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Hello, everyone, and welcome to the show. Before we begin, this is going to be another noisy podcast recording because, well, there's noise around, so expect to hear some noise. Let's just put it that way. So let's see. OK, so today we're going to go into a new series that we're going to discuss. And the next couple of podcast episodes, maybe five or six, are going to be devoted to how we can overcome common sales objections, how we can handle rejection when it comes to closing the deal.
So for those of you who are newbies, this is your first time of listening to the show. We're going to go into some definitions so you can figure out what it is that we're talking about today because we've spoken about, OK, let's see, I've mentioned overcoming, I've mentioned objections, I've mentioned rejections. So what does it, what does it mean to overcome? What is an objection and what is rejection? All these different things being signposts on the way to closing the deal.
So let's get straight into our definitions. Now, for those of you who've been listening for a very long time, you know that the definitions that I use here are simple, everyday definitions that the everyday man, the everyday woman can understand. So bear in mind that if you listen to other podcasts, or if you're going to use business textbooks and things like that, you're going to find much more fuller and richer and much more technically precise definitions.
But I deliberately keep definitions very simple on the podcast because I want you guys to remember all the things that we've discussed. Because if you can remember and if it's at the back of your pocket at all times, you can easily apply in your day-to-day. And that is what I am aiming for on the show. So an objection is any reason that someone gives for not wanting to go ahead with the sale or the relationship or whatever agenda it is that you're trying to promote.
Because most of us listening to the podcast, we're going to be in situations where we are trying to drive a sale from beginning to the end and sometimes little micro steps are involved along the way. Relationship building is involved, relationship nurturing is involved, and people often have reasons for why they don't want to go ahead from this stage to the next. So back to my wedding photographer days. If I went to a bridal show and the bride and groom came by, I
hit it off with them. It looked like everything was all good. The next stage often would be I go over to the office where I have them come over to the studio so we can sit down. Because bridal Expos and business expositions in general are very, very noisy affairs. So in the business Expo, you're there, there are hundreds of vendors, the music is loud, there might be 3 or 4 DJs, everybody trying to compete. And so there's people shouting and you can't have a decent conversation under those circumstances.
So as a wedding photographer, I consider it a good practice. I still do. And I still tell people that when you're in that kind of setting, the most that you can do is try and get a sense of who they are, what they're about, whether there's a problem you might be able to solve or whether there's a vision that your product or service can help them achieve. And then the next thing is try and set a meeting in some quiet environment where you guys can sit down and talk like reasonable people.
There's both of you trying to shout over each other. I mean, imagine trying to negotiate a package in that kind of environment, shouting out money and things like that. So you're better off at that meeting. Get a feel of the people, Sorry at the first instance at the business Expo, just get a feel of the people. Try and hook up a meeting, your office, the office, the studio, whatever. Then you guys can now start having reasonable discussions,
looking over samples and start haggling over money in a controlled quiet environment. So this is a micro stage that you're going to have to go through to try and sell your product or your service. And people often have reasons for not wanting to move from one stage of the relationship to the next. So people who are there at the bridal fair and they're insisting, you know what, give me money, give me a figure, let me know how much there's some people who don't want to move from that stage to the next.
So whatever reason it is that they give you, that reason is called an objection. That is what we that's what we call an objection in a traditional sales environment. So you're speaking to someone, you're trying to close the deal, You're trying to build a relationship, you're trying to nurture a relationship. And for those of you who still work in corporate environments or maybe in the Ministry of Finance or whatever, there's a particular agenda in the office,
in the department that you're trying to push through because you think it's going to help the organization achieve its goals. But then people keep giving you reasons for why this is not going to work, why we're not going to go ahead. All those things are what we call objections. Now people object or reject for a variety of reasons. I mean, they can be many, but let's go through a few, some common ones. Sometimes people object because they are shy.
Some people just don't like engaging in public. Maybe they think you are too pushy or something like that. Or maybe they're shy around money and that is where all these objections are going to come up from. There are some people that object because they don't trust you. They might not come out and say it. And because Nigerians are nice people, the average Nigerian is not going to come out and say Guy, babe, this looks good, but I don't trust you.
I don't think you did this yourself. I don't think you're capable of this. You don't look trustworthy, those sort of things. The average Nigerian is not going to say that. So all those objections of let me talk to my husband, let me talk to my wife, let me think about it, blah, blah, blah. It could be because they don't trust you. That's why they're not ready to take the next step and move things to the next stage. Sometimes it's because they don't think you're capable or you are credible.
They don't think that you can do what you say that you can. Then sometimes people are not willing to move ahead because they're confused about something that you've said. That's one of the reasons why I say we should try and keep technical talk down to a minimum. So back to the wedding photography example. If you're trying to show off and you say you're talking about your camera, that is the Nikon DX7000 with 100 and something,
megapixels and depth of field something, something, and you're just going on and on and you're effusive about the camera, you might introduce something into the clients mind that they never have thought of before because it's something I've seen backfire. A photographer is trying to bamboozle them with the quality of gear that they have. And then you start going on a back camera, this aperture, this blah blah blah, all that technical talk and then the client now say something like but I thought they said mirrorless cameras are the best,
but your camera is not mirrorless. You see now you have dug yourself a hole that is going to be hard to dig yourself out of because whether the mirrorless cameras or the DSLRs, whichever is better, that's it. A highly technical conversation that is nuanced and you as a professional photographer might be able to pass those sorts of issues, but the people that we're talking to are just everyday, ordinary folks, and so they have no idea.
You've thrown something into the midst that has confused them, and that's the reason why they want to think about it, because they're entrusting this special day to you. They have heard from outside that mirrorless is the best, but here you are going on and on and on and on about your DSLR and its superior quality. And so when they say let me think about it, it might be them just thinking I need to go back home. I need to do some research.
Which one is the best gear to use? Is it the DSLR or is it the mirrorless camera? They could be talking to another photographer who uses mirrorless so people might object because they're confused about something that you've said. Often times people get confused because your offer doesn't make any sense and this is one reason why it's good to get feedback in the sales process. Because I have been in that situation where people did not understand what it is and I'm saying, but because I make it,
I'm a point to try and repeat back, to try and make sure that we're following and I try and get some feedback. It is then I'm able to discover that oh oh, I'm sorry, I can't see how that didn't make any sense and I explained better. And then I now know that when I'm talking to future people, I'm not going to say things this way. I'll phrase it a different way. I'll write my offer another way. Then another reason why people object, and this is the hardest one to hear is they probably were never interested in you in the 1st place.
So for those of you who go out and give Flyers, you know, I think this is the primary one that were never interested in the 1st place. The person is there at the mall with the children and yes, that has been me. You know, the focus for a man in that kind of setting is he's just looking for a cool place where the kids can hang out. He's not thinking of your holiday services and your tour tourist whatever in Dubai you woke up, you gave him a flyer.
Truth of the matter is that the man or the woman with the kids, the reason why they're there, their danger is different. They are just not interested in your fantastic holiday offers in Dubai. So any objections that you're getting in that kind of scenario is because people are probably never interested in the 1st place. Now, like I said, the reasons that people can object are multiple. They're varied, and it is too hard to guess.
If you're trying to figure out which it is on your own, you spend the whole day guessing. It's going to give you all kinds of emotional heartache. And I remember a friend of mine who was a wedding planner. We both spoke to a bride. I seem to be getting on good with the bride moving on to the next step. But the wedding planner was getting ghosted and she called me up and she was wondering, you know, is it something I said?
I'm blah, blah, blah, I'm blah, blah, blah. I'm trying to figure all these things out. It's hard. It's just going to give you heartbreak. So the solution is don't try to figure this out on your own. If you're trying to figure out what it is that is going on and why people are objecting, the way that you go about it is that you ask about the objection when one comes up. So stop guessing and then feeling bad, ask them questions so that you have more information about how you can make the situation better.
So like I said, I have confused people with my office before. You know, you put something up on Instagram, but you don't word it right. It is from having the conversation with people, getting feedback, realizing what the problem is that I now know that, oh, I should tweak my Instagram or tweak the website so that this thing is expressed better, so that in the future, when I'm speaking to other potential customers and clients,
these kind of objections don't come along. So in summary, how to handle objections? When people give you objections, how do you handle it? First of all, you have to agree and show some understanding. The reason why we have to do that is because nobody thinks of themselves as a fool. If the person the bride is saying Dems, they are saying that mirrorless cameras are the best. You're not going to win any points by making the bride feel like she's uneducated and she knows nothing about cameras.
And then actually DSLR cameras are the best. Show some understanding. Show some empathy. Show the person that the objection makes sense. Then you ask clarifying questions. It is when you ask questions that you're going to be able to refocus the issues. If the bride is concerned about, is the camera a DSLR? Is it an SLT? Or is it a mirrorless camera? If you ask clarifying questions and you find out at the end of the day what the bride is most particular about with our wedding photography is clarity of images and sharpness of images, then you're going to be able to refocus the conversation.
To be able to show how, regardless of whatever gear that you're using, whether it's an old school DSLR or a modern mirrorless camera, you're going to be able to refocus the conversation around how you can deliver the kind of images that she wants. And so it's it's the same thing no matter what business it is that you're involved in. First of all, agree, show some understanding. Now what they're saying makes sense. Ask clarifying questions because you're trying to figure out what the problem is.
When you figure out what the problem is, it's then that you're going to be able to refine your presentation to take account of all those things that they are concerned about. And finally, if you're not able to rescue the situation because you're not going to be able to rescue 100% of the situations that you come across, because let's face it, it is unrealistic that if you talk to 100 people, you're going to do a deal with 100 people.
It just doesn't happen. And in fact, when I was in the wedding photography space, there's something that I used to hear and that I believe, which is that if you speak to 100 people and you end up dealing with business with 100 people, it means that your prices are too cheap. It means that the quality of skill, the quality of photography, the quality of service that you're bringing to the table is so high that this price you're giving is a giveaway.
That's why everybody is rushing you and that is why you're closing the deal with everyone. So if you're doing a good job, you actually should expect some resistance. You can't speak to 10 people and do the deal with 10 people. You talk to 10 people and you're doing a deal with 10 people. Actually, this is a problem. You're too cheap. It could be a sign of all kinds of problems anyway. So I'm just saying that it's not realistic that you're going to be able to rescue the situation 100% of the time.
If you're not able to rescue the situation, then take the feedback as learnings for the future. So whenever my offers seemed unclear as a wedding photographer, I took the feedback. I tweaked my Instagram or the website so that I wouldn't have any problems in the future. So that that problem will show up less for you as time goes along. But this is the framework for how to handle it. Remember this. As we approach future episodes,
well, we're going to look at specific objections that we receive in business. So First off, agree. Show some empathy. Show some understanding. Let the person realize that the person is not a fool. It's perfectly normal to have this kind of concern or that kind of concern at this process in the relationship, or this process of the inquiry, you know, going around making business inquiries. Then ask clarifying questions to try and figure out what is going on.
When you know what is going on, you'll be able to rescue the situation. If you can't make a convincing proposal and rescue the situation, then take the feedback as learnings for the future and the problem should become less and less and less so in future episodes. We're going to examine the most common objections that you are likely to receive in your business. And using this framework that we have discussed above, we are going to walk through how to handle all these objections.
Now, the objections that we're going to tackle, I wrote out a couple, so let me just read them. And if you listen to this episode and you've, you've got an objection that you don't think is covered on the list, it's not a problem. I'm going to give out my details at the end of the show. So hit me up, connect with me, let me have the objection and then we'll deal with it. So the number one objection that most of us, if I now see everybody has received is when the customer says it is too expensive.
That is an objection because it's a reason for no one need to go ahead. I'm not going ahead with you because it's too expensive. You are charging 2500 naira, but Chukudi charges 850 naira. I rather go with Chukudi. You're too expensive. That is an objection. Another objection that is also money related is when people say there's no budget allocated for now for those of us who are having to deal with corporations or yeah, for those who are having to deal with corporations, you get to hear those ones because you know on the podcast, for those who have been listening to the podcast that even though I'm no longer in the wedding photography field, I still provide corporate photography services and media services.
So we're constantly negotiating with people to provide live streaming services. Currently we're doing a documentary service for the British Council. Let's see what else. End of year parties, those sorts of things. So it's something that that people can say like, Oh no budget has been allocated for. Now that is an objection. We can't go ahead with you because no budget has been allocated. Another objection that most of you have heard is we are happy with our current XYZ, our current supplier, our current engineer, our current software developer, our current photographer, our current, you know, you name, we're happy with our current XYZ.
That is the reason for not going ahead like a young man, young woman. What you said, yeah, makes sense, but truth of matter is we're perfectly happy with our current blah blah blah. And so because of that we're not going to be going ahead. Another objection is when people say, I don't see how this can help me. So people can say like, Oh yeah, this is cool and blah blah blah, your inverter systems, your solar panel, all this is fantastic.
I'm happy that Nigeria is moving on into the 21st century and blah blah blah. But to be honest, I'm fine with my generator and diesel. I don't see how this is going to help me see. That's an objection. I'm not going to go ahead and buy your solar panels because as far as I'm concerned, me and wifey children have left the house. It's just us and the house boy. Well, totally fine with the house boy going on and turning on the generator.
We don't need all this fancy solar services and everything. And besides me and Wifey, we're already old. You know, I'm 75. Wifey is 55. I'm going to be dead soon. So, you know, there's no hassle. We'll leave the, we'll leave the these decisions to the children when they inherit the house. So that's also an objection. I don't see how this can help me. Another objection, We're not ready for this yet. Well, kind of the same thing.
And then another objection that most of us have heard, especially in Nigeria, is when the person says I need to speak with my Orga, I need to speak with my boss, I need to discuss with my wife, let me discuss with my mom. I need to speak to my pastor. I need to speak to my husband, Let me talk to my lawyer, my accountant. I need to consult my business partners, I need to consult my children, blah, blah, blah before I make a decision.
So we hear this a lot. That is also an objection that, yeah, what you're saying makes sense. But before I go and pay a deposit on the House, let me consult my wife first or let me talk to my children first. Then another objection is we have a different process for approving purchases. So yes, what you're saying makes perfect sense. We like your product, We like your service. We like this. We like that. We like the whole Gizmail.
But what you're proposing is not going to work for us because in this company, this is how we approve purchases and blah, blah, blah. That's the reason for not going ahead. Another one that people give is I'm too busy right now. That is also an objection. Oh, yeah. Yeah. What you're saying, it makes sense. No problem. But you know what? I'm busy right now. Send me a WhatsApp message. Send me WhatsApp or oh, I'm too busy.
You know what? Just come to my office on Monday. Just drop you with the secretary. I'll get back to you. I'm busy now. I'm busy now. That's an objection. Then of course there's we need more time to think about it. Like, yeah, all of this thing makes sense, but there's this. But there's that. You know what? Give me 3 weeks. Let me think about it. That is also an objection. In fact, for those of you who have problems with ghosting, you know this is where ghosting When I enter the matter, the person says give me 3 weeks.
In three weeks time, you call. It has voicemail. They don't return SMSS. What else? They're not replying emails. So yeah, that's an objection. Another objection. We've had bad experiences in the past. That's something I encountered back when I was in the wedding photography space. There are some people that you know, for the sister's wedding, they got the photographer who looked the part, who sounded the part. By the end of the day the problems were rubbish and right now having a chat with you.
One of the reasons why they're stalling is or more. We had a bad experience in the past. This photographer did was strong thing, this photographer did was bad thing, this photographer ran away with our money, this photographer delivered the subpar experience and these sorts of things happen. There are people who want to engage your services to design the house or to build the house or things like that, but they don't want to use you as a contractor because the contractor in the past has done them strong team.
So it happens. We've had a bad experience in the past. Then another one, OK, I've already addressed this one, which is can you send me some more invitation information? That's the whole thing of send me WhatsApp, go and drop it with my secretary, you know, blah blah, blah, give me some what's it called, give me some pamphlets that I can look at later. So can you send me more information? So these are a couple of objections that most of us have come across in business before.
These are the usual ones depending on the business context that you're in. Although I am sure everybody has said it's too expensive. By the way, if nobody has told you that your product or service is too expensive, that's a problem. It actually is not a bad thing for people to say you're too expensive. If everybody's rushing you, nobody is saying anything about your price is being expensive, then you're leaving money on the table.
So reframe your perspective. If you're one of these people that nobody has ever told you it's too expensive, then let's see what else. OK, so just a few things to reframe our perspective. Objections are normal and is an expect is an expected part of the sales process. It's normal. Everybody gets it. There's nobody who has not gotten an objection before, whether it's Dangote or Bill Gates or our brothers and sisters in Niger that are currently running trying to start a fintech, everybody receives objections.
It's just normal. So if you're receiving a couple right now, don't feel bad. It's not just you. It is normal. So the problem is not you. It's not that you have bad breath, or that you're too ugly, or that you're too yellow, or that you're too black, or if you're a guy that you're too short or that you're too tall or you're from the wrong part of the country. Yeah, well, yeah, sometimes those things happen. But objections are normal.
It is expected expect to receive objections in business. The thing is, with good questioning skills and listening skills, because we have to listen and we have to ask questions to be able to figure out what's going on. We're good listening and questioning skills. We're going to be able to get to the bottom of their concerns. We figure out what the concerns are. We get to the bottom of it. Now, some people who will close up, who will take their chest because Nigerians don't like being taken advantage of.
So yes, there's some people that will clamp up. If they clamp up, well what can I say? You know you live and you learn. Like I said, take the feedback and try and improve your processes going forward and that should that should lessen the particular objections reoccurring. Then another thing to set our perspective, or rather a warning, is this. There's a difference between an objection and a condition. We have been talking about so far reasons why people are concerned and why they don't want to move ahead.
But there are situations where people have a condition. A condition is the same thing as a prerequisite. A prerequisite is something that must happen first before you can move on to the next step. If something is a condition, you can't deal with it because you either meet the condition or you don't. For instance, my wedding photographer thing, if the lady is already married, that is a condition. If she says, oh, I'm not looking for a wedding photographer because I'm ready.
Married, that is a condition. You cannot get business there, especially if you want to focus only on wedding photography. If you like to offer portraits and what not, this is the point where you switch the conversation so that you're now talking portraits or you're talking baby dedication, baby naming, baptism, all kinds of other services that you offer. But if you're exclusively a wedding photographer and you start the conversation once the babe shows you a ring, that is a condition deal Done.
It is dead. You can't move forward. You either look for something else to sell or you move on. There's no point in treating this as an objection and trying to overcome something. There is nothing to overcome. It's an objection because there's a condition. There's a prerequisite there. Lady has to be single before you can sell her your wedding photography services. If you are in the, what would I say, sexual performance enhancement business and you try to sell the man Viagra and all these kinds of things.
If the man has hypertension and heart related issues, he cannot use your product at least without not talking to the doctor first. So this one is not an objection that you can handle. It is a condition, is a prerequisite. If he takes your product, he might die. So this is not an objection that you can ask questions and that you can overcome. In fact, we all know of, well, in Nigeria anyway, there was a former head of state of ours who supposedly that's how he went on to his eternal reward.
You know, they say that he had a cup of tea and he took some pills, Viagra or something like that, and he invited two young ladies to the presidential palace and and that's how he checked out to heaven, basically. Anyway, those reports are not confirmed, but I'm just trying to tell you that, you know, these things are real. If you're in that space and you're trying to sell the product and the man says, Oh no, I have hypertension, I have BP,
I have heart failure, I have this, that, that, that, that, that just stop there. This deal cannot go ahead because you have met a condition, a prerequisite. It is only men who have healthy hearts that can take these drugs. In fact, if you try and treat this as an objection and sell past this, you are being highly unethical. Because if he's telling you the truth and he uses this thing and he dies, his death is on your conscience.
You'll be responsible for his death. So this is not an objection to handle. It's a condition. It's a prerequisite. Now let's say you sell female shoes and you're talking to a man, but the man has no wife, the man's mother is dead, the man has no daughters, and the man has no sisters or female friends. Then why are you still continuing with the conversation? What you sell is female shoes. You are talking to a man who has no connection with women whatsoever.
This is a condition here. This is a prerequisite. There is no sale. That is going to happen because he's a man. He's not going to use female shoes. He doesn't have a wife he will buy the shoes for. His mother is already dead. He's not on good terms with his aunties. He has no daughters. He only has sons. He doesn't have female friends and maybe he's quarreling with all his sisters. There is no deal to be done there. So let's apply some wisdom.
When we're talking to people and try and figure out what we're dealing with, is it an objection? Is it a concern that we can address and then move ahead? Or is it a condition? As per there is something that we have to meet first before we move to the next thing. So is it? Is it on objection? Is it a condition? If it's a condition, just bring it to a close there. Save yourself some time. Thank the person for their time.
Try and get a referral. Move on to somebody else. And there are lots of things you can do. But trying to stay there and trying to force a deal where the deal can happen is not going to happen. So apply wisdom. Let's see. OK, yeah, 30 minutes. So let's bring that to a close. So that's all for today. Remember to connect with me on WhatsApp. The phone number is 08064662140. The country code is +234. For those of you who are not Nigerian.
Then connect with me on LinkedIn. My name is Tavishima Ayede. I'm the host of the show. You confirm the spelling of my name and e-mail address from the link. We're currently listening to this episode, so thank you very much for your time and attention. I'll catch you guys at the next recording.