at the best possible price, either way the choice will be yours.” “All I ask is that you allow me to do a full presentation and answer all your questions before you make your choice.” “Is that fair enough”
Now get all parties to agree and shake all their hands. At this point you must confirm that they are ok for time, that they’re not rushing of to meet any one in half an hour and they haven’t left Grandma alone on the beach in full sunshine.
Apart from relaxing your clients and making them more open minded, you will have also got rid of the time problem. If they start pushing you to speed things up you can just remind them that they agreed to allow you to do a full presentation and you shook hands on it.
Your clients have agreed to give you at least ninety minutes. It’s up to you to turn that ninety minutes into a three hour presentation that ends in a deal!
They won’t even notice the time if you, entertain them, win them over, and close them using the “Simple Selling Skills” you’ll be learning when you keep dropping by my site on a weekly basis.
See you next week.
Using Tie-Downs - A Very Powerful Closing Tools When Used Correctly
Tie-Downs are a form of turning a statement into a question that force either a “yes” or “no” answer. The more little yes’s you can get during your sales presentation the easier it will be to get the big yes at the end!
The use of “Tie-Downs” in your sales presentations can be a very powerful closing tool when used correctly and in the right places. “Tie-Downs” come in four main forms: standard, inverted, internal, and tag-on, and need to be mixed correctly to gain the maximum effect when leading your clients into the final close.
I have stated many times before in previous sales training articles of mine that nowadays we are dealing with a much more educated sales prospect. I don’t mean educated as in, they all went to university. I mean educated in the normal old school, hard close sales techniques, so you will need to practise mixing the four types of Tie-Downs until they flow into your normal conversation to avoid it sounding like an old stereotype slick sales pitch.
So let’s look at a few examples of using Tie-Downs:
The Standard Tie-Down: (At the end of the statement)
“You can see the benefit of using tie-downs in your sales presentation, can’t you?”
The Inverted Tie-Down: (At the beginning of the statement)
“Doesn’t it make sense to include as many Tie-Downs into your sales presentations as possible?”
The Internal Tie-Down: (A little more difficult has to be placed within the statement)
“If you could master the art of using tie-downs, wouldn’t it improve your sales figures?”
The Tag On Tie-Down: (Tagged on to the end of your clients’ statement)
Client: “learning to use Tie-Downs was easy” You: “Wasn’t it?”
Did you find yourself answering yes to all those statements? There is also a way of using a negative tie-down to overcome objections, but that is a whole article in itself and I want to leave that for another day.
Here are a few examples of common tie-downs
Aren't they?
Aren't you?
Can't you?
Couldn't it?
Doesn't it?Don't you agree?
Don't we?
Shouldn't it?
Wouldn't it?
Haven't they?
Hasn't he?
Hasn't she?
Isn't it?
Isn't that right?
Didn't it?
Wasn't it?
Won't they?
Won't you?
As always, go and practise using Tie-Downs on your friends, partner, the guy in the pub and any one else who will listen to you until it becomes a natural part of your conversation. Then when you’re ready, include them into your sales presentations and watch your sales figures double over night!
See you next week…..
Increase Your Sales Figures with Tie-Downs – A Powerful Closing Tool When Used Correctly
Tie-Downs are a form of turning a statement into a question that force either a “yes” or “no” answer. The more little yes’s you can get during your sales presentation the easier it will be to get the big yes at the end!
The use of “Tie-Downs” in your sales presentations can be a very powerful closing tool when used correctly and in the right places. “Tie-Downs” come in four main forms: standard, inverted, internal, and tag-on, and need to be mixed correctly to gain the maximum effect when leading your clients into the final close.
I have stated many times before in previous sales training articles of mine that nowadays we are dealing with a much more educated sales prospect. I don’t mean educated as in, they all went to university. I mean educated in the normal old school, hard close sales techniques, so you will need to practise mixing the four types of Tie-Downs until they flow into your normal conversation to avoid it sounding like an old stereotype slick sales pitch.
So let’s look at a few examples of using Tie-Downs:
The Standard Tie-Down: (At the end of the statement)
“You can see the benefit of using tie-downs in your sales presentation, can’t you?”
The Inverted Tie-Down: (At the beginning of the statement)
“Doesn’t it make sense to include as many Tie-Downs into your sales presentations as possible?”
The Internal Tie-Down: (A little more difficult has to be placed within the statement)
“If you could master the art of using tie-downs, wouldn’t it improve your sales figures?”
The Tag On Tie-Down: (Tagged on to the end of your clients’ statement)
Client: “learning to use Tie-Downs was easy” You: “Wasn’t it?”
Did you find yourself answering yes to all those statements? There is also a way of using a negative tie-down to overcome objections, but that is a whole article in itself and I want to leave that for another day.
Here are a few examples of common tie-downs
Aren't they?
Aren't you?
Can't you?
Couldn't it?
Doesn't it?
Don't you agree?
Don't we?
Shouldn't it?
Wouldn't it?
Haven't they?
Hasn't he?
Hasn't she?
Isn't it?
Isn't that right?
Didn't it?
Wasn't it?
Won't they?
Won't you?
As always, go and practise using Tie-Downs on your friends, partner, the guy in the pub and any one else who will listen to you until it becomes a natural part of your conversation. Then when you’re ready, include them into your sales presentations and watch your sales figures double over night!
See you next week…..
How To Overcome The Objection: “I Want To Think About It”
I guarantee one of your worst feared objections is “I want to think about it” isn’t it?
Why do all sales people fear the “I want to think about it” objection?
Because it isn’t really an objection is it? Or is it? They haven’t really said “No” have they? They haven’t really said “Yes” either have they? So the weak sales rep can breathe a sigh of relief and believe the client will definitely get back to them with a yes tomorrow and the so called experienced rep will make the excuse that it wasn’t really an objection so there was nothing they could have done to overcome it. While the Professional Closer goes to work and starts to find out exactly what it is the clients want to think about. Which ever one you are, let’s look at this “objection” in the latter tense, as Professional Closers; after all if you didn’t want to become a Professional Closer you wouldn’t be reading this would you? So what can you do in this situation?
Firstly we have to look at the reasons why people say “We want to think about it”
The first and most common reason you will get the: “I want to think about it” objection is that you gave them too much information to think about! Check out my article on the importance of good fact finding. An old sales trainer and excellent motivator of mine was always saying “If the cow doesn’t moo, don’t feed it” What he was saying in an essence was, only give them the information they ask for. There is no point in telling them how efficient the air conditioning is on this particular model of car if they live somewhere where it snows for 6 month a year. They will be more sold on the amazing traction the electronic 4X4 system gives them when driving on snow and the fact that by pointing the key through the kitchen window and pressing a button while they’re finishing their morning coffee, the seats heat up and the all windows de-mist automatically.
Do you get the idea? You can always add the air conditioning in as an additional benefit for when they drive down south for their summer holidays while they’re signing the purchase agreement.
The other main and obvious reason you will get “I want to think about it” is you haven’t sold them yet.
At this point you need to revert to A.C.O. (See: The tried and tested three step formula for overcoming all objections) Agree with them: “I fully understand John and Mary, if I was in your shoes I’d want to think about the payment options and whether I could afford the additional monthly outgoing.” Confirm: “Is that what you want to think about?” If that is not their reason you need to keep asking with one option at a time until you have isolated it down to the real objection.
Now you just get back into Overcoming the real objection and closing the deal!
So to recap:“I want to think about it” really means, you’ve given me too much information and I’m confused. Or, I don’t have enough of the relevant information so I’m not sold yet.
By keeping it simple and only feeding the cow when it moo’s, you will always be dealing with: “I don’t have enough information yet” It’s always easier to add the benefits of your product bit by bit than take something away once you’ve given them everything up front.
The lesson this week is: “Don’t feed the cow till it moos!”
See you all next week……….
