Handling Objections

by Christy Crouch

If you’ve ever been faced with questions or objections you couldn’t answer or wished you had a better answer for please read this article on how to handle objections. What do you do when someone gives you an objection to listing with you, or signing the contract to buy a home?

Having been in the business for almost 20 years, and consistently selling an average of 110 homes year, coaching agents across the United States and co-writing the book, Now What Do I Say, a collection of over 425 answers to over 70 of the most common questions and objections that we face in real estate, I’ve learned many things.

I want to share some tips to powerfully handling objections with you now. My intention is that these tips will help you to flow effortless through the objections and get more contracts signed while taking excellent care of your customers and clients.

Accept and acknowledge what your client has going on. Tell them you understand, you would feel the same way, of course they would ask that. THEN answer their question. Getting on their side first and allowing for their objection tells the client that you actually care about how they feel. Zig Ziglar said it best, “no one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care”. Care for your client first and the paycheck comes as a result.

We all know there aren’t any NEW objections. I mean let’s face it; there are only so many that the consumer has. The key to powerfully being able to handle the objection is to have scripted, well-rehearsed answers. If a client asks you a question and you are like a deer in headlights vs. confidently and smoothly answering their question, this can make the difference in a deal or not for you.

Professionals of all walks and kinds practice, role play, study, and internalize their profession. As professional sales people handling most individual’s largest investment, don’t you think we should treat our business just as important as the doctors, lawyers, athletes, pilots, politicians, and performers? I certainly do!

Practice being quiet after you handle the objection. In so many cases we get nervous and feel we need to be talking to get the deal closed. Sometimes silence is exactly what the client needs to make the decision to sign the contract. The less talking you do in many cases the better off you’ll be.

Learn to read your client. Are they someone who likes to have other’s opinions and to talk about things? Or are they someone who likes statistics and numbers and information to make a decision. Or, are they someone who likes to go inside themselves to make the right decision.

Honor how the client likes to make decisions and assist them in the way that works for them. If you aren’t sure, consider asking them. “So, when you have a big decision to make, do you like to get other’s opinion, do you like information to review, or do you prefer to take time to think it over?”

The more questions you ask and the more you learn what your client needs, the better you can assist them.

Take a moment sometimes before you respond. Don’t give knee jerk reactions to their questions and objections. A fifteen second pause shows the client you are absorbing their concern and what they’ve asked.

Consider typing up a list of commonly asked questions about buying or selling a home with the answers, and give this to your client up front. Tell them, here’s a list of some commonly asked questions about selling/buying with the answers, and I wanted to share this with you. I give this to all my clients and have found that it automatically takes care of their objections in many cases, and after reading it they simply sign the contract.

Don’t allow the questions and objections to create fear and resistance. This is simply a normal part of the process. Notice yourself when you are making a purchase. Do you ask questions and have objections even though you have the full intention to buy? It’s human nature to objection and ask questions when we are in a sales situation. Don’t over complicate the process. Breathe deeply, accept and allow for them and handle them appropriately.