Ignore it and it might go away!

All real estate trainers and other sales gurus have some system or plan to overcome objections. Novices in the business and agents with little or no training may just ignore the objection and hope it goes away. Objections often occur when customers have strong positive feelings about a particular home. They are an inevitable part of the buying process. Handling objections appropriately will help an agent close more sales and have satisfied customers.

Six Steps to a Positive Outcome

Pause: Pausing after an objection by a customer allows the customer the opportunity to solve the problem themselves. It also allows the agent the opportunity to gather his thoughts before responding to the objection.

Acknowledge: Waiting too long may make the customer feel that you have fallen asleep. Simply acknowledging the objection by restating it allows the customer to understand that yes, you did hear the objection and clearly understand it.

Isolate: The objection may be no big deal or it may be a reason to not buy a particular home depending on the opinion of the buyer. So, it’s best to ask. Looking to our video for an example, instead of pushing forward with information about schools, the agent could have isolated the buyer’s concern by simply asking, “If it weren’t for the malevolent energy and the dead clown, would you be interested in this home?” If the answer is no, then move on. But, if the buyer answered yes then move on to the next step.

Question: Simply put, asking the right questions will allow the customer the opportunity to solve the problem on his own. For example, “If you bought this home anyway, what would you do about the malevolent energy and the dead clown?” The problem may be solved.

Answer: Yes, sometimes an objection really does have to be answered. Use a question to help move the objection towards a positive outcome. Something like, “What if we got rid of the energy and the clown? Would that work?”

Re-close: There are many closing questions that may be used here. My children often close on me. They have learned not to ask if they can have dessert because I may say no. Instead they give me an alternate of choice. “Dad, may I have ice cream or cookies for dessert?” Choose your favorite way of asking.