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Fanatical Prospecting — Chapter-16: Turning Around RBOs: Reflex Responses, Brush-Offs, and Objections
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16 Turning Around RBOs Reflex Responses, Brush-Offs, and Objections Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face. —Mike Tyson They say that public speaking causes the most fear in people, but in my experience, given the choice between giving a public speech and making a prospecting call, you’d have a line for the speech. Rejection is a powerful de-motivator. For millions of sales- people, picking up the phone and calling a prospect is the most stressful part of their day. Sadly, these reluctant salespeople stifle their earning potential, get fired, or fall into financial ruin. Prospecting, especially telephone prospecting and in-person prospecting, conjures up our deepest fears of vulnerability. Vulner- ability, according to Dr. Brene Brown, author of the Power of Vulnerability, is created in the presence of uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure (read: potential to be rejected). 178
This is why so many salespeople hate prospecting. They cannot control the situation and therefore feel vulnerable and uncomfortable. The feeling of rejection happens the moment you get a reflex response, brush-off, or objection (RBO). You feel like you’ve been punched in the gut. Your brain turns off and you stumble over your words. You feel embarrassed, small, and out of control. Feeling that you lack control is an awful, sometimes debilitating emotion. Yet, it’s right here, at this very inflection point of rejection, that the rubber meets the road in prospecting and sales. It’s the skill and poise to deal with RBOs and turn them into yesses that will give you the biggest wins and get you in front of the high-value prospects that every salesperson in your territory is chasing. My objective with this chapter is twofold:
- I’m going to give you a framework for dealing with prospecting objections that increases your probability of getting to yes. Once you master this framework you’ll gain the confidence to take anything that is thrown at you by a prospect.
- You’ll learn to manage rejection and know that you can quickly gain control of the conversation when your prospects throw RBOs at you. These techniques will be used primarily for telephone and in- person prospecting. However, the same techniques can be used with e-mail and social prospecting responses. Rejection Won’t Roll Off Your Back When I was growing up in sales, I consumed sales training, books, audio programs, and seminars the way some people devour choco- late. My appetite was insatiable (and still is). I saw all of the greats on stage and worked for companies that provided a steady dose of sales training. Turning Around RBOs 179
When it came to objections and rejection in sales there were consistent themes and clichés proffered by these trainers and experts. I continue to see these same themes today: ■ “If you want to be good in sales, you’ve got to learn to let rejection roll off your back.” ■ “They aren’t rejecting you; they’re just objecting to your proposition.” ■ “When you get rejected by a prospect, it’s not personal.” “Don’t take it personal.” That’s my favorite one. Let’s see. You’ve poured blood, sweat, and tears into your efforts to contact the prospect. You are competitive and driven. You hate to lose. You take your job seriously. You work hard to be a professional. Your income and security is directly tied to your success throughout the sales process. I’ve got news for you. It feels personal and it is personal. If rejection just “rolls right off your back,” like so many drops of water and you feel nothing, you are probably a psychopath. Let’s begin with a basic premise: The feeling of rejection is real. When a prospect tells you no, your brain doesn’t know the difference between the prospect rejecting your proposition or rejecting you. To your brain, it is one and the same. We learned in a previous chapter that the fight-or-flight response triggers the physiological reaction to fear. The psychological and neurochemical response is generated by your innate and insatiable need to feel accepted, important, and in control, which is why rejection carries such a powerful sting. Sales trainers and experts say things like, “Just let it roll off your back” because it’s easier to offer platitudes and intellectualize the pain of rejection than to acknowledge that it’s real and teach people how to deal with it. I believe it is completely disingenuous to tell you that you can just snap your fingers, detach from rejection, and let it roll off your back. I can’t do it, and I’m as fanatical as they come. 180 Fanatical Prospecting
I’ll walk in any door, call any prospect, at any time. I dive into prospecting like it’s my best friend. When I’m told no, I still feel rejected. What I’ve done, though, is develop a framework that allows me to gain control of that disruptive emotion so that when I get objections, my feelings don’t run amuck and cause my prospecting call to become a train wreck. Reflex Responses, Brush-Offs, and Objections, Oh My! Learning how to manage the disruptive emotions that are triggered by rejection begins with a deeper understanding of where your prospect is coming from when you interrupt their day. Reflex Response I was traveling and realized that I’d left the cord for my iPad at home. There was an office supply store within walking distance of my hotel, so I strolled over to get one. As I entered the store, a nice young man walked up to me and asked, “Can I help you?” I responded, “I’m just looking.” As I walked away, I caught myself. I did need help finding a cord. So I went back and he walked me over to the shelf where the cords were hanging, saving me a ton of time “just looking.” Why did I respond this way when it clearly wasn’t the truth? It was automatic, something I’d said hundreds of times. It was habit and part of my buyer script when I get approached by salespeople. “We’re not interested.” “We’re happy.” “We’re all set.” “I’m busy.” Turning Around RBOs 181
“I’m in a meeting.” “I’m just running out the door.” “I’m not interested.” These are all examples of things that prospects reflexively say when they are interrupted by a salesperson. Your prospect doesn’t think about the response. The response may not be true. But there isn’t a conscious intent to deceive you. It is just the script they have been conditioned to use when confronted by salespeople. Brush-Off The brush-off is all about avoiding conflict. “Call me later.” “Get back to me in a month.” “Why don’t you just send over some information?” (The greatest brush-off of all time.) A brush-off is your prospect telling you to bug off nicely. “Call me later,” they’ll say when they want to avoid confrontation and be kind enough to let you down easy. They have learned that sales- people, for the most part, are willing to accept these falsehoods and go away because salespeople want to avoid conflict too, and the brush-off doesn’t feel as much like rejection. Why do prospects lie—consciously or subconsciously? One of the most cogent explanations I’ve heard comes from Seth Godin.1 He says that prospects lie because salespeople have trained them to, and “because they’re afraid.” They have learned that when they tell the truth, “the salesperson responds by questioning the judg- ment of the prospect. In exchange for telling the truth, the prospect is disrespected. Of course we [prospects] don’t tell the truth—if we do, we’re often bullied or berated or made to feel dumb. Is it any surprise that it’s easier to just avoid the conflict altogether?” 182 Fanatical Prospecting
Objections Objections on prospecting calls tend to be more truthful and logical rebuttals to your request. They typically come with a because. “There is really no reason for us to meet right now because we just signed a new contract with your competitor.” “We’re busy implementing a huge project and I can’t take on anything else at the moment.” “I can’t meet you next week because I’m going to be at CES in Las Vegas.” “I’d love to talk, but our budgets have been locked down and I think it would be a waste of your time.” These types of responses are rare. When you get them, though, it opens the door to turning around the objection and setting up a meeting anyway, or changing gears and gathering qualifying information that will help you in the future. Planning for the RBO The real secret to gaining control of the conversation when faced with an RBO is planning for them in advance. This is contrary to how the average salesperson approaches prospecting calls. Instead of planning in advance, they wing it on every call and treat each RBO as if it were a unique event. But RBOs are not unique. There are a finite number of ways a prospect will tell you no. Most RBOs will come in the form of: ■ Not interested ■ Don’t have the budget ■ Too busy ■ Send information ■ Overwhelmed—too many things going on ■ Just looking (inbound leads) Turning Around RBOs 183
Prospects don’t always use these exact words. For example, instead of saying, “We’re happy,” they may say, “We’ve been with your competitor for years and they do a good job for us.” The words are different, but the intent is the same—we’re happy. Just look for the patterns and you’ll know in which category the RBO fits. To master and become effective at turning around RBOs, you simply need to identify all of the potential RBOs and use the Three- Step Turnaround Framework to develop simple, repeatable scripts that you say without having to even think about it. Why a repeatable practiced script for RBOs? A practiced script makes your voice intonation, speaking style, and flow sound relaxed, authentic, and professional. Turnaround scripts free your mind to focus on your prospect rather than the words you use. Scripts work so well with RBOs because you tend to get the same ones over and over again. When you have a script, you never have to worry about what to say and that puts you in complete control of the situation. If you really want to observe the power of scripts, just notice the difference when a politician is speaking off script when confronted by reporters as opposed to giving a speech with the aid of a teleprompter. Onstage the politician is incredibly convincing. But without a script he often stumbles on his words, and makes many of the same mistakes we make when winging it with RBOs onprospecting calls. Scripts are what make politicians and public figures compelling personalities. The worry for most salespeople, though, is that “I won’t sound likemyselfwhenIuseascript.”Theconcernaboutsounding cannedis legitimate. If actors and politicians sounded canned, TV shows and movies wouldn’t be entertainingand speeches wouldn’t be believable. That’s exactly why actors, politicians, and top sales professionals rehearse and practice. They work and work until the script sounds natural and becomes their voice. Scripts are a powerful way to manage your message in an emotionally tense situation, but they must be rehearsed. 184 Fanatical Prospecting
I won’t feed you a line and tell you this will be easy, because it is not. Writing and practicing RBO scripts will require contempla- tion and will be time consuming. The good news is, you already have the habit of saying certain things certain ways when you run into RBOs. The first step is to analyze what you are already doing and formalize what is working into a script that can be repeated with success, time and again. As you prepare your scripts, practice and perfect them. Use a recorder, a role-play buddy, or a coach to help you rehearse. The Turnaround Framework Traditionally, sales trainers have taught salespeople to “overcome objections.” The phrase “overcoming objections” is widely used in the sales profession to describe how to convince prospects that what they are saying is wrong. Overcome means to defeat or prevail over an opponent.2 Scores of salespeople try to argue their prospects into changing their minds—to prevail with debate. This is why, as we learned from Seth Godin earlier, prospects lie to us. They expect when they say no that they’ll face a battle and be disrespected. The sales profession and the many movies that create ugly caricatures of salespeople have conditioned them to feel this way. Overcoming doesn’t work. There is a universal law of human behavior: You cannot argue another person into believing that they are wrong. The more you push another person, the more they dig their heels in and resist you. It has never worked. Even when salespeople do manage to get prospects to say yes this way, it is in spite of the argument, not because of it, that they prevailed. The act of overcoming creates animosity, exasperation, and frustration for both the prospect, who gets bulldozed with a pitch Turning Around RBOs 185
about why they are wrong, and the rep, who actually creates even more resistance and harsher rejection with this approach. Disrupt versus Defeat There is a better way. Rather than attempting to overcome— defeating or prevailing over your prospect—you should disrupt their expectations and thought patterns when they push back with a no. The key is a disruptive statement or question that turns them around so that they lean toward you rather than move away from away from you. Disrupters work on humans because when we encounter something that isn’t what we expected, we stop and pay attention. It’s a pull versus push process. Judo, a Japanese word that translates as “gentle or yielding way,” is a martial art form that focuses on winning without causing injury. Similarly, when facing RBOs on prospecting calls, you want to achieve your objective—a commitment of time or information— without fighting or causing injury. RBOs on prospecting calls happen in a split second. You have to be nimble, adaptive, and quick on your feet. It’s verbal Judo at 100 miles an hour. To be agile, you need a framework for both managing your emotions and pulling your prospect toward you so that it becomes easier for them to say yes. Three elements of the RBO Turnaround Framework are: Anchor. Disrupt. Ask. Figure 16.1 3 Steps to Turning Around RBOs 186 Fanatical Prospecting
Anchor We’ve established that the initial physiological and emotional reaction (fight or flight) to rejection is involuntary. You can, however, gain control of the disruptive emotions that are triggered by rejection. The secret is giving your logical brain (neocortex) a chance to catch up. If you were hiking in the woods and a bear suddenly walked out onto the path in front of you, the physiological reaction to the threat the bear posed is the exact response you feel when you get rejected. Your “reptilian brain” or amygdala, through millions of years of evolution, is hard-wired to prepare you to survive. The problem is, it cannot tell the difference between a bear and a prospect telling you no. But your logical brain (the neocortex) can. The problem is fight or flight kicks in before logic. So you need a millisecond for your logical brain to wake up and tell the amygdala that there is no threat. The purpose of the anchor statement, sometimes called a ledge, is to give yourself an anchor or something to hold on to until your logical brain catches up, takes over, and manages the disruptive emotions generated by rejection. That’s how you regain your poise and control of the conversation. Disrupt Your prospect is conditioned. They expect you to act just like every other salesperson. When they tell you no, they expect a fight. The secret to turning around your prospect’s RBO is delivering a statement or question that disrupts this expectation, “takes away” the fight, and pulls the prospect toward you. For example: ■ When they say they’re happy, instead of arguing that you can make them happier if they just give you a chance, say, Turning Around RBOs 187
“Awesome. If you’re happy, you shouldn’t even think about changing!” This is completely unexpected. ■ When they say they’re busy, instead of arguing them into how you will only take a little bit of their time, say, “I figured you would be.” Agreeing with them disrupts their thought pattern. ■ When they say, “Just send me some information,” say, “Tell me specifically what you are looking for.” This calls their bluff and forces engagement. ■ When they say, “I’m not interested,” say, “That makes sense. Most people aren’t.” Their brain isn’t ready for you to agree with them. It is also important to avoid using words that only salespeople use. As soon as you do, you play right into their expectations. One phrase you want to avoid is “I understand.” When you use the phrase “I understand,” you sound just like every other schmuck who uses this phrase as insincere filler so they can get back to pitching. It demonstrates zero empathy and tells your prospect that you are not listening and don’t care. Ask You may deliver the perfect turnaround, but if you don’t ask again for commitment, you won’t get what you want. You must ask confidently and assumptively for a specific commitment of time or information, without any hesitation or awkward pause, directly following your turnaround script. About half of the time when you ask they’ll throw out another RBO—one that tends to be closer to the truth. You will want to be prepared to handle it and ask again. What you should never do is fight. It isn’t worth it. When you get two RBOs and still can’t turn your prospect around, graciously move on and come back at them another day. 188 Fanatical Prospecting
Putting It All Together It is essential that you avoid overcomplicating this process. You need turnaround scripts that work for you and sound natural coming from yourlips.Theyneedtomakeyousoundauthentic,real,andconfident. Keep them simple so that they are easy for you to remember and repeat. Here are three examples that put it all together:
- Prospect: “Look, Jeb, I’m busy.” “Nancy, that’s exactly why I called.” (Anchor: This is a simple statement that gives my logical brain just a moment to take control of my emotional brain. By agreeing with her, I immediately disrupt her expectation that I will try to talk her out of being busy.) “I figured you would be, so I want to find a time that is more convenient for you.” (Disrupt: It also acknowledges that she is busy right now and disrupts that pattern by asking her to think about a more convenient time.) “How about we get together next Wednesday at 3:00 PM instead?” (Ask: This makes an assumptive, direct, and specific request.)
- Prospect: “We’re not interested.” “You know, that is what a lot of my current clients said the first time I called.” (Anchor) “Most people say they aren’t interested before they see how much I can save them. I don’t know if my service will be a good fit for you and your company, but doesn’t it make sense for us to at least get together for a short meeting to find out?” (Disrupt) “How about Friday at 2:00 PM? (Ask)
- Prospect: “We’re really happy with our current provider.” “That’s fantastic!” (Anchor) “Anytime you are getting great rates and great service, you should never think about changing. All I want to do is come by and get to know you a little better. And even if it doesn’t make sense to Turning Around RBOs 189
do business with me at the moment, I can at least give you a competitive quote that will help you keep those other guys honest.” (Disrupt) “How about I come by on Tuesday at 11:30 AM?” (Ask) I’d love to hear about turnarounds that are working for you. To share your scripts and pick up tips from other sales professionals, join the RBO discussion forum at FanaticalProspecting.com When the Horse Is Dead, Dismount Sometimes, no matter how good you are, the person on the other end of the line will tell you to “go screw yourself” or slam the door or phone in your face. Or scream—“Don’t ever call me again!” or “It will be a cold day in hell before I ever buy something from you or your company!” Because you are interrupting people, they’ll be rude, short, and ugly, and sometimes take shots at you that are very pointed and personal. Sometimes it’s because you caught them at a bad time—the boss just dropped last quarter’s numbers on their desk and told them that they are a loser with no future—and you called just in time to be a convenient human piñata for their frustrations and self-loathing. Sometimes they are just miserable assholes. When you get treated this way, you have a tendency to dwell on it. You stop prospecting. Complain to a peer and play the conversation over and over again in your head. You feel embar- rassed, angry, revengeful, and a whole host of other emotions that invade your mind and steal your joy. You log a note in your CRM to NEVER call them again, just for good measure. You project your feelings on your prospect and make up a story in your head about what they said, did, or thought after they hung up the phone, pressed “send” in response to your e-mail, or watched you walk out of their door. In your mind’s eye, you see 190 Fanatical Prospecting
your prospect laughing at you or fuming because you annoyed them. Meanwhile, the prospect doesn’t even remember you. They moved on the moment you hung up the phone and haven’t given you another thought. You were just a blip—a momentary and meaningless interruption in their day. Trust me. I’ve had prospects scream at me on Tuesday and treat me like I’m their best friend on Wednesday. Completely oblivious to my previous call. That’s why, when people tell me to “never call them again,” I call. It’s like when kids learn to ride horses. If the kid falls off, they make them get back on. No matter if the kid is crying, shaking in fear, and saying they won’t or don’t want to get back on the horse. No matter—the instructor forces the kid to get back on. They know if that kid doesn’t, they’ll play the fall over and over again in their head, blowing their fear up to the point that they will never get on a horse again. Courage is developed in the presence of fear, not in spite of it. It is difficult to regain your focus and keep moving when a prospect is horrible to you. It hurts. It’s all you can think about and talk about. You fantasize about calling them back up and telling them to f@∗& off! Anger invades your thoughts and keeps you up all night stewing. At times, you completely shut down your life as you dwell on your anger, angst, and anxiety. I meet salespeople every day who are reliving these transgres- sions over and over again. In our Fanatical Prospecting Boot Camps, all they want to talk about is that “one time a prospect said __ to them.” They’ve made thousands of prospecting touches but dwell on the one call that went bad. They waste precious time, energy, and emotions beating a dead horse. No matter how hard they beat and kick it, the horse will not move. They are living in the past, unable to focus on anything else, and they seek company for their misery. Beating a dead horse is self- destructive. Dead horses don’t trot, they rot. Here’s my advice: When the horse is dead, dismount. Turning Around RBOs 191
Of course, letting go is easier said than done. So is the secret learning to turn the other cheek? Well, yes, but there is more. The real secret to moving on is understanding that anger is just energy and when you harness that energy, you tap into a powerful force. In fact, one of the enduring qualities of highly successful people is the ability to turn disappointment, defeat, and anger into unmovable determination. When someone hurts you, your body, and mind fill with energy and adrenalin for revenge. Take advantage of that gift of energy to get better, because achievement is the ultimate revenge. Over the years I’ve developed a simple trigger designed to shake me out of my self-pity when I’ve been slighted or find myself astride a dead horse. Behind my desk is an old index card taped to the wall. The paper has yellowed and the words faded just a bit because I’ve carried that card around with me for 25 years. On the card are four letters: N E X T 192 Fanatical Prospecting