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Hi everybody, thank you so much for joining me today on this very special podcast episode. Touching upon what is a hot topic for many wellness service providers, but also for many regular business people. And that is coaching people through sales objections. I almost titled this episode, I have to check with my husband first, because this is the number one sales objection which comes up for people, women especially, when they’re about to make a new purchase. But it’s certainly not the only one, and I’m sure you’ve heard them all. I want to buy this, but I have to check with my accountant first. Or I have to go look at my bank account. Or I have to run this by my childcare team. We’ve all been on the receiving end of this, and we’ve probably dished it out a few times too.
So today we’re going to take a deep dive into why this comes up and how to coach somebody through it.
I’m guessing that you’ve been on a sales call or at a consultation with someone and everything is going beautifully. They want to book one on one work with you, maybe they want to attend your retreat or buy the new program that you’re offering. And everything’s going along swimmingly until, boom, they say the line. This sounds great, but I have to check with my husband first. Or any of the previous excuses we’ve already mentioned. And you feel like someone just took the wind out of your sails.
You’re not alone, and I want to normalize this for you right away. This happens to everyone. You cannot control the objections people feel when they’re about to invest in something new, potentially something that could change their life, which we know is both an amazing experience, but also a scary one. That’s not your job. You can’t make them be ready. However, you can recognize the resistance when it shows up and provide them some support in coaching them through it.
I also want to be really clear here that this is not forcing the sale. We never force the sale. We never do any of those sleazy tactics that make someone feel like they’re being judged if they don’t buy or that they feel pressured in any way. That’s not what I’m about. What I am about is being really honest and direct with people, and telling them when what they’re feeling is valid and real versus what they’re feeling is fear disguised as something else.
The first thing we’re going to dive into today on this episode is your sales process. Because let’s face it, we can’t be responsible for everyone else’s resistance and excuses, but we can be responsible for how we show up to the call and how we show up to lead. And if we’re stepping into the mix in our power with clarity, with focus, and with confidence, we’ll probably have fewer objections come up from potential clients.
Before your sales conversation.
Let’s look at that first. Before you even get on a sales call with someone, are you doing any pre-sales work to make sure they’re coming to the call prepared? And you’re also speaking to somebody who has a good idea about the kind of work you offer and whether or not they’re ready for it. So make sure you’re doing some type of inquiry, getting somebody a pre-sales questionnaire, and really checking in with them to see where they are. Are they ready to commit? Are they ready to buy? Are they ready to take a deep dive into their own process? Or are you so desperate for the sale that you’ll push your service on anyone? And you’ll know that you’re doing that if you get on a sales call and you feel needy. That needy energy after you have a first date with somebody and you’re praying that they call you back, which, of course, is the most repulsive energy in the world.
You have to check in with yourself and see if you’re showing up to your sales calls like this. Because if you’re not showing up as a leader, the person on the other end of the call is going to feel that. And they’re going to look for any excuse they can find to get off the call with you or to not buy yet, because they don’t feel comfortable in trusting you. So check in with your energy. Are you approaching the call with confidence, not attachment? Or are you clinging to what you hope the outcome will be? As I mentioned a moment ago, a pre-sales intake form is necessary to prevent you from wasting your time and getting on the phone with people who are not ready to look at themselves and do this work.
If you’re talking to less than ideal people, you’ll encounter more and more resistance from these potential clients. So do some gate keeping right away. Have them fill out an intake form, maybe even have them rate on a scale of one to 10 how ready they are to address this problem or this issue that you can help them solve. If they’re anything less than a seven, don’t get on the phone. Don’t spend your time. Let them tell you where they’re at and then believe them.
The sales experience
Next, take a look at what your sales calls are like. Are you diving right into your offerings, your prices, and all the different options people have? Or are you building trust? People need to trust you in order to buy from you, so take the time to connect with them. It seems so hokey that sometimes people just skip it. But if you’re building a bridge between you and the other person, they’re going to become more relaxed, they’re going to hear what you’re saying, and they’re going to have a higher likelihood of trusting you because they can relate to you. For example, I got on a sales call with someone just the other day, and we spent the first 10 minutes talking about an allergy her son was just diagnosed with because my son has the same allergy. So we were able to connect with each other in a very sincere way, in a way of me offering her some advice from having walked the path before her. Me being able to listen and understand the challenge she was going through when other people were not. And this built trust in the relationship.
After you build trust with someone, you have to find out do they, in fact, have a problem which you can solve? If they don’t, gently let them off the call. Don’t waste your time, don’t waste theirs. If someone gets on the phone with me and, instead of asking me about yoga or mentoring them as a yoga teacher or a business owner, they’re asking me how to build their website, I’m not going to sit there and pretend that I can do it. I’m not going to take their money and hope that it works out well. I’m going to send them over to one of the very special web designers I know who manages my site or another site and give them the expert help that they need.
So you have to do some digging. Find out what their problem is. Can you, in fact, solve it? This means you’re going to have to ask some questions and be really clear in your communication. And I don’t just mean speaking, I also mean listening. Find out where they want to go. What is their goal? Do they have a vision? Otherwise you could be pushing all of your products and services on this person trying to sell them something they don’t actually need or want. So again, spend some time. Don’t be in a rush just to push the sale and get the credit card. Ask them smart questions, listen to their answers, and approach it from a place of power. If you’re not in a position to lead this person or you don’t want to, let them go with love to enjoy the rest of their day.
I should probably mention here that this could be an entire podcast episode on its own. Sales is such a rich topic, and the only way you’re going to improve your sales process is by selling more. So every time you offer up a new product or service and you’re scared, just get on the phone with people. Just do those consultations. Have those conversations. Be willing to try. Because the more confident you are, the fewer objections you’re going to get.
Now, let’s pretend that you aced the sales call with this person. You were a great listener. You heard their problems, you’re definitely the one to solve them. You, beyond a shadow of a doubt, know this person is the right fit for your work, and you still encounter resistance. It’s now your job to empower this person. If they throw out the old, I have to ask my husband first, when someone is talking to me, I go back and tell them how to approach the process with empowerment.
So first I say, listen, so and so, I’m so glad that this program resonates with you. I understand the need for clarity in making a decision. I totally get it. However, before you go and speak to your husband or your wife or your account or anyone, I strongly encourage you to get clear on whether or not you want this first. Make this decision on your own. Decide how you feel. Decide how this would help you in your life, or not, before you invest any more time and energy in speaking to someone else about it.
And to be really clear, I do tell people to do this so that they’re not going to their spouse or someone else to ask for permission. They decide what they need, they can trust their own judgment. And then once they’ve made that decision, go ahead. Have an empowering conversation with your spouse. Approach the decision from a place of, listen, honey, this is really important to me. I know this is going to help me in my life. I want to make this happen. How can we do this in a way which is supportive of me and also mindful of the needs of all of our family? That’s very different than going to your spouse and saying, oh hey, I want to do this thing, am I allowed? Can I? Do I have your permission? One approach is very empowering. It brings a lot of clarity to the mix. The other one is not.
Before I tell you how I support people in getting clarity on their own so they can then have an empowering conversation, I just have to say this. I never encounter male clients of mine who feel the need to go ask permission. This is a stark difference I’ve noticed between men and women. The men I work with evaluate for themselves if this is something they want to do or not. If it is, they buy it. If not, they tell me so in a very straightforward way. However, I’ve noticed women, and I’ve done this myself, too, so no judgment, are much more likely to give their power away to someone else and not make the decision on their own. So if you notice that you’re doing this when you’re purchasing something, you had better believe it’s going to be turned right around on you when you’re selling something. So start looking at where you can be in alignment with the type of people you want to attract on a sales call by becoming more empowered yourself.
If a client says, Sara, I’m right there with you, but how do I get clarity on this? What do I do to know if this is the right decision for me? I usually give them some journaling exercises. And based on what we’ve talked about, I encourage them to do some journaling around what they want their life to look like. Usually that’s why someone hires me. They’re desiring a certain change in their life, what they want their life to look like. Will my work with them help them get there? Maybe it won’t, but at least then they’ll have clarity. Will they be able to, with my support, make these changes? What becomes scary for them when they really start to consider this? Those are the things that you can coach someone through, because those fears that are coming up are their resistance. And if someone comes back and says, no, after doing all these clarity exercises, that’s totally fine. I release them with love and you can do the same. You don’t have to take it personally. You can’t control when everyone else is ready or not ready to take their next step.
If this podcast episode today touches a nerve with you, I’m glad. It means we are hitting the right topics which are worth being explored in a deeper way. And I’m here to help you with that. I have some action steps for you. First, come follow me on Instagram @saraintonato. I’m all about building relationships and using social media as a means to have real conversations. Next step, please share this podcast. I’d be so thankful if you did. Lastly, leave a review. Reviews are currency in the podcast world, so if this message is resonating with you, I thank you in advance for taking the time to write a review.
Thank you so much for joining me today and remember, helping others and being successful are not mutually exclusive. You can have both. Have a great day. Namaste.