Jeremy Johnson has a new guest blog post this week on how you can think like a salesperson when handling qualification objections.
Jeremy is a recruiter in Kansas City for EHD Technologies, a recruiting, staffing and managed services company serving the IT, Engineering and Automotive industries.
You can also follow him on Twitter at jsquaredkc
Think Like a Salesperson When Handling Qualification Objections
I just loved Zig Ziglar. At the time of Zig’s passing in late 2012, you could hardly find a more iconic or beloved sales trainer, motivational speaker, and just all-around genuinely good guy. From Yazoo, Mississippi, Zig spoke with a distinct rhythmic cadence, accented by a touch of deep south drawl.
If you’re not familiar with Zig Ziglar, he was the top salesperson for the Saladmaster Corporation decades ago, and he’s been one of the most highly read and listened to sales trainers for over thirty years. Though some of Zig’s sales phrasing is a bit dated today, the principles he taught are timeless.
One of those principles has stuck with me more than any other, and it’s a principle every job seeker should emulate in his or her job hunt.
The principle is centered around handling objections. You know, those negative retorts a potential customer gives to your product or service. “It’s too expensive.” “It doesn’t come in blue.” “It doesn’t have the XYZ feature that the other guy’s has.”
Getting objections can be nerve-wracking and if you’re not prepared to handle them as a salesperson, you can kiss the sale goodbye. But, Zig’s principle was simply this:
“Use the objection as the reason to buy.”
It may sound counterintuitive, but it’s great advice. Objections can be scary; I get it. You may not know what to say in response. By definition, it’s negative feedback, which people naturally don’t like. And, it can put you on the defensive.
This can happen to you as a job seeker, as well, when facing objections. “You don’t have industry experience.” “You’re overqualified.” “You haven’t used XYZ software, which is important for this job.” Any of those sound familiar?
So what do you do with those? Do you get scared? Defensive? Nervous? Panicked?
The best way to approach objections is to handle them just like good salespeople handle theirs and how Zig Ziglar taught for years. You use the objection as the reason to buy.
Basically, it’s taking a negative (something that can be scary and damaging) and boomeranging it back in a compelling way to turn things back in your favor and make the hiring manager’s fear a non-issue .
Here’s an example of how it actually worked in my own career. When I was being considered for my first recruiting position, one of the managers I interviewed with tried talking me OUT of the job. Needless to say, I wasn’t expecting that. His objection was this: “Jeremy, this job is too risky for you to take.” Since agency recruiters are compensated based on productivity, and I was the sole breadwinner for my family, I wouldn’t be able to make enough money quickly enough to support my loved ones. He thought I couldn’t afford the time it would take to ramp up. So, the fear was that I wouldn’t last long.
Fortunately, I’d had enough practice by then at handling job-related objections, that I immediately began thinking about using the objection as the reason to buy. So, I replied, “Actually, it’s too risky for me NOT to take the job.” I then explained that in the context of my entire career, that ramp-up period was very small, and this was the type of opportunity that would be enjoyable and rewarding for many years. So, risking several years of a rewarding career with a great company over several months of lean paychecks wasn’t really a risk at all. I’d actually be foolish not to take the job.
My actual answer was a bit longer than that but by taking Ziglar’s principle to heart and using it, I took a situation that blindsided me, and I was able to take away the manager’s fear.
So, keep the following in mind when handling objections and using the objection as the reason to buy:
1) First, be thankful someone voiced it – An objection never spoken is an objection you can never overcome. Just because someone doesn’t say it, doesn’t mean they’re not thinking it. An objection simmering just beneath the surface can torpedo your shot at a job if it’s never spoken and you can’t address it.
2) It puts you immediately in a positive mindset instead of a negative one – the most natural thing to do when you’re not prepared to handle an objection about your qualifications or fit for a job is to feverishly come up an off-the-cuff rebuttal that you hope doesn’t sound on the outside nearly as desperate as you feel on the inside. If you try to answer an objection from a defensive position, your presentation will be less convincing and your brain will tend to freeze up from the pressure. Knowing you’re prepared to turn the objection around puts you in the frame of mind essential to delivering a compelling answer. It puts you on the offensive instead of the defensive.
3) It can take away your audience’s fear – Let’s face it; objections are based on fear – the fear of making a mistake if they hire you, that you’re not worth the risk. When you can effectively use the objection as the reason to buy, you’re directly diffusing that fear. Not only can it help diffuse the fear, it can potentially take what seems like a strike against you and turn it into a point in your favor.
4) It gives your audience something to think about that they didn’t consider before – Most of the time, if you can turn an objection around, the first thing that will happen is your audience will be surprised. They probably won’t even consider there could be valid reasons to NOT be concerned about the fear their objection raises. When I had a job candidate do this to me as a recruiter, I said, “Wow, that’s a really good point,” and I was ready to go to bat for him. But, his answer was realistic, valid, and compelling.
I do understand that this process is easier said than done. But, anytime you can take what looks like a reason not to hire you and turn it into THE reason to hire you, it will do nothing but improve your odds in your job search. If you have a chance to pick up a copy of Zig Ziglar’s book Secrets of Closing the Sale, I actually think it’s great resource for job seekers who want to understand how best to “sell” their skills to potential employers, including the principle of using the objection as the reason to buy.