Ep19: The 4 Step Sales Framework to Overcome Any Objection

Going on, everyone. Matt here for another amazing episode. Doing a solo episode today, team. So this is the PT Profit, Leverage and Lifestyle show. As always getting some really good feedback so far on the episodes. I've had some absolute superstars on the show, but it's just me today, just me spitting out some value for you guys. So we're going to talk about sales today and more specifically, we're going to talk about objection handling. So I'm going to give you my step by step framework that's going to allow you to handle any type of objection in four easy steps. So I learned this process for when I was doing sales over the phone selling insurance, actually at UE Insurance back in the day. So those who don't know, I've pretty much done sales most of my career, I guess in various different ways. I used to, I was one of those annoying salespeople in the shopping centers trying to sell you stuff for charities. So I did that for probably two, two years or so when I was 18. And that was commission only. So you didn't actually get paid unless you sold, sold, sold tickets or whatever. Or whatever. So that was my first little introduction to sales and I learned a lot of the processes that I follow now. And it's probably one of the reasons why I have such resilience, the sales or such a high standard or expectation of SaaS because I came from that type of environment where if you didn't sell, then you didn't get paid. And it's the same as running a business. If you don't get clients, you don't get paid. And it's as simple as that. So sales is one of the best skills you can learn and develop over time. And it's a constant, constant skill that you can continuously get better at. So I'm going to go through the four steps that I do and that I teach my clients. I could sell this for tens of thousands of dollars, but I'm going to give it to you for free. Another an old mentor of mine said you can, you can give away all these secrets for free on social media or whatever because people aren't paying so they're not going to take action on it. So all I ask is if, if you are listening to this or if you are watching this, take some action. Because a lot of the time if you're not, if you're not paying for something, then you don't take action. But anyway, let's get into the four steps. So the first step is you need to acknowledge the objection, acknowledge the Objection. I'll go through the four steps and then I'll give you some specific examples on what you can do to actually solve it and do some role play with you guys. So acknowledge. The second framework is isolate. So you isolate the objection to find the actual objection. A lot of the times people will give you a fake objection or a BS objection just to try and avoid confronting what the actual objection is. So some people might say it's money, but it's actually their partner, or they might say they need to talk to their partner, but really they're not happy with what's included in the service, for example. Then after you isolate, then you educate. So educate them on a different offer that is going to serve them. But for example, if the objection is money, you might be able to offer them a different option that's a bit more affordable, for example, and then the last one is overcome. So you just ask them again to go with the different option. So instead of going with your preferred option, you just verbally drop cell down to the other option. Then you ask them to go, okay, well, let's just go with this option instead. Sounds like it's going to be a better fit for you anyway. But acknowledge, isolate, educate, overcome. That's the four steps. So let's, let's break them down into a bit more detail. So if you acknowledge that, acknowledge simply means just making sure the client or the member feels heard. So if someone says, you know, I just don't think I can afford that, all you need to say is, look, I completely understand where you're coming from. A lot of people feel the same way. So you'll say something like that, look, I can understand where you're coming from, or I can appreciate that point of view. It's going to acknowledge what they're talking about so they feel heard. And then you move on to isolation. So you isolate the objection. Now, there's multiple different ways that you can do this, and I'll give you a few different ones off the top of my head. So, so if it's, if it's money, if money wasn't an issue, which option would you go with? And I'll also point out you need to give people two options, so they pick one or the other. So when you're doing your sales pitch, you say, cool, you got this option or this option, which one would you prefer? And then they actually usually choose one or they'll give you the objection. So you ask like, cool, so if money wasn't an issue, which one would you go with? Oh, you know, I'd rather just go with that one. Okay, cool. No worries. So aside from money, are you happy with what's actually included in the PC package? Yes or no? Yeah, I like what's included. Okay, cool. So everything else is fine. You just, you just worry about the money, is that right? Yes. Okay, cool. So now you've confirmed that money is the actual objection and then you can move on to the next step, the framework. So then it comes down to education. So you do what we call a trial close here. So the trial close is basically getting some type of commitment before you spill all the beans on the other offer. So you say something like this, hey, John, I know you like the gold option, which is the two sessions a week, and you can't afford that one at this stage. If there was a more affordable option that was very similar to the gold, would you be open to looking at that? You make sure you get a yes first and then you present the other option. But the other option is everything stays the same, John, we're just going to do one session instead of, instead of two. It drops the price by half the amount. So it's only going to be 65 instead of 100 instead of 130 per week and then overcome. So, John, let's just go with that option instead. Or you can say, john, how does that sound? It seems like it's more affordable to you and then you get them signed up there. So that's like a pretty easy role play that you can do. The framework stays the same no matter what type of objection. But the solution or the education part might be a bit different. So, for example, if we go to a harder objection like the partner, or there's multiple objections. So let's just say. And the framework stays exactly the same. So someone says, I just need to talk to my partner about it. That's cool. No worries, mate. Completely understand. I got a partner myself. You know, it's got to keep them informed. It's fair enough. So if it was up to you, or if the partner wasn't available, which option would you be more leaning towards? So isolate the objection. Which one would they be more leaning towards? Oh, yeah, I'd rather go the gold. Perfect. You can even say, oh, why do you want to, why do you want to do the gold? Get them to sell themselves again on that package. Oh, you know, I just like how it's, you know, you do, you do goal setting and reassessment sessions, you do measurements, you do fitness testing to track all the progress. Okay, cool. So it sounds like you obviously like what's included in the package. Is that right? Cool. And, like, financially, if it was up to you, that would be okay with you doing the 130 a week. Is that right? Yes. Perfect. And you would just need to make sure it's okay with your partner. So you're okay with it. You just need to make sure your partner's okay. Is that okay? Is that correct? And then they might say, oh, yeah, I think that they might have an issue with the price. Perfect. So then that's the actual objection. It's not the partner. So the guy can make the decision on his own, but he thinks the partner would have an issue with the price. So the actual objection is the price, not the partner. Okay. Prime example. Happens all the time. And people use their partner as an excuse. So cool. That's cool, mate. No worries. Completely understand. So obviously, you and your partner have had a conversation around your health and fitness. Is your partner quite supportive of you getting these goals? Yes. Perfect. And just to confirm you would want to do this option, would your partner be okay if you did this option? Like, what's included? Would she be happy with that? Yes. Awesome. Cool. Now, and this is where you go to the education part. So it sounds like you want this. Your partner will be okay with it. It's just the money that you worried about. Yes. Cool. So if there was another option that was more affordable to you that was similar to what we talked about, would you be open to looking at that? Yes. Perfect. Sweet. Same thing. So if I could do everything that we talked about except do one session instead of two, it drops the price by half the amount. And do you think you. Do you think your partner would be okay with that? Yes. Awesome. Let's do that same thing. So again, the framework stays exactly the same. It's just there's obviously heaps of different ways that you can. That you can say this. So let's do. Let's do another example that's a little bit harder. And this one could be if someone just wants to think about it, which. Which is a little bit harder because they're not really giving you the objection. And all objections are, by the way, you just. All is generally they just need. They just need more information, or what they're looking for is not what you provided in a. In a, you know, short summary. That's essentially all it is. So let's go through the objection. If someone just wants to think about it and they want to, you know, quote, get back to you. So this is this is what I would do for that one. Yeah, that's cool, mate. No problem at all. Yeah. It's obviously a big decision to invest in your health and fitness, so that makes complete sense. If it was up to you right now, which one are you kind of more leaning towards at this stage? Or you could even say, on a scale of 1 to 10, how keen are you to actually get started and get some help? That's actually a really good question as well, because that'll tell you exactly where they're at. Unless someone's like a 9 or a 10, there's no chance they're going to actually sign up with you. So if they're anywhere from. Most people, say maybe a six or seven, something is missing and you're going to have to ask more questions to find out what they're missing because. And this is where you need to isolate every objection possible to see what the actual objection is. So, prime example, someone says they want to think about it. And I've had this before, actually, where it's. It's not the actual objection, it's just they don't want to tell you the objection. So I say, yeah, cool, no worries. That's. That's understandable. No worries at all. You can also say, do you mind if asked what you want to think about? And they might tell you the objection there, but otherwise, sometimes they won't tell you the objection. So if they don't tell you the objection, all you do is you just isolate each possible objection that you can think of until you kind of get the ball rolling. So you can say something like this, go, mate. No, I completely understand. I just want to confirm, just so I understand where you're coming from, are you happy with what's included in the packages for pt? Yes or no? Or you could say, I just want to confirm we're on the same page. Are you actually wanting help with your health and fitness? Yes, I know. Because if they don't want help, then. Then probably the wrong type of person for you anyway. But most people don't say yes to that, otherwise they wouldn't have wasted their time sitting with you for that period of time. And then you ask that again. Okay, cool. No. So you, obviously you would be happy with what's included in the package. Are you happy financially to invest this type of money in your health and fitness? Oh, look, yeah, that's probably something I'm not sure about. I probably just need to check the budget. Cool. So now we. Okay, cool. Well, price is obviously an issue here. You Know what I mean? So then you can do go the same process again. Cool. So confirming again. Just want to make sure we're on the same page. So you like what's included, you just worry about the money, is that right? Yes. Okay, cool. So if there was a cheaper option, would you be open to looking at? And that's where you can have like verbal drop cells if you want to. If you want to have like a semi automated online model where it doesn't require much of your time but you can still actually help the person. So when they do have the more disposable income, you can just upsell them straight to do face to face sessions again or have a higher online premium product as well that you can upsell to later on. But the most important part is being able to serve that, that member or that or that client in some capacity to, to get them on track. So that's, and again like I'm just giving you heaps of examples so you can kind of use this. And the best way to, to learn this framework is to role play. You can role play with me if you want. Like people that are in my paid community, we do group coaching calls where we can role play. Obviously I've got some online, sorry some one on one coaching clients that I, that I work with. So if you do want to role play with me, then there is options for that and that's how you're going to learn the fastest. Because back when I was doing stuff for the charities, the expectation was you come into the office at 6, 6:30 and you role play until 8:30 every morning. No wonder I got so good at objection handling because I was practicing 10 hours a week plus obviously doing it with actual people in the, in the shopping centers. So you know, I was, I was ideally practicing you 10, 12 hours a day. And you know, I speak to a lot of people that I mentor at the moment and I'm like, well how do you expect to be good at something that you've only tried five times? You better put in the reps to practice and to get better and get feedback. Which is why I get a lot of my clients to record their consults as well. So I can give them feedback on their process and their objection handling process as well. But getting back to the last option that I'd suggest for the objection handling stuff, if someone does want to think about it and they're not too sure if they want to do pt, the last resort is the offer a four week trial. So a paid trial that they pay for the service for four weeks to experience it. Kind of like try before you buy, but they're actually paying for it because usually you would have like a minimum term of like 12 weeks or something for PT, but you're far better off having someone do a four week trial experiencing some good results, especially for people that haven't done it before. And I've got probably 100 people onto this offer and 75% of them stay on for the past four weeks. The chances are they will experience a good result and have a good experience. So chances are they will stay with you long term. But just about getting them in the door, start them on the direct debit, start them paying. Once they're used to it, they don't want to break the habit, especially if they're getting results. So the way, the way that you do this, and I'll go through one other example after this as well about the partner injection. So the way you do this is the same framework. So acknowledge them. You isolate to the. This, this is the education part that I'm talking about where you can offer a four week trial. So what you can do is you can say, cool, no worries, completely understand. What I can do for you, John, is I know you, obviously you're not too sure about doing pt, but it sounds like you, you need some help. So what I can do for you is let's just do a four week trial that'll enable you to experience what it's like to get better results and experience what it's like to have a trainer and see the benefits of that. After the four weeks you can determine if you want to keep going or if you want to stop. We're doing through the four weeks so we can actually see some progress. So you can experience what it's actually like to work with the trainer. Then after four weeks, if you don't like it, we'll just call it quits. There. Worst case scenario, I'll be able to set you up for success in the four weeks and you can keep going on your own. Best case scenario, we find exactly what we need to do that works and we get some epic results together. How's that sound? Boom. That's how you do that one. Now the last one that I'll go through and then I'll kind of wrap it up is I just had a bit of a mind blank there. Oh, partner, partner. If you, if you're, if you're struggling to handle the partner. Objection. There is a way to get a small commitment that increases your likelihood of getting it across the line. So essentially what you're doing is you're getting all the paperwork done on the spot with a basic, like a clause or a condition in there that in 24 hours if the partner, if they have a huge argument that night and the partner cracks it, then you can still cancel it. But it's only like a 24 hour notice. So all that means is. So if someone's like, yeah, I just really need to talk to my partner. We don't do anything unless we talk about it together. Cool. No problems at all. So, you know, let's just say you're leaning towards the three sessions a week and you just want to have a chat with your partner. Cool. No problem at all. I would imagine you're going to be talking to your partner tonight, is that right? Yes. Cool. So if we catch up tomorrow at 9am that would be plenty of time for you to have a chat with her? Yes. Perfect. So get the appointment booked in first, the follow up appointment and then try an actual try and get the semi commitment first. So what you can say is to, to make it seem common because people are sheep, they like to follow what other people are doing. Not many people set the standard these days. They just follow other people. So what you say is in this, in this scenario, what most people do is we generally get all the paperwork done now because it sounds like, and this is depending on what's happened in the previous conversation, it sounds like your partner would be on board with you getting the help. You just want to make sure everything's okay before you finalize everything. Is that right? Yes. Cool. So what I'll do then, we'll just get the paperwork done now. So all I need to do is capture the preferred payment method and get your session temporarily booked in tomorrow morning when I give you a call. If she, if she almost divorces you tonight after you tell her that you want to invest in your health and fitness, then I'll cancel it out. But otherwise I'll book in your first session next week. We can get started. But if your partner has any questions, we can jump on a call with her as well. And that's it. You just get the paperwork done. So it's ready to go. Now this can have a few people come back to you and it does give them like an escape route. So it's not ideal. This is like an absolute last resort. But it will get like a semi commitment and make people feel that they have made a commitment already. And because they don't want to cancel after they've filled out the paperwork, etc. So that is the last result. But that can still get a few more people over the line. But of course you can obviously book a call with the partner as well the following day to answer any questions. But that's it team. So just just to summarize, this is the four steps that you or four the four steps in a framework that can handle any Objection, acknowledge, isolate, educate, overcome. I've used this process for 10 years now. Since I was 18 I was using this. I've had multiple different sales roles and I'm refining it over time, but this is the one that I'm currently using and this, this one gets me anywhere between 80 to 90% conversion. The industry average is I think 30%. So you're not going to be able to get. I would anyone that gets 90 to 100 conversion probably isn't charging enough. You should be getting some objections around price. But yeah, that's it. Hope you get some value from this one team. Let me know any feedback if you do want to do some role play, just drop me a comment or send me a message on Instagram or Facebook and that will book in some time to do some role play.