Episode #435: Caryn Kopp

What % of the time are you facing your top three objections? If it’s 75% of the time, it’s time to do something about it. You want to reduce the percentage of the time you’re receiving that objection. You can only do that by learning the most common objections you face. Caryn has the solution. Learn how to leverage her 3P process in this episode of Sales Reinvented.

Outline of This Episode

• [0:58] Common types of objections salespeople face
• [2:48] The biggest mistake salespeople make
• [4:11] How Caryn responds to objections
• [6:01] The role of empathy in objection-handling
• [7:00] How to handle objections with confidence
• [9:45] Caryn’s top objection-handling dos and don’ts
• [11:43] Flipping the switch with a hesitant prospect

Caryn’s three P’s for handling objections

Caryn’s process is simple, yet effective:

1. Pre-think 90% of the objections you’ll face in a few minutes.
2. Prepare answers for the objections you’ll face
3. Practice until your responses don’t sound rehearsed

Most salespeople are completely unprepared and wing it.

How Caryn responds to objections

Is the objection you hear actually what you’re facing? You need to determine what objection you’re hearing to determine how you’ll respond. Caryn responds to objections with questions. Asking questions creates a dialogue that gives you the information.

One of Caryn’s prospects may be getting enough new prospect meetings. But what if they could have more meetings with the right prospects? That leads the prospect to say, “More is always better.” Caryn might say, “Let’s discuss how we can help you do that. How’s next Thursday?” Questions get you further.

How to handle objections with confidence

New salespeople may not have all of the answers. They may not be as familiar with objections. So what does Caryn recommend?

1. Document the right answers for the objections. Don’t overly rely on your company’s playbook. The offering or target may have changed.
2. Internalize the language to have the answers prepared.
3. Demonstrate proficiency; roleplay scenarios to determine the objection you’re facing to know which answer to use. Don’t practice on prospects.
4. Learn from the market and update your responses so they get better and better.

Listen to hear Caryn’s top objection-handling dos and don’ts!

Flipping the switch with a hesitant prospect

Caryn was on the phone with a prospect when they said, “We’re going to hold off on this for another six months.” Caryn asked many questions during the sales process. This allowed her to collect information, which she leveraged at that moment. She’d asked:

• What do you want the outcome of the work to be?
• When do you want that outcome in your rearview mirror?
• Why is that important to you?

Caryn took the information she’d gathered and said, “You told me that X, Y, and Z were important to you and you wanted this in your rearview mirror by X date, and the timing was important to you because…If we don’t move forward together, how will you achieve those goals?”

Caryn stayed silent and let the prospect think. When the prospect spoke, she took a deep breath and said “You’re right, if we don’t move forward together now, I can’t achieve those goals. Let’s move forward.”

If you plan the questions you’ll ask, you’ll collect the information you’ll need in high-stakes moments. Secondly, just because someone gives you an objection doesn’t mean it’s over. Don’t take what you’re hearing at face value and end the conversation.

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Learn More About Caryn Kopp

What was a pivotal moment or experience in your career that fundamentally changed the way you handle objections, and how did it shift your approach?

When I was 19, I walked into a Dunkin’ Donuts for a summer job. The General Manager told me, “We are completely staffed, thanks anyway.” I replied, “I expected you would be. I have baking, cash register, and customer service experience. You may need backup for times your current staff is unavailable. How about I start on Monday at 9?” I stared at him until he replied. “Ok, see you then.” I worked there for 2 summers. 

It was pivotal because I learned in that moment that even though someone says there is no need, that is not always the case. There could still be opportunity if you take the time to dive deeper and if you are ready to do so. Also, coupling a request for a next step (with date and time) after responding to the objection is a slam dunk way to keep the conversation moving forward. If there are more objections, they’ll surface. Otherwise, best to nail the next steps!

Can you share a specific technique or framework you’ve used to successfully overcome a tough objection? Please provide a brief example or case study where it worked effectively.

I developed the Kopp GAP Method of Sales Messaging as a way to create “drop the mike” answers for one of the most common objections, “I already have a solution in place for that, thanks anyway.” The framework includes 3 sentences which, when done properly, can render your competition irrelevant. The 3 sentences are:

Framework:

Anyone can __________ (fill in the blank)

But not everyone can ___________ (fill in the blank)

For example, ______________( fill in the blank)

(Note: the key to getting this right is that the person who hears it must nod in agreement to sentence #2.) 

Applied to our Door Opener® Service:

Anyone can say they can get prospect meetings.

But not everyone can land meetings at the executive level.

For example, one client hired us because his sales team told him certain meetings were impossible to get. Those were some of the first ones we booked! 

For additional information and examples on how you can apply the Kopp GAP Method, https://koppconsultingusa.com/event.

Objections can sometimes feel like dead ends in conversations. Can you share a particularly challenging objection you faced and the steps you took to turn it into a win?

One of our Door Opener® clients who sold a $300K service had us targeting VPs of Marketing in large Pharmaceutical companies. We landed the initial meetings with the VPs and our client did a great job getting the prospect onboard to try their service. However, because the investment for the prospect was $300K, the VPs told our client Procurement’s approval was needed. You can imagine what happened…Procurement said, “Thanks anyway, we have an agency of record.” In brainstorming how to change the outcome, we applied our Objection Makeover framework to the challenge. Was there a variable that could change such as target, message or offering which would reduce or eliminate the objection? The answer was yes! Our client told us that VPs could approve a $100K investment without going to Procurement. So, our client restructured the offering into 3 phases, each $100K which eliminated the objection. In this situation, changing the offering changed the outcome. 

What are the top three tools, resources, or training programs you recommend for sales professionals who want to improve their objection-handling skills?

• The Path To The Cash! The Words You NEED To Bypass Those Darned Prospect Objections (Manual is available on https://koppconsultingusa.com/buy-publications/)
• Biz Dev done Right book
• Coaching with a Strategist to reduce or eliminate your top 3 objections (https://koppconsultingusa.com/coaching/)

With evolving buyer behaviors and advancements in AI and technology, how do you see objection handling changing in the coming years, and what advice would you give to salespeople to stay ahead?

If you use open AI to generate answers for objections, you may end up with the same answers as your competitors. Decision makers value human interaction and disruptive thinking…2 things AI cannot provide (yet). Use AI to find information on the problem, your prospect, the company and then apply your thinking and personality to the response. Be authentic. We haven’t gotten away from that yet.