Using Fictional Stories as Rebuttals to Objections

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Today we’ll discuss using fictional stories as rebuttals.  This is a very specific sales tactic but one that is also incredibly effective.  If you are not using it, you are REALLY missing out!  Prospects will always give you an objection – a reason not to move forward in the sales process.  In turn, you will create a fictional story with an obvious moral or logical conclusion which relates to the specific objection and with which the prospect will agree.  Then you can leverage that to move forward with the sales process.  Included here are some most common objections and my example stories and rebuttals.

1. The I’ll need to show this to my partner Usually I first try to overcome this very quickly and assumptively by saying:  “Oh sure, I totally understand.  That makes plenty of sense.  I’ll just swing back by next week to answer any other questions your partner has.  Would Thursday or Friday be better for you?”  You always want to start with this approach as your initial rebuttal attempt.  Then if the prospect doesn’t agree to that, here is a story I’ve used in the past.

“Mr. Jones, let me ask you a quick question.  Let’s say, God forbid, you found out after medical tests that you have a dread disease.  Let’s further say that I go to your doctor and request all the information and treatment options.  Then I give you assurance that I have all the information you need; you don’t need to see the doctor.  Would that satisfy you?  Wouldn’t you want to speak to the doctor directly since the doctor is the one who has a full understanding of the situation?”  The prospect’s answer is very obvious after this fictional story.  Now you continue, “In your business you are the expert [suppose I’m in a pizza shop.]  If I made a pizza for you, it wouldn’t be good because I don’t know how to make pizza.  But what I DO know is credit card processing inside and out!  If you share this proposal with your partner, there will be questions to which you won’t have an answer.  However, I WILL have the answer.  I know you share my desire for your partner to make the most informed decision possible, don’t you?”

You can think about this example and reread it several times to get the feel of using a story as rebuttal.  Create some story ideas of your own.  Perhaps you aren’t comfortable using this story concerning health; use any other expert.  Using a lawyer, here is an example story, “Imagine your business is being sued. Your lawyer explains all the details to another employee who has no knowledge of the laws involved, asking this employee to relay the information to you.  Would you be satisfied with that; wouldn’t you want to speak directly to your attorney?”  This same idea could be used as a rebuttal with any number of varied specifics.

2. The I want think over your proposal This response often means prospects want to try to match your rate with their current company.  Some prospects may even tell you they plan to do so.  You can randomly choose an item in their store which they obviously buy.  In a hat store I would reply,

“Susan, I see this red hat here retails for $20.00.  What is the vender’s cost for you to purchase this hat?  [Susan tells me $17.00.]  Suppose I tell you the vender sells that hat to everyone else for $12.00; the hat is marked up $5.00 for you.  My company would be willing to charge only $12.00 for it.  Let’s say you have already sold 1,000 of those hats; you’ve been overcharged $5,000.00 by your vender!  Are you with me so far? [Get her response.]  Now if you confront your vender with this price difference and he or she agrees to charge only $12.00 on future purchases, would you be happy that you’re already overcharged $5,000.00?  Wouldn’t you be asking for your money back? [Susan’s obvious response] That is exactly the situation we are faced with right now!  If your current processor doesn’t match my rate, then you’ll switch to me, right?  [Susan answers affirmative.]  If your current processor DOES match my rate and I’m offering to save you $100.00 per month, since you said you’ve been with this processor for 36 months, you have already been overcharged $3,600.00, right?  Are you willing to do business with a company like that?”

You see the power behind a story such as this one.  If the prospect is still hesitant to move forward, I usually say, “Then make me one promise, Susan.  If your current company does match my rate, promise you won’t stay with them unless they agree to refund at least half of that $3,600.00!”  After securing her agreement, I return a week later to find that her current company matched my rate.  She has decided to stay with them, so I ask if they did refund money to her.  If she says they didn’t, my response is, “Okay, then, I have all the paperwork right here.  Do you have any other questions for me?  I know you already promised to switch to me if they didn’t come through.  We’ll go ahead and get started; I’m looking forward to working with you.”  You have Susan backed into a corner because of the power of the story.

A fictional story takes prospects out of the moment, putting their minds on something else.  Even though they know the direction you’re taking them, the story forces them to make a logical or moral imperative judgement that’s good for you to move forward in your sales process.

I encourage you to write down all the core objections which you hear over and over.  Take time to create some fictional stories which you could tell the prospects at the time of objection, causing them to agree with your point.  Then decide how to transition the story into a rebuttal to their true objection.

I hope this article will help you create some fun stories to use with your prospects which will give you leverage to make them clients.

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