How to answer all objections with a Yes

In all roles we have to work with other people, and gain their agreement: but it’s often hard to avoid saying no. Here are five proven ways to handle objections by saying Yes.

1.       Just say Yes and no more ! Nod wisely. Pause for reflection. Then completely ignore whatever they said. (Sounds weird but try it – it works !)

2.       Feel-felt-found….”Yes, lots of people feel that way....my client ABC felt that way....but they found that…”. This validates their objection while answering it with a reference story

3.       Yes but…“Yes. Good point. But that’s more than compensated by the fact that ...”. This counterbalances their issue with a benefit.

4.       Yes...however that will hurt you more than me....“…lower cost means reduced support, lower certainty…” or “…if we miss the deadline, we lose the benefits…”. Bit cheeky, but very effective.

5.       Yes, that's true...are there any other reasons why that’s a good idea....? Then keep asking till they give you a bad idea, and use it to bury their whole point. 

Yes ! Yes !! Yes !!!

How to avoid the “I’ll think about it” blocker

It’s happened to all of us: we’re selling, or driving a new project, proposing change, and the other party hear all your arguments and then say “I’ll think about it”. You just know it’s an excuse for avoiding a decision. Grrrrr.

Here’s a simple and very effective method for avoiding “I’ll think about it”.

Step 1: As early as possible, say “…to make sure our final agreement is exactly right for you, we’ll work through a series of draft proposals together….we call them Pre-Proposal Reviews”

Steps 2,3,4, etc: At each meeting and review, write DRAFT in big letters across your documents. Discuss them, change them, but never agree it’s final. You never have a final  document: there’s always the need for another meeting to finalise the Proposal.

So when they say “I’ll have to think about it” you can say “Yes, so do I…let’s agree a date to review the next draft…”

You have just 2 minutes….

2 MINUTES to take action on immediate requests (phone, email, chat)
...handle it quickly or move it on

2 HOURS to hold face-to-face meetings

...if it takes longer than that, you’re not planning

2 DAYS to respond to electronic requests

...if you can’t get to it by then, you’re wasting your own time and everyone else’s

2 WEEKS to assemble a work team and commit to a plan

...without the right people, or the right plan by then, it will fail

2 MONTHS identify a business opportunity and test it with customers

...if you can’t do it by then, your competition can

...2 YEARS to do nothing at all

...if your plans reach out too far into the future, the world will have passed you by

From The Future of Work by Charles Grantham