5 Tips for Overcoming Objections and Uncovering What’s Really Holding Your Buisness Back!

Let’s cut to the chase – whether you’re an entrepreneur or not, we all fear – and will do anything to avoid – rejection! From asking for the business to asking someone out on a date, underneath, we know what we’re really asking is, are we acceptable to the other. We’re asking “Do you want me?”, “Do you like me?”, and “Am I (or what I’m offering) acceptable to you?”  It’s a vulnerable position to be in.

To make matters worse, many people interpret objection as rejection.  In the case of the entrepreneur who must grow their business to survive, avoiding asking people to work with them can lead to the decline of their business.

An objection is a form of challenging the information that has been given.  An objection might sound something like: “That’s alot of money!” or “I’m not sure that I’m ready to make a commitment to work with you right now.” 

Whatever it is, at the heart of most objections is a need for more information.  One of the biggest mistakes most people make when confronted with an objection is interpreting the objection as a “no” (rejection) and ending the conversation. 

Service providers please note: Overcoming objections isn’t about convincing people to buy what they don’t want. It’s about sharing information about your offering – fully, and allowing the other person to decide – with all the information, if your offering is right for them.

If you find that you face objections frequently, this process will be valuable for you to get to the heart of what’s blocking your success too.

Here are 5 tips to overcome objections and discover what may really be holding your business back.  When faced with an objection:

1. Remain curious and impartial: Frame this as the beginning of another conversation, not the end of your time together.  Breathe, be still and stay calm (Hint: don’t run away!)
2. Rephrase what you hear as the objection to be sure you understand it fully. This shows your concern, that you hear them, and allows you to clarify what they are saying.
3. Ask & Listen: Remain curious about the person and the situation. Eg: “I’m always open to new ideas and suggestions for packaging my offering in ways that are most valuable to my clients. What would you value most?”  Or, “What is the price you’ve paid in the past or that you feel is in line with the value we offer?”  Listen to what they say.
4. Ask if there is anything else: If you feel that you’ve answered the objection, this is a good time to discover if they have any other questions or concerns about your offering/you/your business etc.
5. Answer the objection and ask if that answers their concerns; “This is an important step.  It wraps up the conversation, and let’s them know that you’d still like to work with them.  Thank them for taking the time to share their thoughts and opinions with you.

Reframing an objection as an opportunity to go deeper and better understand your potential clients is liberating!  Instead of dreading and avoiding the possibility of rejection or objection, view it as an opportunity to learn more about the other person and your own business.

How to Manage Your Time and Energy Through the Holiday Season

The holidays are fast approaching and with them come the addition of items to our already full ‘to-do’ lists!   At the best of times, an entrepreneur struggles to get everything done in their day, and with the addition of entertaining, party planning and emotions running high, it’s easy to get burned out and off course.

When it comes to time management, the basic principals are:

• Set clear, compelling goals daily, weekly and monthly that align with your annual goals
• Prioritize based on importance and time-sensitivity
• Use a planner to keep & book your appointments – including personal
• Be proactive vs reactive (where possible)

Sometimes though, even when we do all of that, we can find ourselves depleted. 

There is a growing school of thought that you will be more fulfilled, happier and get more done if you focus on managing your energy rather than your time.

In an article from Harvard Business Review by Tony Schwartz, Catherine McCarthy, Oct. 1, 2007, they identify 4 key areas as being critical to well-being while you work.  Even though their article is based on a corporate setting, the principals are sound and worth reviewing as good practice for entrepreneurs and their staff to keep ourselves and those who work with us, motivated, happy and productive. 

The article talks about creating “renewal rituals” for each of the following 4 areas:

1. The body: Find ways to increase physical energy ie: frequent breaks, getting enough sleep, eating well, exercising
2. Emotions:  Raise awareness of feelings at different times of day. Incorporate relaxation exercises to deal with stressful situations. ie: deep breathing, expressing appreciation to others.
3. Mind:  Focus. Multi-tasking is inefficient. “A temporary shift in attention from one task to another – stopping to answer an email or take a phone call, for instance – increases the amount of time necessary to finish the primary task by 25%…”  It is far more productive to focus on one task at a time, for an extended period (60-90 min).
4. Spirit: Engage in activities daily that are in alignment with what you value most, and that which provides you a sense of meaning and purpose in all areas of your life.

You can read the full article here: http://academy.clevelandclinic.org/Portals/40/HBRManageEnergy.pdf

At any time of year – especially at the holidays, it’s a given that the list of things to do is never ending.  There is a sense of reward when we accomplish the critical things on our task list for the day, and good time management is a vehicle for this success.  Having the energy to accomplish those tasks is the fuel for our entrepreneurial engine, without which we can end up stuck in ‘Park’ (or lost in the woods!).

If this is a topic of interest to you, and you’d like to read more, there is a great book on this topic that I’ve read called “The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal” by Jim Loehr & Tony Schwartz.

6 Tips for Packaging Your Offering

This week is “Chemistry Week” which got me thinking about ways to put things together or “amalgamate” offerings – to make them more appealing to clients. 

 December can be a slow month for service providers, yet also a time when they are most needed. Creating an incentive can give your business a boost at the holidays and be a port in the storm for your clients.  You can use these tips to create an offering any time of the year.

 6 Tips for creating packages that work for you and your clients:

1. Have 2 or 3 packages to choose from: At different pricing levels.  People like choice.  Give your best value for the highest priced package to incent people to choose that one.
2. Choosing a name: There are two ways to do this; 1. Make it exclusive sounding ie: Silver, Gold, Platinum or, 2. Emotional; ie: Heaven on Earth, Escape, Abundance.  See what works and resonates with your clients.
3. Intelligent incentives: Think about ways to bring them back. For example “Buy now and receive $25 off your next massage”.  Have an expiry date that they must use the coupon by (60 days on the outside) to incent people to return or make it transferable so they can share it with a friend.
4. Advertise it & promote it: Let everyone who comes in know about it.  Have a sign or flyer to advertise it and also tell people about it.  Tell everyone you speak to about your promotion. PS: DON’T rely on a written sign to sell the package for you .
5. Limited time offer: If people think it will be available for ever, they are less likely to purchase it, than if they know it’s only on for a limited time. For example, make the offer available “Only for the month of December”.  Tip: Pick a time when business is typically slow to give it a boost!
6. Target the package to your ideal client: Create a package that meets the needs of your ideal clients.  They are the ones you want to bring in and have as repeat customers.  If you’re not sure what they’d value, ask them.

If you’ve found a way to package or promote your offering that works well and you’d like to share it, you can respond to this post or drop me an email at kmartin@martinbusinessleadership.com   I’ll share any feedback I receive!

7 Ways to Make Your Clients Feel Important

 “Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, ‘Make me feel important.’ Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life.”

Mary Kay Ash
1918-2001, Founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics

 Mary Kay’s quote reminds us that the key to success in business and life is to value the important people in our lives – be they clients, family or friends. 

So how do we do that?  This is done by making them feel; seen, heard and understood. When people feel seen, heard and understood, they feel valued. 

What do you do in your client interactions to make your clients feel unique and honoured?  Making people feel valued is very important for building relationships and a strong business.

Here are 7 ways to leave your clients feeling seen, heard and understood:

Seen:

Connection – Make eye contact and/or engage clients in conversation around a topic you discussed the last time you met.  If it’s a first meeting engage in some small talk to find similarities. This helps to put you both in the moment and builds a connection.

Use their name – This tells them “I see you”, not just another body in the crowd.  Something happens in us when we are called by name.  We feel remembered, important and, in a way, special. 

Heard:

Listen to the other person when they are speaking.  A way to show that you are listening to them is to acknowledge or paraphrase their point of view – weather you agree with it or not. You can try something like “I hear what you are saying.  If I got it right, you’re telling me that it would be helpful to have a package for seniors that includes education on stretching.  Did I hear you correctly?”

Body language – Open and attentive.  That means, no crossed arms or reading emails/texts or texting/writing while listening. Albert Mehrabians study on effective communication showed that, in the way messages are received: 7% is what you say, 38% is how you say it & 55% is non-verbal (incl. body language & facial expression.)

Get feedback – Everyone likes to be asked for their opinion.  You can ask for feedback in many ways: after each session verbally, or more formally through the occasional written survey.  It makes your clients feel like you care about their experience and gives you a great way to get to know more about them and their experience with you.

Understood:

Acknowledge their point of view even if you’re in disagreement.  Use the technique above in “Listen” to let them know you do understand what they are telling you.

Add a little extra something – Everyone likes to feel that they’ve received a little extra value for their money; it makes them feel special and valued.  It can be an extra few minutes of treatment or a cup of coffee/tea/water that lets them know you’re thinking of them.

Are You Struggling to Fill Your Practice?

Would you consider yourself to be “sales reluctant”?  Are you a health and wellness practitioner running a small to medium-sized business that is not seeing the level of clients that you deserve?  If so, then you are not alone. As a matter of fact, one of the top reasons that small businesses stay empty is due to poor promotion of their offering.  There is a plethora of ways to promote your offering yet for health and wellness providers there is also a belief that doing so is contrary to what healthcare is all about.  I’ve heard many practitioners say things like, “I want my work to speak for itself” or, “If I’m doing good work, people will find me.”   Although these may be true, in many cases “doing good work” alone won’t fill your practice – especially if no one knows what you’re doing.

I know this intimately as I started my own career as an Athletic Therapist treating clients, then spent 15 years in corporate sales to return to the service industry again in my current practice.  I’ve struggled to find ways to promote my services and products in the way that is in alignment with my values.

People who work in the healthcare field commonly believe that there is a division between healthcare and business – and never the two shall mix!  Unfortunately, when you are in business for yourself it’s impossible to avoid.

My mission is to take relationship-building and selling to new heights of authenticity and integrity by providing coaching, tips and tools to help you overcome your sales reluctance and grow your business effortlessly and enjoyably!

Check back regularly as I post information and answer your questions to help you build your ideal practice and share your gifts with the world.  After all, that’s why you got into business for yourself in the first place!

Next time we’ll answer the question, “Why bother selling at all?”

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