How to overcome sales objections (a Swiss banker’s framework).
Turn objections into sales with these five steps.
Turn objections into sales with these five steps.
Imagine you walk into the meeting room of one of the most esteemed banks in Switzerland to talk about buying a house.
This kid in a suit introduces himself as your advisor:
Would you trust him to lend you a million or two?
In Switzerland, most kids at the age of sixteen are already working jobs that require half a decade of studying in other countries.
That’s our dual education system. Instead of going to university, we can get hired as young as fifteen and start working. Two days a week, we go to school. Three days a week, we go to work.
It’s a curse and a blessing.
People always tested me more than my man-sized, bearded colleagues, so dealing with objections was my daily business.
How do you think I got my sales chops?
The big suits didn’t shy away from any expense to teach us how to sell credit cards to our friends’ grandmothers. They paid out cash prices, invited us for fancy meals, and flew in sales trainers from the US.
The three years of sales training I received at UBS are still unmatched by any book or seminar I ever read or attended.
And that comes in hella handy as a copywriter. Especially when you’re selling yourself.
I used to be afraid of objections. But after a little bit of training, I learned to love them. They mean that your prospect is engaged and you have the chance to eliminate their last doubts.
Now you just need to overcome them.
The five-step framework for overcoming all sales objections.
Ready yourself for battle!
Or to be a little less dramatic: prepare.
Draft a list of objections you think could come up during your sales process. Write them in the first column of a six-column table. Then fill in the rest of the columns using the five steps below.
Learn your cheatsheet by heart, and when the objections come up, you’ll be able to answer swiftly and with confidence.
To demonstrate the framework in action, I’ll follow an example objection.
Imagine you’re on a call with me because you need a new landing page. I’ve shown you what I’ve done in the past, you think it’s good, but you also think I’m pulling prices out of my ass.
“Great proposal, Pat. I’d love for you to write my landing page, but the price is a bit steep. Any chance you can go lower?”
Step #1: Acknowledge the objection.
People want to be heard, understood, and taken seriously. When your prospect raises an objection, say, “That’s a good point, thanks for bringing that up,” or “I get that the price worries you,” or whatever sentence you’d naturally say if someone brought up a good point.
Some might be self-conscious and afraid they’re asking a stupid question. Make sure your tone can't be interpreted as condescending.
“Thanks for being open with me. I get that the price tag is higher than you expected.”
Step #2: Make a refuting statement.
This statement is the core of your argument against your prospect’s objection. It’s the counterargument to the objection.
Again, make sure not to be accidentally condescending.
“In the end, good copywriting pays for itself.”
Step #3: Prove your statement.
When you answer an objection, your vis-à-vis is suspicious. They’re trained not to believe salespeople. Back up your statement with hard evidence like case studies, testimonials, or numbers.
“Your conversion rate is sitting at 1.54%. I’m confident I can push that by at least 50%, just like I did for this client. The money you spend on me is back in just two months. From then on, it’s all profit.”
Step #4: Link your statement to a personal benefit.
Connect your statement to a personal benefit for your prospect. You should know your customer as a friend, and you should be able to sell benefits instead of features.
“And in three months, the additional revenue will be enough to hire that assistant you wanted. Instead of taking calls and filing paperwork, you’ll be on the course, practicing your swing.”
Step #5: Close the deal.
Ask your prospect if all is clear and if they’re ready to move forward.
“Sounds good? Good! Anything else that’s holding you back? No? Awesome! Let’s...”
—Pat