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Hello and welcome to the show. Today I'm out and about, so expect to hear some noise in the background. Now we're going to continue with the discussion we've been having that's on how to deal with business objections. If this is your first time of listening to the show, an objection is anything that people tell you when you're trying to sell them something. And basically, whatever reason that they give for not wanting to go ahead is an objection.
So if they tell you that you have body odor and your breath stinks, so excuse me, still have a sore throat. So if they tell you that you have body odor and your breath stinks, that's an objection. If they say you're too expensive, that's an objection. If they say I need more time to think about it, that's an objection. If they say I need time to talk to my son, my wife, my husband, my pastor, my lawyer, my accountant, that's an objection.
Whatever reason that they give for not wanting to go ahead, that's an objection. So if it's your first time listening to the show and you've had these sorts of problems in business, you'll be happy to know that the past couple of episodes that we've done have lost track. So let me just say 7-8 have been around common objections that people get in business and then how we deal with them. And we started off this, We started off this arm of the conversation looking at you're too expensive.
What else? We're too expensive. You'll be on my budget. You know, all those sorts of money objections. And that's how we've gotten to where we are today. So this your first time of listening to the show. After you're done listening to this, skip back a couple of episodes, the couple of juicy other objections that you might find helpful in your business. Now today we are going to get to that other one apart from the money ones like you're too expensive.
I can't afford you, I can't afford it. We're going to get to that other one that I'm sure most of us Nigerian business people have have heard. We get a lot. And I'm sure that this one is going to be one of those universal objections. And that is when people say we need more time to think about it. I need more time to think about it. Give me a flyer. Let me think about it. Drop the material with my secretary. Let me think about it.
My PA has collected your number. Let me think about it. So it comes in different variations, but it all boils down to that whole thing of I need some more time. Let me think about it. Let me call you back in two or three weeks, you know, blah blah, blah. Now, for the average sales person or for the person who is freestyling and who doesn't realize that sales has principles to wait frameworks and processes, this is the stage where they say, OK, ma, no problem, we'll talk in two weeks.
Happy, OK, no problem. I'll call you back. No, that's a problem because there are a couple of typical scenarios that give rise to this sort of situations. And when Madam says Madam, OK, let me stick to Madam MD, that's what we started with yesterday. They're trying to sell stationery to a hotel or to the Access Bank that is just down the street from where you live. So when Madam MD or or Gap procurement officer or whoever says let me think about it,
let's talk again maybe in like 2 weeks and you say OK, no problem, you stand up and you leave. Truth of the matter is that 2 weeks, they just end up ghosting you. Your proposal is dead most of the time and that's because there might have been some underlying fundamental issues that you have not addressed that you haven't teased out. And for those of you who've been listening along, if you haven't figured it out, that's the reason why I've been proposing the the method for dealing with that I propose over here, you know, where I say empathize and then ask questions is because when people give an objection,
The thing is they usually well, sometimes they're just trying to get rid of you because they don't like you. Maybe you're ugly. Maybe you your breath stinks. Or maybe your proposal doesn't address any of the concerns that they have for their business. But The thing is, there is some fundamental underlying concern, and until we tease that out, we're not going to know what it is to do about it. OK, yes, I know that it sounds excessive.
You know when I keep saying that whole thing of your breath stinks. Or maybe you're from the wrong tribe, But that is actually because these sorts of things happen. I've been in a situation where this was back when I was still trying to sell financial products. There was this lady who was getting objections and she decided to call it out, like, oh God, there's a problem here. You're not living with me and the guy meet us.
Like, yes, the truth of matter is, you know, you're evil. I don't like doing business with evil people. But she handled like approach was like, OK, is that all? So it's just because I'm evil. So if I was able to call one of my colleagues who's a Yoruba guy just like you, would you be OK concluding the deal with the person? And then the guy said fine, so that was my problem. She went back to the office and then she picked a Yoruba dude and said look, this is the scope, this is what I'm dealing with, this how far I've gone.
This thing should be a lay up. These are the terms, you know, go and close this thing for me. And, you know, when you sort it out, just sort me something on the back end and say no Wahala and then they close the deal. Now there's some people who would be offended, like in this day and age, because you're an evil person, because you're a woman, because you're blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Yes, they are those larger, ethical and all I say.
So excuse me, still recovering from your sore throat. So yes, that's what these larger ethical societal issues, yeah, that we need to deal with. But at the end of the day, given the context, you're there, You're a salesperson, you're trying to sell something. So your primary concern is to get the deal closed. So when we're in church or when we are in all I said, larger political forums, you know, we can't talk about these issues.
But for now, we're just trying to close the sale. I guess what I'm just trying to say is that sometimes it can be that simple. You know, your breath stinks or you're from the wrong tribe or you're the wrong gender, you're the wrong whatever. But The thing is, until you ask, you're never going to know, and you're not going to know how to resolve the problem. So by the way, OK, let me stop here. For people who have halitosis and who have genuine health concerns where, you know, this is an issue, let me not be insensitive to their plight.
OK, so that was too long an introduction. So let's just get straight to the meat of what we're talking about today. Now we're looking at situations where people say we need more time to think about it. Typical scenarios where this happens, sometimes people have incomplete information. They've listened to you, maybe they might have heard some stuff, they didn't hear some other things. And so they're not quite clear about your product or your service or how it will help solve that situation.
And so they say, let me think about it, because sometimes it's a barrage of information. So just like when Mumsy was back in town, this was sometime last year. I just wanted to buy ATV and I don't have a smart TV, but I have a what are they called? I don't know what kind of TV house. I know it's a high definition something something, but it's not a smart TV. So when Mumsy and I went to go and look at TV's, you know, everybody telling you the, you know, this resolution, that,
this, that, that, that. So there's a whole thing of smart TV versus no smart TV. And the reason why we said let's think about it was because it was a whole barge of information. And truly, truly, truly we needed to think about it because it's a lot and TV's are expensive. So we went in and let's think about it. We came back home and then came back again. I met a helpful salesperson and they were able to get the deal done.
So sometimes I need more time to think about it. Let me come back next week. I'm coming. I'll be back in three days. It's because too much information, incomplete information. They're unclear about something regarding your product or your service. Sometimes people say we need to think about it. Let me come back next week. Let me come back tomorrow. Drop the flag. Come and see my PA in three weeks is because sometimes there's an internal decision making process and there are multiple stakeholders to be consulted and the people need,
the person needs time to consult. Another example I gave on the podcast in the past was the whole thing with Mom C and the solar panels that we got, solar panels, inverters and then all that. So you know, of course, you know we had kids want Mom C to be sorted out taking good care of. So she was running a couple of these decisions through me and my siblings. So if that sort of thing exists and that's why I've been talking about decision making units in this past couple of episodes.
The decision making units is just trying to get a sense of who you're talking to, how do these people arrive at decisions, things like that. If there's a decision making unit, some internal decision making process, you know it helps know about in the beginning because now you know who it is that you need to bring on board. So sometimes I need more time to think about it just means the guy you're talking to actually wants to discuss with his wife first before he says yes or no.
Or the woman that you're talking to now wants to discuss with her sisters before she says yes or no. Or Madam MD that you're talking to now wants to talk about head of legal and technical and know what not before she gets back to you. Sometimes it's an internal decision making process and then sometimes when I need more time to think about it, give me two weeks, give me 3 weeks. Sometimes people say that because they're genuinely undecided.
They just need time to compare. You're talking about features, you've spoken prices, you've spoken benefits, you've spoken about this and this and that. They just need time to compare. Now, OK, if I'm looking at this smart TV that is 15 inches and I'm looking at this whatever, whatever that is, 12 inches and you know, on and on. They just need more time to compare. Oh, it's a good thing that I give a warning that I'm out and about because it has started raining.
So let me wind up the car window and then we will continue, just so I don't get OK, sorry about that, I left the radio on, so let me just wind up and then we'll continue. So these are the kind of adventures that you have when you try to record podcast episodes live, when you're out and about South. For those of you who are thinking of starting podcasts, you know, if you don't like, well, anyway, just a regular part of my day.
So where are we? OK, so yeah, so sometimes people are undecided and then they need time to compare the features, the prices, the benefits and then all that. So. So also sometimes when people say I need more time to think about it is because sometimes it might be a money issue and they just need to think, how am I going to raise this money? Sometimes it might be budgetary constraints, like if you're trying to sell to Madam MD, who is the MD of a hotel not far from where you live.
Sometimes she needs approval. Maybe she has to go and talk to the board first before they can buy this or this or that or that from you. So she says we need more time to think about it. And sometimes there are other unresolved concerns. So when people say we need more time to think about it, give me two weeks, drop the fly with my PA, I'll call you in one month. Can give me two months to think about it. These are some of the things that are going through their mind.
Now there are a bunch of you who will hear, We need more time to think about it. And you will say, OK, no problem ma, I'll come back next month. Is that OK? That's a bad approach because your deal could die and you'll never know why. There are some of you who are going to pretend like you didn't hear. We need more time to think about it and you're going to try and close the deal on the spot. That is also a stupid idea because you're now going to come across as someone who is dense,
who is daft, who is rude, who is intrusive, who is, you know, fill in the blank and you might not close the deal now and you will burn whatever opportunities you have for interacting with that person in the future because the lawyers remember you as, oh, that's that blockhead that I was talking to that time or that was that girl who was, you know, that girl that was too forward or, you know, whatever. You know, you start getting a reputation.
And we don't want either of these, either of these situations to occur. So what's the best way to deal with these sorts of situations? The same sort of thing that I've been talking about the past couple of episodes. First off, we have to acknowledge because nobody wants to feel like they're daft or they're making excuses for no reasons. So you have to acknowledge and empathize with them. And then of course, you have to ask clarifying questions because you have to know what it is that you're dealing with here.
Before you try to close the deal. You need to know what it is that you're dealing with here. Remember when I spoke about selling financial services, my colleague who was a female and EBO, or rather who is, she's still alive, although I'm not selling the product anymore. So, you know, she had to get to the bottom of the matter to know what's up. And because she built good rapport, she asked the guy and the guy spoke and he was frank about it, that, look, I don't like doing business with EBO
people. And then plus, you're a girl. And so she confirmed. This is why follow up questions are really important. So oh, so again, that's the only problem. So if I was to bring a guy who is Yoruba, you will close the deal right now. And I say, yeah, sure I will. And that's what she did. She went back to the office, picked a Yoruba dude, levelled with him, came back, deal was closed. She got her own share of the Commission.
So this is the reason why asking questions are important, because we're trying to get to the root of what we're dealing with. With adequate information, you'll find that you'll be able to close. First of all, there's no such thing as you're closing 100% of the deals. That's not possible. So just remove that from your head. You'll never close 100% of the deals, but probability goes up if you have all the information that you need.
So we need more time to think about it. Acknowledge, ask clarifying questions. We're trying to figure out what's going on. Now, there are different ways of doing it. Like I say over here on the podcast, it depends on you, your style of communication, the style of rapport that you have. So don't try to sound like me, all right. So how I would do it is I'll say something like, yeah, it makes sense. I understand, man. It's OK, Sir.
I understand. Because me, ma, I never make a decision without thinking about it first. And then I would not try to slide in and ask questions like. So what exactly do you need to think over? Is there any information here that you've that you find confusing? You know, I can say things like that, like, Oh yeah, I understand, you know, I must have said a lot. In fact, when I was spoken about this and this and this, I'm sure that this and this and this must have sounded confusing, You know, Is that the case, you know, is that what happened,
that sort of thing? I can lean in on that. I can also ask outright, Is there anyone you need to consult with? I can also ask. Sounds to me like I've said something that confused you. Do you mind sharing? So there are different ways that you can go about it, but you can see that depending on your own communication style, you know, the way you speak. Oh, by the way, like I said, these things don't always have to be in English.
So if you guys are vibing, you're flowing, you're both Yoruba, you know you can batting, batting and you know, the the whole point is you're following the same sort of principles. So this can be done in Hausa, in Igbo, in Tiv, in Hijo, in Ichakiri, in Mandarin, in whatever. So empathize, ask questions because you're trying to gather some extra information. The goal here is you're trying to get a better sense of their priorities, their needs, and you're trying to get a sense of whatever concern that they have so that you can now retailer the proposal so that is more relevant and it is more acute.
It is more whatever word you know, it blends more with whatever it is that they have at the back of their mind. So that's it. Now another approach is when you're asking questions and it looks like the person is trying to gauge based on different features or price or options. And this is what the sales person did when Mumsy and I came back last year on the whole TV thing because we found a helpful sales person who not asked specific questions like, oh, OK,
the TV they are buying, Mommy. The TV door buying, is it for you or is it for your son or say always for me, oh mom, what are the kind of things that you watch, you know, blah blah, blah. Do you do YouTube? Do you do Netflix? Do you do this? Do you do that? You know, and all those questions are really, really important in somebody trying to decide am I going to buy a smart TV or not. So the other sales people who are not as helpful, all they just kept doing was dumping features.
This is 16 inches. This one is only, you know, so and so 100,000 like well, yes, that was this was like a year, maybe two ago. So back then TV's were that cheap. He actually could go into a store with, you know, 100 KA 150K and buy yourself a good TV. Now it looks like all the TV's cost like, you know, one M, you know, three M, you know, depending on the size. Two years ago, a year ago, TV's weren't that expensive. OK, so where was I?
So these are the sorts of questions I need to ask before you can now make a definite recommendation that, oh, Mommy, based on all the things we've spoken about so far, I actually think this is the kind of TV that you should buy for your son. Yeah. There's no way your son will buy a Smart TV because he's interested in this. He only does this. He only does this. His wife does this. His wife does that. They don't need a smart TV.
But for you, Mommy, I think you need a smart TV. So these are sort of things that reduce, I need to think about it. So this approach here is when people are trying to weigh features and price and options. What you're trying to do is you're trying to help them realign their value stack or realign their preferences. Because sometimes people are pre thinking about features, price, options, this like that and just assuming that everything is the same.
But it is your job as a salesperson to show that all these things Madam Olga Bros, you know sister that you're trying to gauge. You know they're not all the same. There are some that are much more important than others. So don't worry, I'm not trying to force you to buy anything. But let let me just help you figure out, you know what's most valuable to you in this situation. So if you're trying to help people to realign or redefine their value stack or their preferences, then it's going to make it easier for people to decide.
OK, so apart from the Mumpsi situation, let me give you a very clear example now about me and a computer purchase that I made maybe 2 decades ago. This was before I started off in photography. I had just gotten into Aberdeen. I was, I was in uni back then. I just got into Aberdeen in the UK and Scotland and I I had to think for photography for a while because I had this badass phone was a Sony Ericsson, I can't remember Sony Ericsson something something that was back when I was in uni and I
took some photographs of my classmates, you know, before we graduated and the photos were mad. As in people are like Bros like you're good, you have skills if you take up this photography thing, blah blah blah. So I've been thinking about it. So by the time I got to Aberdeen I now wanted to get myself a computer because like most of us who study abroad, you know you land uni so your parents have raised money for the first school fees, things like that.
And well, actually my mom had paid for school fees complete. So but I still got a job because you know student accommodation is not like Niger, where student accommodation runs with your your, what's it called, your, the course of your degree. So some of us have to get extra jobs. So I had one or two jobs. I had some small pepper and I figured let me get myself a computer, let me, you know, sort myself out. So I went in, I saw some computers and of course I was, I
was overwhelmed because you know, what did I know about computers? You see different kinds. You see. 13 inches, you see. 16 inches, you see. 17 inches you see. Microsoft you see. Apple you see, OK, no there's there's there was no Lenovo back then was still IBM. You see IBM you see all these brands, all these prices. It's hard to make a decision and I was confused and so one guy was talking to me and I told him that I need to think about it.
I'll be back. Luckily there was a much more senior, more or less a supervisor or floor manager or somebody who was there and, you know, he just injected himself into the situation, was like, oh, looks like you need a little bit of help here. And you know, I've levelled the guy that, look, there's a whole lot to think about. So let me just go home. I think about it and then I'll come back. But the older gentleman was a much more experienced professional, so he took control of the whole situation and then he asked me a couple of questions.
Now, with my sales training, I can look back and see exactly what he was doing. But at the time I didn't realize it. He asked me a couple of questions. What is it that you're trying to do? OK, well, first of all, ask me questions about me. I was new in town from Nigeria, University of Aberdeen, blah, blah, blah. This is what I'm studying. And so, oh, are you going to be using this for school work? I was like, oh, no, no, no.
Actually, I've been doing this photography, this hobby thing, and I need a computer that can edit and everything. So you can see now he's asking questions. Somebody who is a student who just needs word processing, you can see that he might not need certain kinds of processing capabilities and blah blah blah and stuff like that. But for somebody who is interested in photography, you can now start thinking about certain kinds of things.
So he quickly stared me away from the cheaper ones that had smaller screens, all those 12 inches, 10 inch screens, because he's like, look, if you're going to be doing photography, truth is you're going to be editing photos for a very long, very long periods of time. So it's not going to help. Okay, 20 minutes. I actually checked the time. So it's not going to help for you to have all these tiny screens because after a while you know your eyes are your eyes are going to get tired.
So why don't you look at these larger screens. I like the 17 inch, the 17 inch ones. So I now got settled on that kind of 17 inch range. So you see how it works by asking questions about me and my situation and what my goals were. We're able to remove 13 inch screens and 10 inch screens out of the equation and settle on larger screens because I was interested in photography and I was going to be spending hours editing for somebody who just needs it sharp.
Sharp for word processing and not going to be spending long periods of time, you know, you can see the size of the screen or the make the brand. You can see how all these things are important. Then there were also my concerns around storage. I wanted a computer that had plenty of internal storage and we also had that conversation that yes, photography file sizes are really large and everything. And the guy leveled me that yeah, you're going to be taking photographs for a long time.
Internal storage is not the deal killer like you think it is because you will always exceed your internal storage so long as it's photos and videos. So we should be looking at external storage options. So that's how we started looking at external flash drives. And so not flash drive external. What are they called, what are they called? Hard disks, external. Something sha, you know, the thing that you store your photographs and your videos on and it's not on your computer.
And there was one that was I think one terabyte. So the way that we're reasoning was that yes, the internal computer has, you know, X 100 number of gigabytes, but with this one that is terabytes, you should be able to be sorted for a long while. Then I was also hung up on processing speeds of the computer. And of course, like most of us know, the more the processing speed is higher, the more expensive the computer, the more expensive the computer options get.
And you know, the guy was able to educate me that, look, what you're doing is just photography, you're not working on animation, you're not working on video. So processing speed is not really that much of an issue. So so long as you buy anything, any of these processors within these kinds of ranges, you'll be fine. If you are doing video, if you are doing animation, long term rendering, and then you should be looking at these things that are have higher processing speeds and blah, blah, blah.
So I now fashioned the processing speed thing and settled on something else. So you see the thought process here before I said, yeah, let me think about it. But then someone else stepped into the situation and I was able to educate me to show that I was thinking about everything equally. But they're not all equal. Screen size is not, you don't give everything the same consideration. Screen side, storage, processing speed, all the considerations are like, they're different considerations.
So he was able to help me realign my value stack, realign my preferences. So based on recommendations on screen size, storage and processing speed, we're able to OK and then yeah storage we go on external hard drive. I was able to come to a decision that day and I walked out of the store that day having making having made a purchase. If he had, he had not been there. And I will just talk with that first guy. And I said let me go and come back next week.
And you know I would have gone back to my room. My roommate would have said something like, oh, everybody knows that Lenovo, IBM is the best and I would have gone somewhere. I bought an IBM, you know and stuff like that. At the end of the day might have worked for my situation, might have not. But a much more experienced sales gentleman was able to walk in, save the day, and that whole thing of let me think about it, let me come back in two weeks,
let me come back next week, let me come back tomorrow any time to think about it. That was not a problem anymore. So in summary, the best way to deal with this sorts of thing is not to say, OK, man, no problem. You say you need two weeks to think about it. I'll come back in two weeks. That's not the best way. It also is an absolute idiot move to try and say that somebody is saying let me think about it, and you're still trying to press to close.
You still want to collect the deposit. Now that's an absolute idiot move. The best thing to do is kind of in between the two. Show some empathy. Ask clarifying questions. You're trying to figure out. Is there confusion? Where did the confusion come from? Is there missing information? What do you need clarification on? You're also trying to figure out, does the person need buy in from some place someone else? Does the person need to consult with some other stakeholder?
Some other decision maker? We're trying to get things like that. You're trying to get out what all these lingering doubts are. When we have all the lingering doubts on the table, we are now going to be able to provide additional information, provide additional clarifying information, give the personal additional material, whatever it is that you think you need to do to save the day. When you do all this, it is then that you're going to be able to try and close the deal again without coming across as an idiot, because at least it looks like you're trying to solve the person's problem.
If closing the deal is not possible today, then you can schedule a reconnect. But if you're doing this, make sure you have an agreed deadline. That whole thing of Madam says give me like 2 weeks is OK, no problem. Two weeks, no problem. If Madam says give me like 2 weeks, you say, OK, no problem man. You whip out your phone. You look at your phone calendar, you see that today is January 1st and then two weeks is January 4, January 14th.
So it's old Madam. So that means like January 14th. But is that OK? She would say January 14th. What day of the week is that? It's a Monday, man. Monday. OK. Yes, Monday is a a good days. So, OK, no problem. So January 14th then. So Madam, is it OK if I call you, if I call you the Friday before? Just remind you about this meeting to say, yeah, sure, no problem. You can call me or send my PA reminder. It's OK, no problem.
And then you leave. So you see, this one is different. You have gotten some sort of specificity. You've gotten some sort of an agreed deadline, This whole thing of give me one month, it's OK, man. No problem. And then you just leave. No, that's not good enough. Person says one month, bring out your diary, bring out your phone. So it's OK, Madam. One month would be like February 14th. I say February 14th. No, no, no. Don't call me February 14th,
though, because actually me and my husband, we decided about traveling for Valentine's. So let it be the week after. So. OK, Ma. So the week after that will be February 21st? Yes, 21st. We'll be back in town, so. OK, no problem, man. So should I come? Should I come to the office or I'll see you at the hotel? No, go straight to the hotel. OK, no problem. So how is is 8:00 going to be OK? 8:00 is fine. Can I call you the Friday before?
Yes, Ma, I can call on Friday. So you see, it is somehow specific, right? So that is what we should be aiming for. This reduces ghosting. OK, 30 minutes. I promise there's no way to do it. 30 minute episode. But I've done that, so let me just bring it to a close. I think we've yarned enough here. If there's anything that was unclear, just rewind this episode. Listen to it again. Connect with me on WhatsApp, on LinkedIn.
Any clarifying questions, anything that you guys are confusing, let me know. I'll see how I can shed some more light on that. So for those of you who want to reach out to me on WhatsApp, the phone number is 0806466 2140. Country code is +234. If you're not Nigerian, then you can find me on LinkedIn. My name is Tavis Shima Ayede. I'm the host of the show. You can confirm the spelling of my name so you know who to search for from the link.
We're currently listening to this episode. Most likely you find my e-mail address there as well for those of you who like to reach out on e-mail. So thanks for your time and attention, and I'll catch you guys at the next episode.