Starting in my early twenties, I worked at a chain of health clubs in New Jersey. I stayed there for almost thirteen years. Throughout that time, I learned and studied salesmanship under a master salesman.
It was there that I first learned about key sales tactics: the art of the takeaway, price anchoring, exclusivity in sales, urgency creation, us versus them positioning, and the process of overcoming objections when selling.
One objection method in particular still puts a smile on my face every time I think about it.
When used correctly, this one method overcomes and eliminates the biggest potential sales objection from your prospects. It does this by turning something that the prospect perceives as a negative, into something positive. A big positive. A benefit. Something you can brag about.
If you want a fast, surefire way of DOUBLING your sales conversions… in any market… then this is going to be the most important message you possibly ever read…In fact, that’s what we called it behind the scenes at the health clubs…
“Bringing up an objection and bragging about it!”
Here’s an example of how it worked:
Every prospect who came into one of our facilities received a tour around the club before being shown the prices. Of course, this gave us the chance to establish value and differentiate what we did from every other health club.
All of our facilities were around 40,000 square feet. They were loaded with cutting-edge equipment and wrapped in gorgeous architecture. They also included all the expected amenities of a “higher-end” fitness facility.
And as expected, our prices were higher than our competitors’ prices. Often, double. In rare cases, triple.
How did we deal with this objection when prospects brought it up?
We didn’t have to… because prospects never brought it up.
We did.
And we brought it up before they ever had the chance to. And we bragged about it.
Here’s how we did it — at a point in the tour while standing on one of the cardio decks:
“And the cool thing, Mary,… because our membership fees are higher than every other club around here, we prevent over-crowding. So, you’ll never have to wait for any equipment. And you’ll be able to get in the club on any day, complete your workout, and get out in the shortest time possible. As well, thanks to our higher fees, we keep out the riffraff and the muscle-heads. So you never have to worry about being uncomfortable or intimidated while you’re here getting in shape. Thanks to our fees, we only attract the right type of members.”
And just like that… we killed the objection.
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It was now dead. Gone forever. Never to be brought up by the prospect.
I mean… how could they? We just talked about all the benefits they get thanks to our higher membership fees.
So the majority of prospects never even mentioned price. Despite it being the “big negative”. The big objection.
Nope. Gone.
To use this method, start by thinking about the biggest or most common objection prospects have about your product or service.
Think about how you can present that objection as a positive. As a benefit.
Then, in the sales part of your marketing funnel, bring up the objection, present the benefit, and brag about it.
It’s very simple. And it’s a powerful way to maintain control of the sale… shape your prospect’s frame… and make it even easier to buy from you.
Not to mention, it’s a more enjoyable way of selling.
It’s your turn! Please share in the comments below about when you turned an objection into a positive selling point!
