A flight attendant once reminded
Muhammad Ali to fasten his seat belt.
"Superman don't need no seat belt," replied Ali.
"Superman don't need no airplane, either,"
retorted the flight attendant.

No matter how well you've presented your case, prospects are going to have questions about or raise objections to your recommendations. By anticipating the questions and objections you're likely to hear, you won't be taken by surprise. Moreover, by treating your prospect's comments as real issues, not just obstacles to the sale, you'll demonstrate the power of your collaborative, problem-solving approach.

Try this: Classifying and managing questions and objections must be an important part of your closing strategy. In many cases, prospects will have technical questions about the planning concept or product solutions. However, if you don't know the answer, don't guess. You could be caught between a tough question and a vague answer. Simply promise that you will follow-up with the answer as soon as you can, then ask for the business again.

Six Steps to Answering Objections

Clients have two means of gaining control of a discussion — asking questions and introducing objections. As an adviser, you only have one — asking questions — so you'd better be pretty good at it. Here are six suggestions:

  1. Listen to what a prospect is saying.
  2. Ask for clarification, and show you understand.
  3. Get the prospect to prioritize. Ask, "Is this your only concern?"
  4. Ask, "If I can deal with this concern to your satisfaction, would you say 'yes' to working with me?"
  5. Don't overwhelm a prospect with the benefits of working with you until you know he's receptive.
  6. Ask, "Did that answer your question?" Ninety-nine percent of people don't do this. If the answer is "yes," then you're in business. If the answer is "no," go back to Step 2.
  7. — Dorothy Leeds, Horsesmouth.com

What follows are suggested responses to some typical objections and questions you may hear when closing business insurance sales.

Back to Top | Next

Ohio National is not affiliated with, nor does it endorse or sponsor, any particular prospecting, marketing or selling system.

90