As a sales professional, you can’t fear rejection. While clients and potential customers will often object to your pitch, you can easily jump over those hurdles with the necessary preparation. That was the upbeat message from Rob Liano, entrepreneur, sales strategist and featured mentor at Insurance WebX, who provided expert techniques to overrule objections during an education session at ASI Orlando.

“In the age of the internet, your number-one competition is the customer,” Liano said. “They have all the information at their fingertips. Your job is to figure out what value you can bring to them.” 

When determining how to get past a stalling tactic, for instance, Liano suggests following the “LARRY” Principle:

Listen – don’t talk on top of your customer.

Acknowledge and/or agree – let the customer know you’re paying attention to their needs.

Respond with a question – keep the momentum of the conversation going.

React with a close.

Yes! You have to get to the “yes.” 

Additionally, Liano says there are six magic words for overcoming objections, stalling and rebuttals: “What exactly makes you say that?” 

“It opens up the conversation, allowing you to listen to the client’s needs and learn how to sell to them,” Liano said. 

For example, a client might object to your pitch, claiming “I have to speak with my spouse/boss.” You follow that up with the six magic words, and depending on their response, you should say “That’s a good idea. How do you think they’ll feel about this?” Liano says to let that marinate – don’t say anything while they come to their own conclusion.

“I don’t let them speak to their spouse because I don’t want anyone selling my product or service for me,” Liano said.

Another example is when a client says “I’d like to shop around.” You should follow that up by saying, “If this isn’t what you’re looking for, we should shop around. What else would you like to see?” 

“By emphasizing that ‘we’ should shop together, it automatically includes you in the process and makes you a team,” he said. “Plus, you should always be shopping around to see what other products or services are out there that you can add.”