Part 1 in the “How to Overcome” series delves into how to deal with objections when talking to potential new team members for your direct sales biz.
When people face a big decision, like joining your direct sales biz, they often need a lot of information to overcome the questions or objections that their mind (or their partner) asks.
This series of articles is intended to help you talk to them about their objections. It’s not meant to steamroll over their questions (because an objection is really a request for more information).
These articles are not encouraging you to be pushy! With these articles, I want to help you understand the objections and how you could address people’s questions about starting a direct sales business.
So let’s get started with the first and most common objection:
“I’m sorry, but I can’t afford to join your direct sales biz….”
You would have heard this sentence if you tried recruiting people for your direct sales business.
It’s such a common objection that if you haven’t heard it, you haven’t been recruiting!
In this article, I’ll investigate why people say this and what you can reply to help you prepare for your recruiting chats.
What are people really saying?
Before looking at how to deal with the objection, let’s have a look at why someone might have said it:
- They genuinely can’t afford it. Sometimes people really don’t have the money to join your party plan business even though they would like to.
- They have the money but have other things to spend that money on. Your offer isn’t a high enough priority for them. They are really saying: “I can’t afford to spend money on something that I don’t think is very important….”
- They have another worry or concern that makes them believe it won’t work for them. In that case, they’re really saying: “I don’t think this will work for me, so it would be a waste of money. And I can’t afford to waste that money….”
How to deal with each reason
1) They genuinely can’t afford it
If someone is genuinely interested but can’t afford your offer, keep them as a lead.
You could ask when a good time is to contact them again and schedule a follow-up that suits them better. In fact, you could still make your offer, saying something like: “That’s okay, you don’t have to join right now. I’d still like to share the business opportunity with you in the future. How about we have a coffee and a chat?”
This will be a low-pressure conversation because you’ve already agreed they don’t need to join now. It could still lead to them joining in the future or referring someone to you.
More importantly, if the real reason was number 2 or 3, you have a second chance to talk to them!
2) They can’t see the value
You haven’t made the value of your offer clear to your leads, and they’ve told you that they ‘can’t afford it.’
When you present your offer, you need to find a way to present the benefits that will appeal to your leads.
For some people, the benefit of a direct sales business is the flexibility, for others, it’s to be with their kids. Some people like the friendships they make, while others are ambitious and like the recognition along the way. I’ve also met people who do very different jobs during the day and like to do their direct sales business as a side hustle to enjoy their evenings with like-minded women.
If you get another chance to speak with your lead, ensure you listen to find out which of the many benefits of a direct sales business will appeal to them.
Once they see the value, spending their money on a new adventure with you becomes more of a priority.
4) They actually have another worry
You need to find out what’s actually worrying them. You could ask something like: “Do you mind if I ask, if it wasn’t for the money, would you go ahead? Or is there something else that might cause you to hesitate?”
You want them to tell you what’s holding them back, so good listening skills come into play here.
Once they tell you their concern or worry, you can address that specifically with examples from yourself or your teammates.
You don’t have to be a sleazy salesperson to be a good seller, in fact, don’t be.
Listening is crucial
As you can see, it’s vital to listen carefully to what people tell you to find out the real reason behind the objection.
I’ve written the kind of book I would have loved someone to give me when I started out —it’s the HOW-TO OF RECRUITING.
