Rally Cap Consulting

My wife's grandfather once gave us a cutout from The National Enquirer.  It is a picture of a blue dot (just a plain ol' blue dot about the size of a silver dollar).  The headline proclaims it is "A magic orb that has brought good luck to thousands, and it can work for you too!"  We kept it, still have it.  We figure we can use all the good luck we can get and besides, it came from The Enquirer, so it's credibility is beyond reproach.

Seems like everyone has some sort of good luck charm.  Horseshoes, numbers, dolls, socks, the list goes on and on.  It's kind of like handling objections in the admissions world, everyone has some theory on how to slay the dragon.

When we conduct live events, this is always one of my favorite subjects.  When we cover this subject, we always throw out a sample objection...something like "The program costs too much, I can't afford it."  We then ask participants to address the objection in a role playing exercise.  I'm always amazed at how proficient admissions reps are at citing factual data that refutes the hypothetical objection.

The fact is this:  most representatives are pretty well equipped to provide logical rebuttals to prospect objections.  In fact, all of us as human beings are naturally equipped to some extent.  Where we fall down is understanding the best way to deliver that information.

"I'd tell them that the tuition at our school is very competitive with other schools and that it actually ends up being more affordable because they complete their courses in half the time it would take them elsewhere, which means that they can enter the workforce sooner and begin earning money sooner, which means it's a better deal...and they also get to learn on better equipment from instructors with industry experience...."  Sound familiar?  All good, compelling points.

The problem is that most reps will jump to this within ten seconds of hearing the objection, and while the information and the point they are making is completely valid, it creates an adversarial, argumentative, "me vs. you" environment.  No one wins in that setting.  Even if we convince the prospect that we are right, we run a high risk of them feeling belittled and bullied, even though that was not our intent.

Try this simple approach to set the stage for overcoming objections:

1.  Acknowledge their concern and ask a question.  

Rep: "Thanks, for sharing that with me, I appreciate your honesty.  Can you tell me a little more about why you feel that way?"

Prospect: "Well compared to the community college it is like 10 times more, so I just can't afford that much."

2. Clarify the objection.

Rep: "So if I understand you, it's that our tuition seems high when you are comparing it to the tuition at XYZ community college, is that right?"

Prospect: "Yeah, that's right."

3.  Agree with them and align yourself with them

Rep:  "I understand.  No matter where you attend school it's important that you feel like you are receiving a good value, isn't it?"

Prospect:  "Yes, I suppose so."

4. Isolate the objection 

Rep: "So let's put the tuition issue aside for a moment.  Is there anything else that is holding you back from attending school here?"

Prospect:  "No.  It's pretty much the money."

Rep:  "OK, that makes sense.  So if we can gain some comfort around that tuition issue then you're all good to go with moving forward and starting school?"

Prospect:  "If I feel OK about the money, then I think so."

5.  Help them resolve it

Rep:  "Great.  It's important that we look at the whole picture when we talk about tuition.  So if it's alright by you, can we walk through this for a few minutes and talk about a couple things?'

Prospect:  "Sure."

Now you are in a position to deliver the same great points about completing sooner, entering the job market sooner, industry experienced staff, etc.  The difference is that the environment is not adversarial, you took a few extra minutes to create an environment of service and helpfulness.

So rather than trying to "crush it,", take a few minutes and "melt the objection."

Our chances of arriving at an outcome that benefits both parties increases dramatically when we take a softer approach.

-Troy