Tag: Overcoming Objections

A Proven Approach to Handle the “I’m Not Interested” Objection

by mike

There has been a lot of talk recently about “Objections.” What they are, how to prevent them, how to deal with them. That’s great, but you may be asking yourself: What do I actually say or do to overcome or get around them?

For those of you who have been reading my blog for years know, I’m all about giving you and your team proven, word-for-word scripts and talk tracks so you can successfully deal with the common objections and resistance statements you get, day in and day out.

Today’s blog will give you the best practice approach to one of the most common objections you get while prospecting or cold calling, the: “I’m/we’re not interested,” blow-off. Today’s response will also work for variations on this objection like:

“We’re all set,” or

“We already have a vendor for that,” or

“We don’t need anything at this time,” etc.

Before I give you the scripted response, let me remind you of a few things:

Whenever you get one of these initial resistance statements, remember that these aren’t objections. You haven’t pitched anything yet, so there isn’t anything for a prospect to object to.

Instead, these are just blow-offs to avoid being pitched. It’s the same as when you walk into a department store and tell the sales rep you’re “just looking.” The reason prospects use this line on sales reps is because it works! Most sales reps stumble over it and usually go away discouraged.

That will change with you today.

Also, remember this: when you get this (or any other) initial resistance statement, your goal isn’t to ask why they aren’t interested (that would only feed into their blow-off), instead, it’s to acknowledge that you heard it, then disarm them with a non-threatening, non-salesy statement, and move back into qualifying your prospect.

Here’s how you do that:

Prospect: “We wouldn’t be interested…”

You: “That’s perfectly okay, I’m not calling to sell you anything today. Instead, I just wanted to give you a resource so that the next time you did need this, you’ll know who to call to check your options.

“Let me ask you…” (Choose a good open-ended question to engage your prospect here.)

It’s that simple.

Now: Will this response work all the time? Of course not—no response will. But it will do something more important: It will uncover real, potential buyers because these prospects will answer and engage with you, and you can now have a meaningful (sometimes short) conversation with them. Your goal is to script out good, quick questions and then set appropriate next steps.

And for those who don’t engage? Use one or two more proven statements or questions to get them to open up. (Don’t have a list of those at your fingertips? What were you thinking! Click Here to get over 500 word-for-word proven scripts, questions, and phrases to open and close more sales.).

As with any technique or script, you’ll need to use this for at least two weeks straight before it becomes a habit. But once it does, you can kiss this blow-off statement goodbye.

And soon, if you use all the scripts I suggest, you’ll have licked the objection problem once and for all…

Objections: 5 Things You Need to Do Now

by mike

I was on the “Sell or Die” podcast with Jeffrey Gitomer a couple of weeks ago, and he asked me a good question. He said this question would cause me to think a bit and then he asked, “Mike, how many objections are there?”

That did cause me to think. After a moment, I told him that while there are a lot of variations of objections, in truth there are really only a few. And he agreed. Jeffrey said that once he was training onsite and he asked the manager that same question, and the manager replied, “There are a hundred different objections!”

Jeffrey then challenged him with, “I’ll bet my entire fee there are no more than 15, and if there are less than 10, you double my fee.” After going through them with this manager, there turned out to be just 12.

And that’s been my experience as well. Whenever I’m onsite with a company, I brainstorm with the team to identify all the objections they get. They rarely can come up with more than 5-7 for prospecting and about the same amount for the close.

So given this truth (and I’m sure once you think about your own situation you’ll agree), I can give you 5 things you need to know how to do to anticipate, prevent, deal with, and overcome them. Here they are:

1) As I write about in Power Phone Scripts, the key to dealing effectively with objections is to recognize that there are a finite number of them (about 5-10). And you’re going to get these same ones over and over again. So you need to anticipate them.

Be prepared for them with an effective, best practice approach or script. In fact, write out three or four responses to the most frequent objections you get, learn them, and use them over and over again.

Sounds easy, I know, but you would be amazed by how many sales people still won’t take the time to do this. If you will, however, you’ll increase your success rate and your confidence exponentially.

2) Prevent them. At the end of your presentation, two of the biggest objections and stalls are, “The price is too high,” and “I need to talk it over with…”

These two objections should have been uncovered and dealt with during your prospecting call. These should have been qualified for and you should know in advance what the decision process is like, and if this fits within their budget.

If you don’t, then weave these kinds of qualifying questions into your prospecting script and never encounter them again.

3) Know when to deal with objections. My mentor taught told me there were three times to deal with objections: When they come up, later in the presentation, or never.

You need to decide which time is best for you. If you deal with them when they come up, you’re likely to lose momentum and give control over to your prospect. If you delay them until the end, (“I’ll cover that in just a few minutes”) then you can buy yourself some time and the objection might even go away. And if you don’t answer it at all, sometimes you’ll find that the prospect doesn’t bring it up again.

When you decide to handle an objection depends on many things, and you can probably tell when the right time is. Just know you have options.

4) Know how to deal with an objection. One of the biggest mistakes people make is they rush to answer an objection. That shouldn’t be your first approach. Instead, always get into the habit of questioning an objection and make your prospect work to answer and clarify it.

Doing so often allows you to get more information about what the real objection is, and often times your prospect—in explaining it—will give you the seeds to answer it. Simple statements could be, “Really? Why is that?” or “What do you mean by that?” or “Why is that important to you?” or my favorite, “Oh?”

5) Be ready to go to work when you get an objection. The final thing I want to share from my podcast with Jeffrey is when we both talked about how the sale starts when you get an objection. In fact, I shared that I was taught that the sale doesn’t start until you’ve received 5 objections!

Compare that to how you handle objections today. Do you tend to give up after one objection? How about after two? Bottom line is that if you’re not prepared with a best practice approach (a script!) of what to say when you get objections, then you’re probably not ready to stay the course and keep closing until you win the sale.

Think about the 5 points above, and compare your own methodology to handling objections. If you need to change something to fit these 5 points then do it. You’ll close more business as a result.

And finally, check out the upcoming Sell or Die podcast to hear the interview in near future (August 8th). You’ll enjoy it and learn a lot.

Three Ways to Handle the Price is Too High Objection

by mike

Are you still ad-libbing a response to the “your price is too high,” objection?

This is perhaps the oldest objection in the world, I mean think about it: In ancient Egypt (4,000+ years ago), at the open markets with all the vendors at their stalls selling everything from food to clothing to pots and pans, when a buyer asked how much an item was and was told the price, what do you think he/she automatically said?

“That’s way too much money for that!”

Sound familiar? Let’s face it, buyers have been using this objection way before you or your father or great grandfather got into sales, and you’d think that by now we’d all know how to effectively handle it. Some do, but with all the calls I listen to, there are still plenty of sales reps and companies that don’t…

So here are the best practice responses to the age old budget question or objection. Write these down, customize them so you are comfortable with them, and start moving past this objection once and for all.

Technique One: Avoid this objection from every coming up. What, you didn’t qualify for budget on your first call? This is a rookie mistake, and one that you need to fix right away. If you’re still getting the price objection when you’re presenting your product or solution, then that’s on you.

What you need to do is find a natural way to prequalify for budget as part of your qualifying questions. You know, the questions about decision making process, timeline, etc. Here are a few ways to do that:

“And {first name}, our solution ranges from $4,000 to $15,000 depending on the options you want. Is that range within a budget you have – again, if you like what you see?”

OR

“{first name}, I’m assuming you have a budget for this type of thing – if you feel that this will help you (do whatever it is your product or service does), right?

“And most of our new customers go for our premium package at $25,000 – is that something you could fit into your budget if this were a fit for you?”

There are many, many other ways to qualify for budget – if you need more, search this blog or pick up one of my books of phone scripts.

Technique Two: This is one of the easiest rebuttals to use, and I’m continually surprised more reps don’t automatically use it. The technique both challenges your prospect and helps you learn more about their buying process (and your possible competition) at the same time. It goes like this:

“Compared to what?”

And then hit your mute button and let them talk and reveal the way back into the close…

Technique Three: Here’s a way to isolate the price objection to make sure it’s the real and only objection there is. Nothing is more discouraging than overcoming it and then being told there are three more reasons they won’t buy.

“And besides price, what else would stop you from moving forward today?”

This is designed to draw out other objections. You can make it more positive by asking:

“And if the price were exactly where you’d want it, is everything else about our (product or service) okay? I mean, would you feel comfortable enough to take advantage of it today?”

As many of you know, I’m big on being prepared for the repeatable selling situations and objections you get day in and day out. This is what separates the top producers from everyone else, and it’s what makes sales easy and even enjoyable.

And let’s face it, an objection that has been around 4,000+ years is definitely a repeatable one.

5 Ways to Get Better at Handling Objections

by mike

Want to make 2018 your best year ever? Want to instantly improve your ability to handle the objections you get, day in and day out? (And, by the way, that you’re going to get all year long.)

I guarantee you that if you just take the time to follow the step by step advice you’ll read below, you will – within 30 days – be a more confident, competition, and successful sales professional.

Guaranteed.

Step Number one:  Take time to carefully script out word-for-word rebuttals to the common objections you get repeatedly. Remember, the best thing about sales is that you get the same objections, stalls and put offs over and over again. You already know what’s coming – that’s a huge advantage!

True pros recognize this and take the time to script out best practice responses to them, so when they get them, they can confidently and effectively handle them.

Other sales reps still choose to adlib their responses which means they are making up one poor response after another. This is why they are discouraged and not as successful as they could be.

So take some time right now and script out your best practice responses so you’ll never have to scramble for what to say again!

Step number two:  Memorize your best practice responses. Don Shula – the famous Miami Dolphin coach – once said that his players practiced, drilled and rehearsed their plays and techniques over and over again so they could internalize them and act automatically when they needed to.

He said that football moves so fast that: “If you get into a situation and have to think about what to do next, it’s already too late.”

Same thing in sales. By internalizing your best practice responses to objections, you’ll be able to handle them automatically, without thinking or stressing.

Step number three: To effectively memorize your rebuttals, you’ll need to put in some time.  The most effective way to memorize and internalize them is to record them into a recording device (and you’re already carrying one of these around in your pocket – all smart phones have one), and then listen to them 30 to 50 times.

This is the same thing you did with your favorite song, and it works for rebuttals to objections as well. In fact, you’ll even remember the exact inflection and pacing as well, so record several until you find the one you like!

Step number four: Record yourself and listen to how you sound when delivering your rebuttals.  Listen for if you’re using the right rebuttal to the objection your prospect or client just gave you.

By recording yourself, you’ll learn tons of things that will make you better, including how to deliver your rebuttals more convincingly. You’ll also learn whether or not your rebuttal is the best one to use – which leads me to step number five.

Step number five: Be prepared to revise your rebuttals as needed. After listening to your sales calls over and over again, you’ll find ways to improve. Perhaps a rebuttal can be shortened? Maybe it can include a few key words or phrases? Perhaps you could deliver it with a bit more energy? Or less energy?

Never stop learning, critiquing and getting better. When you stop learning, you stop earning. The top professionals in any industry are always adapting, always learning, and always improving.  You should, too.

So there you have it: the five ways to get better at handling objections and improve your 2018 sales experience. If you’re truly committed to becoming one of the best producers in your company or industry, then commit to following the steps above.

If you do, your career and your life will change in exciting and fulfilling ways.

P.S.: If you’re at a loss for what to say with your rebuttals or how to script them out, then you can buy a book that over 500 word-for-word scripts, questions, and phrases already written for you!

See my bestselling book, Power Phone Scripts, and make your life easier starting today!

Handling the, “I Need to Speak With….” Objection

by mike

The holidays are upon us and guess what? The teams I’m working with are still getting the stall, “I need to speak with (my partner, my boss, purchasing, etc.).”

Oh by gosh, by golly, you’d think they’d cut you a break at the holidays and just buy all ready 🙂

Here’s the good news: Because this is a recurring selling situation, you shouldn’t have any problem dealing with this. In fact, you should be able to recite at least four different, best practice responses to this, right?

Surprisingly, many sales reps still stumble with this, but you don’t have to because I’m going to give you a gift for the holidays: A proven way to overcome this stall.

The following script is just one of the proven ways I outline in my book, Power Phone Scripts. And after you begin using it, you will finally be able to move past this stall/objection the next time you get it.

So here it is:

“I’m going to have to run this by…..” 

“Of course and I understand – we talked before about your decision process.  Let me ask you this, though: is getting their approval the ONLY thing holding us back from doing business together?”

[Listen carefully – if YES then]:

“Will you have time to talk to them before we next speak at 2:30 tomorrow afternoon?

“Great!  Then because you’re onboard with this, I’ll go ahead and prepare the paperwork, I’ll email it to you, and I’ll even reserve a spot for you.”

[Give a brief pause here and wait for push back.  If none]:

“I’ll look forward to us moving forward tomorrow…”

Now when you look at this and break it down, you’ll notice a few things:

1) The first thing we do is isolate the objection to make sure there isn’t anything else holding the prospect back: “Is this the ONLY thing holding us back?”

You must listen carefully here because if there are other reasons, then speaking with someone else is not the real objection and you’ll need to deal with whatever else they bring up.

2) Do you see how you already have a call back appointment? (The “…next speak at 2:30?”)

You absolutely have to have this scheduled before you get off the phone – if indeed you get a “Yes, that’s the only thing holding me back…”

3) And the trial/assumptive close at the end. If everything else is a go, then offering to prepare the paperwork or shipping, or set up, or whatever is required, you are assuming the deal.

By following this best practice approach (just one of several you’ll find in Power Phone Scripts), you will be able to determine how much of a stall or real objection this is. And, you’ll learn how to look behind it to uncover what is really holding your prospect back.

Give yourself a gift of over 500 more scripts, phrases, and questions to help you open and close more sales?

Order your signed copy of Power Phone Scripts here.

The Three Keys to Handling Objections

by mike

I hear a lot of sales reps’ recordings, and when it comes to dealing with objections, you’d be surprised by the mistakes I hear! One of the biggest mistakes I hear is reps not even hearing their prospects out, and instead rushing in to answer what turns out not to be the real objection. This leads to other mistakes such as talking past the close and actually introducing new objections!

Because some reps don’t get to the real objection, once they do give a rebuttal, the prospect then just comes out with another – and another – objection, and soon the sales rep is worn out and only too glad to schedule another call.

Here’s the good news: all this can be avoided if you follow the three keys to handling objections. Here’s what they are:

First, learn to listen.  Don’t be so quick to interrupt your prospect because often times the way to overcome their objection is actually in the objection itself. In other words, make your prospect fully explain themselves, and listen for the real objection or the way to handle what it is they are telling you.

My favorite technique is simply to listen to what they say – whatever it is – and then to respond with “Oh?”

That’s it. Practice saying it with a giant question in your voice, and then hit your mute button and let your prospect explain away their objection. It works better than you think and is fun to do!

Second, ask your prospect if there is anything else holding them back. Often times, the first objection you get is just a smokescreen, so get them to clarify what else might be standing in the way.

An easy way to do that is to simply ask, “And besides _________, what else would prevent you from (buying, investing, purchasing), putting us to work for you today?”

Listen very carefully to what the real objection(s) is.

Third, after your prospect has clarified their real objection and you fully understand what it is, you should always isolate it before answering it!  Again, you must be patient and give your prospect every opportunity to help you deal with their objection before you launch into an attempted rebuttal.

Let’s use “The Price is too high” objection since it’s the most common.  Most sales reps have been taught to build value to justify their price, or drop close to a lesser amount, or try to negotiate in some other way.  While these techniques are valuable tools, they should only be used after you isolate the objection.  Here’s how to do that:

“I understand __________, and let’s put the price aside for a moment and make sure this (product or service) is really what you’re looking for.  Let me ask you, if price weren’t an issue here, in other words, if this fit in with what you were willing to pay, would you go ahead and put me and my company to work for you?”

This one technique is the most powerful closing tool you’ll ever use in dealing with objections.  Sadly, it’s used less than 10% of the time, and that’s the reason I keep getting emails asking me what the best way of dealing with objections is.

My suggestion to you today is to incorporate these three keys and so see for yourself how much easier objection handling becomes for you.

And, if you’d like over 500 other proven scripts, questions, and conversation starters, then invest in a copy of my new book, Power Phone Scripts.

You’ll be a better closer as soon as you do!

Getting Behind the Stall Objection

by mike

Last week I was speaking with a new prospect who had called in to inquire about one of my inside sales training programs. I went over her needs, matched up my training to fit those needs, gave her pricing options and then began closing on possible dates for the training.

And that’s when I got the old stall, “Well, let me run this by my boss, and I still have to hear back from some other vendors, etc..” Sound familiar?

Now all stalls are bad, but what was even worse was that a few days later she stopped returning my calls and didn’t respond to my emails. Now I can take a hint, and I knew that she probably wasn’t going to be a deal. I’m sure you can relate, and so I want to give you an effective technique that will allow you to:

1) Open up the dialogue again.
2) Find out why your prospect isn’t going with you.
3) Get them to tell you what you might be able to do to save the sale.

It’s called the “I love to learn” technique and here’s what you do:

First, you’re going to have to be persistent and keep calling your prospect until you get them on the phone. Don’t leave any more voice mails. And once you do get them to pick up the phone, say the following:

“Hi __________, I’m glad I reached you – how have you been?”

They will likely try to brush you off here, so you say:

“That’s perfectly OK. I’ve been in sales long enough to know when we might not be a match for a company. Just a quick question, though. You know, I love to learn, and I’m always trying to improve, what specifically about our (offer, quote, product or service) didn’t seem right for you at this time?”

Now be quiet and listen.

If you do this right, your prospect will tell you what was wrong with your proposal, and this will give you a chance to adjust or adapt it to fit their needs. Will it always work? Of course not, but if there is still a chance to get a sale, this technique will show you how.

If they aren’t going to be a deal this time, then you can ask any of the following questions to set up future business:

“What might you need to see from us next time you’re in the market again?”

AND

“Do you mind if I kept in touch with you every so often?”

AND

“How about someone in another department?”

Last resort:

“Do you know of anyone else in your industry this might be a fit for?”

This worked with my prospect, and I was able to set her team up for remote training. Try it for yourself and begin finding out what’s really behind the stall and what you can do to overcome it.

The Key To Building Value

by mike

You hear it all the time — if your price is higher than your competition you’re told to “build value.” You’re instructed to stress the quality, the warranty, the features, etc. But your prospects have heard all that before, haven’t they? Want a better way?

You also hear all the time that prospects will buy from people they like, know and trust. I would add that your enthusiasm for and belief in your product or service plays a big role in getting your prospects to choose you over your competition.

Knowing this, I’ve often used the following script to not only build value in my product or service, but also to build value in myself. Below you’ll find a script you can use – but, as always, I recommend you personalize it so you feel comfortable saying it:

If your prospects says, “I can get cheaper,” or “The ‘other’ company has something similar or for less money,” or anything like that, say:

“You know _________ I’m aware of all the other options for this (product or service) and quite frankly if I thought any of them were better for my clients, I’d be working there and selling them.

“When I got into this industry I did my own research, and I looked for the best company that not only offered the best (product or service) but also delivered the best customer service and follow-up. I chose (your company) because they give my clients the best overall value and the best customer experience, and that means they continue to do business with me and refer new business to me as well.

“If there was a better product or company for you to be doing business with, I’d be there and we’d be talking about that. But there isn’t.

“Bottom line — if you want the best overall value, results and experience with this (your product or service) then do what I do did – choose (your company) – believe me, you’ll be glad you did.

“Now, do you want to start with the X size order or would the Y size order be better?”

This technique builds value in the most important part of any sales transaction — you and your belief in your product or service. Use it each time you need to build real value, and watch as prospects follow your lead.

Remember, while prospects have a choice of products and companies, they can only get you when they purchase from your company.

How to Handle the “Status Quo” Objection

by mike

As you know, I often get emails from readers of my ezine, “Secrets of the Top 20%”, asking me how I would handle various selling situations and objections.

Someone sent in a request asking me how to deal with the, “We are used to the status quo and don’t want to make waves” objection. This reader also wrote that he had been told by another training company that he needed to, “Make them painfully aware of something they don’t see coming at them (like a freight train) and develop a more compelling message.”

As you might imagine, he wasn’t able to come up with anything that was working.

By the way, I must comment here that I frequently hear this about other “sales training” companies: they are quick to offer what sounds like good advice, but they don’t provide the specific solutions to back it up.

As you know from reading my ezines, watching my YouTube videos or reading or listening to my books and CD’s, I not only tell you what to you, but also how to do it.

In this case, I think the reader was having trouble with this technique because, to begin with, it’s not a good approach.

Trying to convince someone that what they’re doing is a bad idea and it’s going to lead to big trouble (so you can say, “I told you so” later), isn’t going to endear you to anyone. What I recommend instead is to find a way to bypass this obvious initial resistance and find a way present your product or service in a non-threatening way.

Your goal on the prospecting call isn’t to overcome objections (which this isn’t, by the way), but rather, to qualify and set a date up to demo your product or service.

Here are some sample scripts to help you do just that:

Objection: “We are used to the status quo and don’t want to make waves…”

Approach One:

“I’m completely with you and believe me, I don’t want to rock the boat. But because things change all the time, there might come an instance when you need to consider your options. So let’s do this: I’ll set a time to give you a brief demo of what we do and how it might help you.

After we do, you can then decide if you want to do anything with it now, or keep it in your back pocket in case you ever need to consider a different source – sound good?”

Approach Two:

“I understand and I’ll try not to make too many waves here. Just out of curiosity, when was the last time you did compare services and pricing – you know, just to keep current on what’s available to you?”

Approach Three:

“I’m with you and believe me – I’m not here to cause trouble. But let me ask you this: isn’t it wise to at least know about your options just in case you need to make a change at some time in the future?”

Approach Four:

“I’m with you. So tell you what: instead of me trying to sell you something, let me just educate you on what’s currently available in the marketplace – you know, so in case you need something further down the line, you’ll know who to call – make sense?”

Approach Five:

“No problem, I fully understand. Let me ask you this though: If something were to happen to your current provider, wouldn’t you at least want a dependable backup plan so you didn’t miss a beat?”

The point of these rebuttals is to bypass this resistance so you can get in front of a qualified lead and pitch your product or service. Obviously, once they agree to do a demo with you, you’ll want to ask other qualifying questions.

As always, I encourage you to practice, drill and rehearse your responses so you can internalize them and deliver them in a natural way.

Handling Objections When Requalifying

by mike

As I’ve suggested before, it’s always a good idea to requalify your prospect at the start of your demo or presentation. Doing so allows you to anticipate objections and position your presentation to speak to whatever resistance you may face later on.

When I make this suggestion, I get a lot of pushback from sales reps. “But if I ask for the deal before I’ve given the presentation, before I’ve given the value, they’ll just say no!” is the most common objection I get.

So let me make it clear: You’re not “asking for the deal” at the beginning, instead you’re using a trial close to access the next steps and to get a feel for the kind of pushback you might get at the end of your demo. Getting this information is crucial for you to leverage the rest of the call.

There are several ways to use a trial close. There’s the aggressive way below that is appropriate if you’ve been aggressive on the first call and identified the decision maker and time-frame. If you have, then something like this will work:

“_________, as we talked about last week, I’m going to go through everything now, answer any questions you have, and if, at the end of the demo today, you feel this will definitely help you drive more business, then is this something you can put to work for you today?”

Some sales reps (O.K., most sales reps) will be uncomfortable with this kind of requalifying because they haven’t done a thorough job up front. If that’s the case, then here is a softer trial close:

“_________, I’m looking forward to covering everything with you today. Just out of curiosity, if at the end you feel this is just what you are looking for, what would be the next steps to putting it to work for you?”

This is a soft, non-threatening way of finding out what his/her answer is going to be at the end when you ask for the sale. All of you have to agree you’d like to know that, right?

Another, in-between way, of requalifying at the beginning is:

“__________, at the end of today’s demo if you like what you see, is there anything that would prevent you from putting this to work for you in the next two weeks?”

The positive way of asking this is:

“__________, at the end of today’s demo if you like what you see, is this something you could put to work for you in the next two weeks?”

O.K., so there are the ways of using a trial close at the beginning. Now, what happens if you get push back? Here’s how to handle it. If you’re prospect says:
“I’m not ready to make a decision” (or any variation of that), you simply respond:

“That’s no problem and I’m not asking you to. We haven’t gone through the benefits here nor have I answered any of your questions. All I’m trying to get a feel for is IF you like what you see and you think there is value here for you and your company, what would you have to do to get this approved?”

OR

“I’m with you and don’t mistake my question for pressure. All I’m asking is IF, after the end of our demo today, you see value here and want to pursue this, what are the next steps on your end?”

What you’re trying to do is isolate and uncover what the objection or stall is going to be at the end so you can position yourself to deal with it and advance the sale. For example, if your prospect then says something like:

“I’ll have to take it to the committee,” (or show it to the boss, etc.), then you isolate this now:

“I understand and most people I speak with do as well. Tell me, if you really like this, though, what kind of influence do you have over that process?”

AND:

“I’m with you. And if you are in favor of this, would that affect their decision?”

Again, you want to isolate the objection and understand the stall so you can deal with the close at the end better. For example, if your prospect tells you they DO have influence, then at the end of your demo, this is how you close:

“So, does this sound like something you feel is the right fit?”

[Get buy in here, then]:

“Great, then what can I do to help them agree with us?”

See how this goes?

If the objection or stall at the beginning of your demo is the “No budget” stall, then say:

“Please, I’m not asking you to invest in this right now, and we can deal with where you’d get the budget from later. All I want to know now is that IF you found value here and were determined to move forward, is there a way you could find the resources – again, if you were convinced?”

If the answer is no, then you need to deal with the money issue now rather than spend the next 45 minutes on a demo that will end with the same objection!

I know this isn’t going to be a popular answer for many of you – again, I know you’d rather pitch until you’re blue in the face – but if your prospect can’t afford to do it at the end, why would you want to?

What I’m suggesting here is what I’ve taught for many years, and what I personally do when closing on my training services: properly qualify prospects upfront – on the cold call or prospecting call – on the six qualifiers (which I’ve written about extensively elsewhere – check out my blog if you missed it), and then requalify before you waste the time of giving a long pitch to someone who isn’t or won’t buy at the end.

Doing this will make you a more successful closer – and a more confident one as well.