OVERCOMING OBJECTIONS

Objections Show Interest! View objections as buying signals and act on them! The prospect would not bother to object if they were not interested! For example, if you are in a department store and see a piece of clothing you simply hate, you wouldn’t walk up to the sales clerk and object. You wouldn’t walk up and say, “I hate this rag! I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing it!” But if you find an item you really ARE interested in but there may a few things that are not quite right, THEN you might go to the salesperson and object to the color or maybe the style of the buttons. The same applies to your rental prospect. Look for objections…seek them out! These objections will tell you that you are headed in the right direction. A proper response to the objection will lay the groundwork for a successful completion of the presentation…a committed prospect!

Two Types of Objections! Let’s not make objections too complicated! Basically, there are only TWO types of objections in our business. First, there is the EASY objection. That is one that is simply not true and is caused by misunderstanding, misinformation, or just plain lack of knowledge! The other type is the DIFFICULT objection; an objection that is, in fact, true! The basic formula for overcoming each of these starts the same way.

First, with any kind of objection, restate the objection in question form. By doing this, you have shown your prospect that you respect their objection as an important concern to them. And it allows you to confirm that you heard it correctly.
If the objection is EASY, that is, one that’s not true, then answer it directly showing proof if necessary:

Prospect: “I don’t think I like the idea of being so far from the bus stop!”
Leasing Professional: “Mr. Blaylock, you are concerned about being too far from the bus stop? You’ll be happy to know that the bus route runs along the side of our community and there is a bus stop on both sides of the road!”

The DIFFICULT objection is true…you cannot deny it or completely overcome it! But you can handle it and still get the lease! Since it is true, minimize it by stressing other relevant benefits of the community.

Prospect: “But you don’t have a fitness center!”
Leasing Professional: “Mr. Cervantes, you are concerned that we do not have a fitness center at our community? I know you love this floor plan…it will be perfect with your furniture. And the apartment is about 200 square feet bigger than all the other ones in this area but at the same or lower price. You are saving enough money that you could easily get a membership to one of two nearby clubs that offer special discounts for our residents! There is no apartment fitness center that comes close to comparing to a full service health and fitness club!”

Don’t let the objections get you sidetracked! You have heard them all before! Be prepared with an answer and know you now have an INTERESTED prospect! Then use one of these two formulas to overcome or minimize the prospect’s concern.

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