I want to give you a bit of sales psychology today and use a really elegant way to let the prospect know that their objection is justified but that it isn’t something unique or unexpected.

Why would we want to do this? Why would we want to send a message to a prospect that their objection is justified in any way?

I’ll tell you why: It’s because they have it! They have the objection and once they have it, it’s there. It’s real for them. At least in their eyes, there is some level of validity to their sales objections. Trying to convince them that they shouldn’t have these sales objections or that they’re unjustified is a sure way to break rapport.

You want them to be on your side. You don’t want to end up arguing with them or seeming pushy or forceful. So, what you can do is say something really disarming that is proven to work:

“Mary, I want to let you know that you’re not the first one to have doubts about whether this program will work for you. BUT, let me tell you about Brian…..”

When I tell Mary that her objection or concern is not “abnormal” or something that isn’t new to me, I accomplish several things:

• First I validate her thinking and feelings. If you want to build rapport along with logical and emotional certainty, you validate the other person’s position.
• Second, I disarm the power. She thinks she has power in this situation by having the objection in the first place. However, this isn’t something new for me and it’s not something I haven’t dealt with a thousand other times.

Then when I use the word BUT.

We all know the power of that word. Anytime we say the word “BUT,” we automatically discredit what was said before it (at the subconscious level, of course).

The cosmetic company L’Oréal and the car rental company Avis both used this type of sales psychology in their national marketing campaigns and it made them number one.

They first validated the weakness they had or the objections that the buyer had and then used the word BUT to discredit their validity.

They followed the objection or weakness with a language pattern that either builds the person up, or positions a feature or benefit that more than outweighs their concern.

L’Oréal said: “We’re expensive…”

That was their weakness. Then they said:

“… BUT…you’re worth it!”

It’s the “you’re worth it” language pattern that builds up the buyer’s self-value. Since you’re worth it, you’re worth getting the best for yourself even if that means buying something that’s more expensive.

Avis used the same sales strategies in one of their campaigns.

“We’re not number one….”

That was their weakness, as Hertz was the number one car rental company at the time.

“… BUT… we try harder!”

The “we try harder” was the brand promise. It was a feature that they would then build on by sharing ways that they try harder to earn your business. And guess what? They became number one.

We can leverage this psychology in our sales closing techniques to help us overcome objections. For example:

• “Mary, I want to let you know that you’re not the first one to have doubts about whether this program will work for you. BUT, let me tell you about Brian…..”
• “Mary, I want to let you know that you’re not the first one to think the onboarding process will be a distraction. BUT, let me tell you about Brian…..”
• “Mary, I want to let you know that you’re not the first one to think the program was out of their budget. BUT, let me tell you about Brian…..”

The key once you’ve done this is to have a really compelling story about Brian to tell as your follow up.

• “Brian’s team had been over budget for two quarters and the thought of adding something new seemed really daunting to him, but within 90 days they had cut their refund requests by half and their closing ratio increased across the board by 27% in the first month. Mary, based on everything you shared I am absolutely certain we can do the same or better for you and your team.”

Of course, you’ll need to apply the same standards here as with everything we do as sales professionals. We only say things and make promises on things that we can stand on and back up. Integrity is the standard at all times.

Remember, experience is your best teacher, so give this technique a try on one of your calls today. Be sure to invest the time and pre-build your own “after the BUT” testimonials. They should explain your most valuable features and benefits and help you overcome your prospects sales objections.