A technique called Conversation Aikido redirects objections by acknowledging them first, then asking open-ended questions to understand the other person's criteria. Like aikido redirects an opponent's force, this moves toward the objection instead of away from it. Christian Polk endorses the approach as effective when you stay calm and seek to understand.
Chapters
What I want you to do is say, "I understand," and repeat in your words what they're saying. "Your product is too expensive." "I understand that money is an important factor for you. What other criteria will be used in taking this decision?" You understand and you give an open question back. And I call this "Conversation Aikido." So martial arts, martial arts are about using the energy, the force of the opponent against them. In judo, if someone punches, you pull their arm and you allow the energy to keep flowing. In karate, it's a different thing. In aikido, the concept is you go towards the punch, go towards the energy. So if someone punches you, if someone asks you a question, if someone objects, says you're wrong, The Aikido method is go towards and see the world from their view. So in Aikido, you learn to go towards the punch, dodge it, and look, and you're seeing the world in the same direction.
Yeah, this is absolutely true and pretty basic when we're talking about handling objections. It's just calling— you defuse the situation, you don't get all riled up, and you actually just want to understand where they're coming from. Just ask an open-ended question like, what do you mean by that? Now, I personally have a hard time trusting anybody who's this bold, but what he's saying is good advice.
