Have you ever experienced a loss for words when a prospect asks you “Is this one of those pyramids?” or “Is this like Amway or Mary Kay?” Perhaps you said the wrong thing and lost the their attention. Your prospects will always have objections about your MLM business, but with the right MLM training techniquies, you can easily resolve them when you follow these five steps.
This discussion on handling questions and objections only deals with those that come up during an invite call – as in the first time you talk to a prospect and are inviting them to look at your MLM business.
Let’s start off with defining what “Handle Questions and Objections” means.
Definition: Handle – to deal with effectively (there are a lot of replies out there, but they don’t handle the question or objection)
Definition: Questions – something asked
Definition: Objections – expressed or unexpressed opposition (to be against or resistant to).
The purpose of Handling Questions and Objections is to get the prospect beyond their question(s) and or opposition(s) which are currently stopping them from attaining what they stated they need, want or don’t want as it pertains to your network marketing business.
When your prospect doesn’t do what you’ve asked them to do (like listen to a CD or attend an MLM business briefing) he/she has an unresolved question and/or objection. There are two kinds of questions and/or objections:
Expressed – when your prospect expresses a question or objection – be very thankful! It’s one you don’t have to DIG UP! (Example: My sister tried a network marketing business and she failed.)
Unexpressed – when your prospect withholds their questions or objections. Your job is to locate and remove the unexpressed questions and objections. (Example: Your prospect doesn’t show up at a follow up appointment.)
These questions and objections, whether expressed or unexpressed, can stop and ARE stopping your prospect from getting what he/she has stated they want (more money, work from home, etc). So you need to effectively handle these.
I can assure you – if you don’t handle the questions and objections now, they will linger in your prospect’s mind…even if they still sign up in your network marketing business! It’s happened in my business. I sign someone up. We go through all of the MLM training together. My new person seems excited about network marketing. And then all of the sudden, she’s no where to be found. Doesn’t answer my calls and won’t return them. Most times, they disappear because of an unexpressed objection or question I didn’t resolve when I first introduced them to my MLM business.
There is a formula for handling questions and objections. The reason a formula is necessary is so you do all the necessary steps to effectively handle the objection. If you just “give the reply,” you can miss all the other necessary steps to HANDLE the question or objection and worse – you can upset or give extra strength to their objection. Many, many times I’ve seen the objection fizzle to nothing just by properly doing the first three steps of the Objections Remedy Formula.
Questions & Objections Remedy Formula
Step 1. Listen completely through the question/objection.
Purpose: So you are sure you get the correct objection and to respect the prospect’s right to communicate a full thought without you feeling your thought is more important.
Step 2. Confirm understanding.
Purpose: So that you handle the real objection or question!
Here’s an example:
Prospect: Is this sales?
Networker: I want to make sure I fully understand your question. Could you clarify what you mean by “sales?”
Prospect: Would I have to go out and sell products door to door?
Networker: Oh, now I understand. Thank you for clarifying that. Are you looking for this type of sales? (further clarification)
Prospect: Absolutely not.
Step 3. Make the question or objection valid, but don’t agree with the objection. Use the same or slightly less intensity.
Definition 1: When you make a question or objection valid, you make it important.
Purpose: You want to make the objection important because it’s important to the prospect. Making it important doesn’t mean you also have to agree with it. If you agree with it, you will give it extra strength. This is not the desired effect. You want them to know that you heard them and that you understand their concern.
Definition 2: Intensity is the volume and animation you use. Using similar intensity helps you communicate better with your prospect. If your prospect is very animated about something and you sit there like a stump – your level of communication will lessen. Conversely, if you’re very animated and your prospect is subdued, the same non-optimum effect occurs.
CORRECT: I completely understand your concern. (Made objection important without agreeing with it)
INCORRECT: I feel (felt) the same way…(This is incorrect because you agreed with objection)
INCORRECT: Oh! I totally agree! I would NEVER go door to door – are you kidding me – that is so below me! (This is incorrect because you agreed with objection and used too much intensity)
Step 4. Handle or facilitate handling Questions and/or Objections.
The purpose of handling questions and objections is to get the prospect past the concerns that stop him/her from getting what they’ve stated they need and/or want as it pertains to your MLM business. The most effective way to handle objections is to get the prospect to create a solution to their own objections.
CORRECT: In the past there have been people to use the door to door method to find prospects, but there are many ways to locate interested prospects. What methods of prospecting do you feel comfortable with?
Prospect: Well, I wouldn’t mind mailing out post cards. I also like running newspaper advertisements.
Networker: Good, both of those can be effective ways to find prospects.
See, the networker is not “handling” the objection; he/she is facilitating the prospect to handle their own objection. The key is to ask questions that lead the prospect to their own solution. If you say it – it can be challenged. If the prospect says it – it must be true!
NOTE: Do not move to the next step “Complete and Return to Previous Inviting Formula Step” until you are certain the objection(s) is handled.
Step 5. Complete and return to previous inviting formula step.
Definition: The “Complete and Return to Previous Step” completes the conversation about the question or objection and moves prospect and networker to the step of the Inviting Formula they were on prior to the question or objection.
Note: The “Inviting Formula” is a series of steps that guide you through an entire conversation with a prospect. The full MLM training on Inviting can be found in a CD series I authored called “Professional Inviter.” For quick reference in this article, the Inviting Formula is:
Greet
Qualify
Invite
Handle any Questions/Objections
Close to Action
Follow-up or Follow-through
Example: Thanks for bringing that up. Now that I know a tad bit more about you, tell me, you sound like you’ve had experience in marketing – is that correct? (Moving prospect and networker back to Qualify step – which is where on the Inviting Formula they where when the Question arose.)
Prospect: Yeah I’ve been doing it my whole adult life.
Networker: That’s great – so you understand that marketing is “how you find the customer?”
Prospect: Absolutely – companies couldn’t exist without marketing.
Networker: Since you know that, have you ever thought about marketing for your own business?
It’s very important that you get good at using this formula in order to have success in your MLM business. See, when you take the responsibility of prospecting someone and inviting them to join your MLM business team, you are agreeing to become their teammate, a teammate that will help their mate get over the obstacles that stop them from making a lot of money.
If they could have done it on their own…they would have. They need you! They put this “objection” in their way of wealth. You, being a good teammate, help get them beyond this obstacle. The Questions & Objections Remedy Formula I’ve given you above will accomplish that.
