When a decade ago I was faced with having to sell my services for the first time I was terrified. I hated asking for the sale and dreaded the part where my potential clients inevitably came up with objections why they couldn’t use my services.

I’ve since learned that lack of objections is not necessarily a good thing. In fact, I now welcome it when prospects tell me why they can’t do business with me.

Frankly, when a potential client shares his reasons why he or she hesitates to take advantage of my offer, to me it’s a sign of two things; one – they are interested in my services, and two – I’m getting closer to closing the deal.

But many professionals, like consultants or coaches, find “overcoming objections” and “closing” the deal stressful, unpleasant and pushy. If that’s you, I want to share with you two lessons that helped me develop a different mindset around this.

First, a “no” doesn’t always mean “no”. Often it simply means “not now” or “I don’t have enough information yet
to say yes.”

Second, you can’t “overcome” your prospect’s objections – but you can give them information and tools that allow them to make a new decision.

In my Attract Clients Like Crazy program I teach a specific process that doesn’t rely on memorizing scripts and is the most natural way to lead potential customers towards making a buying decision. (Note: my new ACLC program will be available for sale in a couple of weeks – you will love it!)

For now, if you too experience anxiety around “closing” sales here are my tested and proven responses to the top five objections your prospective clients are very likely to raise.

OBJECTION #1: I HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT.

“I don’t blame you. Hiring a can be a big decision. Can you share with me what specific aspect of my services you are concerned about?”

“Yes, I can see how this can be a big decision. You know I found that typically my clients are initially concerned with one of the three things: is the problem important enough to solve it now, is this the right solution for your situation, can you afford the solution? Which one of those concerns you the most?”

“Hmmm… I see. Let me ask you… Let’s say we get started on this project – what are the downsides?”

OBJECTION #2: I HAVE TO TALK TO MY PARTNER ABOUT IT.

“Great. What kinds of questions do you think they might they ask?”

“Good idea. I always discuss decisions like this with my partner (or spouse). But let me ask you a question – what will you do when your partner doesn’t like the idea of us moving forward with this?”

OBJECTION #3: IT’S TOO EXPENSIVE.

“Expensive comparing to what?”

“Expensive?! What’s really expensive is your current way of thinking! It’s produced the results you have right now and I think we both already agreed that without outside perspective and help you will just keep getting harder and harder and nowhere really fast! Now, let’s looks again how we can ensure that you get a great ROI on your investment in the next 90 days and then let’s make it a top priority at the beginning of our project…”

“Yes, it’s a solid investment. I tell you what – I know this is only worthwhile if you produce solid results, right? What’s the one result you would want to be absolutely sure we could produce in the next that would have you really happy you hired me? Great! Why don’t we make this our top priority and get started right away?”

“Not really. How does this investment compare to what it’s costing you to do nothing about this problem?”

“Frankly, that’s exactly why you need me.”

OBJECTION #4: I SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO IT ON MY OWN.

“Hmmmm… how long have you been dealing with this issue? If you haven’t solved it on your own so far what makes you think you can do it now?”

“Yes, I suppose you could. But let me ask you something: when was the last time you saw (heard) of a heart surgeon performing an open heart surgery on himself?”

“With all the respect… I must disagree. If you thought you could solve this problem on your own we wouldn’t be talking right now. Tell me, how would things be different if you could rely on an unbiased opinion to give you a fresh perspective/solutions to this problem?”

OBJECTION #5: I DON’T HAVE THE TIME RIGHT NOW.

“Yes, it will take some time to address this issue. How much more time per week could you devote to other, revenue-generating activities if you could eliminate dealing with this problem on ongoing bases?”

“That’s funny; you just told me it takes you 10 hours a week to deal with this problem – wouldn’t it make sense to hire someone like myself and solve it so that you can use your time on more productive tasks?”

“Wow, if you are that busy and you are still not getting the results you want perhaps it would make sense to start the project by helping you better prioritize your activities and leverage your time more effectively?”

These are only a few examples of responses I found helpful in getting to a “yes” in negotiating a sale. Rather than trying to memorize those specific sentences I suggest you try to understand and learn the underlying concepts each of the responses is based on.

Here is what you must understand; an objection is a cover for a deeper concern. By voicing it your prospects give you an opportunity to address it and provide information to eliminate it. So quit trying to prove your point and instead ask thought-provoking questions. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the outcomes.

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© 2000-2009 Marketing Mentors Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The author, Adam Urbanski, helps service professionals and business owners how to
attract all the new clients they want, and how to develop marketing
strategies to increase sales and profits. His website offers more how-to
articles and free tips to create a winning
marketing action plan at www.themarketingmentors.com.
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Conversations on marketing are all too often “Academic” for contractors, working in the field appeals more to us than in the office. This article is a great resource for a glimpse at some of the patterns we are guilty of in our businesses. To help you understand, I have added personal comments in red. – HomeBuildR

Mistake #1: Lack of Marketing Mindset!

Most professionals shiver with disgust on a mere thought of having to promote and sell their service because they are confused what marketing and selling really is.

Regardless of how good you are at what you do if you can’t get enough visibility and not enough people are interested in your products and services, you’ll have a mediocre business at best and always struggle to stay afloat.

You are in business to solve other people’s problems profitably, and marketing helps you “get exposed” to more people and make them “hungry” for your solutions.

Make a commitment to become a life-long student of marketing and continually apply what you learn. Soon your business will soar.

Mistake #2: Spraying and Praying!

Poor strategic planning, lack of clearly defined target market, niche and ideal client result in confusing marketing messages and costly “hit and miss” promotional tactics that fail to deliver the desired response.

Evaluate who your best clients are and invest time, effort, and money into only those strategies that help you best reach the largest number of prospects who can potentially become your ideal clients.

The more precise and targeted your promotions become, the more successful and profitable your business will be.

A great example, sending out mailers to a zip code with out identifying your potential clients first. It makes no sense to me to send a mailer out to homeowners that already have a swimming pool in their backyard when I’m looking to build new ones.

Mistake #3: Confusing Marketing with Sales!

Before you can have a paid client you must have a prospect. And before you have a prospect you must have a lead!

Lack of effective, systematic lead generation strategies, and trying to jump from “stranger to client” keeps the business pipeline very dry for most service professionals!

Make lead generation one of the core activities of your business. The bigger you can build the database of qualified prospects the more relaxed you’ll be about the future of your business.

You’ll also become more effective in pursuing only those potential clients who are the best match for you – resulting in creating a more fulfilling business for you and better results for your clients.

Sales happen when you market well.

Mistake #4: Under- or Over-Spending!

Without knowing the value of each client there is no appropriate marketing budget. Promotional efforts are abandoned all together, or there is too much money wasted on tactics that eat up all potential profits.

Track each customer’s spending habits. Over a period of time you’ll be able to determine the value each customer represents to your business. This number is critical in your marketing efforts. Without it you never know how much you can really afford to invest in your new client acquisition strategies.

Mistake #5: Failing to Keep In Touch!

A lack of consistent contact causes valuable client relationships to suffer, and results in increased attrition and permanently lost sales.

At times we all forget that people buy when they are ready not when we need to make a sale. Developing ways to keep in touch with prospects and clients generates six-figure windfalls for me every single year.

Often my clients reveal to me that they have been reading my tips for years before ever investing a dime in one of my products.

Start an ezine. Send out a monthly postcard. Write and publish an article a month. Start a blog. Host a monthly teleseminar. Get into podcasting. Whatever your method – find a way to frequently and regularly connect with current, potential, and past clients.

Real estate agents do an excellent job with this, every year they will send out magnetic calendars for their past clients. I often amazed how many of these calendars are on refrigerators in the homes I visit.

Mistake #6: Refusing to Brand Yourself as an Expert!

A close relative to “spraying and praying.” Being a Jack (or Jane) of all trades confuses your potential clients and diminishes the perceived value of your services and products.

Analyze your strengths and the market you serve. Can you identify a specific service or product that is more popular than others you offer and that you are really good at and passionate about? Can you notice a trend that some clients tend to get better results with you than others?

If so, make a conscious effort to position yourself as an expert who offers only specific solutions to specific audience and in the upcoming months and years become better than anyone else at doing it.

Most of us prefer do deal with experts. So the time and effort you invest in positioning yourself as one will pay huge dividends; you’ll effectively differentiate yourself from others offering a similar service, and gain a competitive advantage that’s nearly impossible to beat!

Mistake #7: Engaging In Price Competition!

Failure to properly position and differentiate your services from competitors forces professionals to sell their skilled service at too low, “hours-for-dollars” rates.

Often prospects can’t tell the difference between one service provider and another and base their decision to price alone.

Unless you don’t mind being treated as a commodity and making only a fraction of the money you really could me making, you should take steps to clearly communicate you HUB (Hot Undeniable Benefits) of doing business with you.

Mistake #8: “Winging it” Sales Process!

Not understanding the proper syntax of an enrollment conversation, most professionals practice the “show up and throw up” sales method, which easily turns off even the most eager potential clients.

Develop a set of five to ten “must-have-answered” questions that illustrates your expertise and ensures you this prospect is the right type of client for you.

It’s important to remember this: While you are engaging in sales conversations about your product or service all the time, your potential clients only do it once in a while and they rely on you to guide them through this process.

Don’t disappoint them and rob them of opportunity to work with you by being lousy at closing the deal!

Mistake #9: Over-Depending On Referrals!

Not knowing the difference between getting referrals and a strategically developed word-of-mouth marketing system many professionals can’t understand why satisfied clients don’t refer them to friends and colleagues and they don’t know how to solve this problem.

Your good clients want to refer you to their friends they often don’t know how to do it. Unsure about how aggressive you’ll be in pursuing the contacts they give you, they prefer the safer option of not giving it to you at all.

Know when it’s best to approach clients about referrals (hint – it’s not at the end of your engagements!). Educate them about your follow-up process to make them at ease with your practice. Those two simple tweaks alone will make a huge difference in your “referral-ability”.

You probably wouldn’t be reading this, if you were not guilty of relying on referrals as your sole method of lead generation. It’s Shocking, how many contractors stick with referrals as their main way of getting leads, as if it were a badge of honor.

Mistake #10: Misusing Technology!

Many professionals mistakenly assume that “internet is a business”. They either refuse to get into “that business” all together and miss out on huge marketing possibilities, or try to convert their business to be 100% internet based. Both are costly mistakes.

Savvy professionals recognize new business development opportunities that internet makes possible so they make online marketing an important part of their strategy, but they don’t drop everything else.

Employ the power of online marketing to make your business easier to find, and to keep in touch with current and potential clients. But also give your promotions a healthy “multi-dimensional” appeal with offline strategies like postcards and phone calls and watch your business explode.

Mistake #11: Being a Lone Ranger and a Super Hero!

Lack of delegation skills, not having a support team, and working alone without access to a community of like-minded peers who are committed to our success diminishes the opportunity to creatively brainstorm new ideas, explore new opportunities, or uncover blind-spots.

Admittedly, lack of good delegating skills is my personal biggest vice I continue to work on. It’s also what keeps most professionals and entrepreneurs from building a more successful business.

I’m finding that better planning, reminding myself of the value of my time, and constantly improving my delegation skills is very helpful.

Also, forming my personal board of advisors (mastermind) and being able to seek their counsel when needed is very powerful tool to keeps me focused and on track to achieve my business goals.

Mistake #12: Lack of Business and Marketing Systems!

Too much creativity negatively impacts profitability. Constantly working on new one-shot strategies and reinventing the wheel results in larger than necessary workload, overwhelm, and diminished profits.

Remember that many of your business growth strategies can become more profitable as you implement them again and again and tweak and perfect them over a period of time.

Bigger payoffs can be generated from focusing on one strategy, optimizing it for best results, and systemizing and automating it than from chasing a half a dozen of ideas that never get fully implemented.

Make it one of your business goals to create systems that can be duplicated, automated, or delegated and free your time to focus on money-making aspects of your business – like improving your marketing and generating more leads.

Maintain Frequency Until Requested Otherwise

When the going gets tough, it’s human nature to do more of something to increase your odds of success. But in email marketing, sending more campaigns with reminder messages, offers and requests to respond will likely backfire and alienate opt-in prospects, customers and advocates. It’s important to remember that your target audiences have many other marketers sending them messages that may not be as valuable as yours – but it can all become a blur when email volumes increase in the PC, social or mobile inbox. Stick to the game plan that audiences agreed to unless they tell you different. Maintain a rhythm to help ensure your messages are anticipated, welcomed, responded to and shared, instead of ignored or shut down with spam.

Focus On Value, Not Fluff

Give people what they want, when they want it, and make it very easy for them to quickly experience the value of your information and offers. This is achieved when marketers apply the right blend of preference center and CRM thinking to help identify wants and needs, and deliver content that is expected and perceived as valuable to each individual recipient (not one-size-fits-all to the entire list). Design can certainly play a significant role in making valuable information easier to understand and act upon. Keep messages short and simple instead of long-winded and complex. This strategy is not only good for email campaigns. Short, comprehensive messages can also be repurposed much easier and faster for mobile marketing messages like SMS.

Be Confident

Confidence, not arrogance, is a very attractive quality when people communicate with one another. We’re all a little bit nervous about the economy and certain world events. Prospects, customers and advocates will respond better to email campaigns that are fact-based, relevant and come from a thought leader with a credible voice and calm nature. Remember, great email and messaging is a conversation between people and not a blast to a list.

Incorporate Social And Mobile

Email, or messaging in general, is taking on new forms via a variety of inboxes across channels, including traditional email, social and mobile marketing. That said, marketers need to remember that their campaigns and content can get more mileage across channels – which can lead to better engagement with audiences at lower costs to marketers. Call it repurposing or just better orchestration, marketers can save money and improve campaign results by thinking in terms of “tri-messaging” via email, social and mobile.

Don’t Trash Your Sender Reputation

Sure, email and messaging have great delivery economics on the surface, but resist the temptation to save time and money by cutting corners when it comes to sending best practices. There is a fine line between being a reputable email marketer (that ISPs, spam filters and recipients respect) and a spammer. Stay abreast of how to create a good reputation online, and apply time and investments to remain reputable. This will go a long way to improving your business results and brand equity in any economy.

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About The Author

Erick Mott is the communications director for Lyris. Connect with him on www.twitter.com/lyris or www.linkedin.com/in/erickmott.