This document provides guidance on handling objections that may arise during sales presentations. It defines what an objection is and distinguishes between false objections, which occur before providing full details, and true objections, which happen after presenting pricing. The proven process for objection handling is outlined as clarify, isolate/validate, and overcome. Examples of common objections like requesting information or price are given. The document also provides a sample objection scenario and response addressing a potential customer who only speaks at conferences. It emphasizes that regular practice is needed to get better at objection handling and to eventually welcome objections.

1. Objection Handling
Eric Ravina
22nd August 2011

2. What is an objection?

3. Objection - opportunity to
expose and explore reasons
to book on to the event.

4. Buying signal
usually a question asked based on your
information
if the prospect asks for the price at the end or
in the middle of the conversation it is usually a
good sign of interest
if the prospect asks in the beginning it is usually
a means of getting you off the phone

5. Objection handling
- the skill to deal with
any given objection and
to turn it from NO into a
YES

6. An objection can be either TRUE
or FALSE.
A false objection comes up any
time prior to you giving out the
price and asking for business. We
know this because it means the
prospect is objecting when in fact
they do not know enough about
the opportunity, details, features,
benefits, etc. That is why it is a
false objection.

7. Examples:
Prospect not listening
Speak to marketing
I am going into a meeting so
send me some information
What’s the price?
We have been contacted
before about this

8. A true objection comes up
after you have quoted the
price and asked for the
business after the full pitch.
True objections help us
understand the prospect’s
concerns and allow us to
address them in a confident
way

9. The proven process of objection handling:

10. The proven process of objection handling:

11. Dealing with a “MR.
GURU” objection

12. “I only speak at
conferences”
• Empathise: Massage the ego.
• Clarify – So to understand you, you
only get involved in speaking at
events. Is that correct? Is it a
corporate or a personal policy?
• Isolate/Validate – Putting that
issue aside, I take it you liked the
programme? What specifically
caught your interest?

13. • Overcome
• Branding and exclusivity:
• (Name), have you ever attended an
ME event? We limit these types of
event to 40 delegates, of which a
large majority are former speakers
and so the level & quality of the
audience is never an issue. We also
make a point of not inviting
vendors as delegates, to ensure
that you won’t be bombarded with
sales pitches at the event.

14. • Interactiviy:
• (Name), I want to picture the
auditorium. Now what we
encourage at the event is a forum-
like atmosphere. It’s not a group of
people lecturing on a stand; it’s
very interactive, almost like a
debate with microphones in the
audience. Most of the true value is
not in the program but in the
intense discussions that follow
each presentation.

15. • Speaking ops:
• (Name), all the speakers you see on
the program have attended as
delegates at previous events. Now
what I suggest is the following: If
you’re committed to speaking, why
not come down as a delegate to this
event and I will introduce you to the
producer, you can see how we
operate, we can see how you can add
value to our future programs because
we don’t want you to come to just this
event. We want (company name) to be
involved in a series of events.
• I really want your present at this event
considering all of your peers are there.
Why don’t we do that?

16. Important Notes
• the more you do it the better
you get, so don’t fear
objections! There is always,
always an objection – you
need to find out what it is.
• when you are practiced
enough in the art, you will
actually change your
perspective, instead of fearing
the objection and pitching in
such a way as to hopefully
avoid any coming up you will
welcome them and pitch in
such a way as to encourage
objections.

17. Questions?