The Art of the Refocus: Guiding Sales Conversations Through Objections to Real Solutions

Hello and welcome to the show. I'm chilling at the car wash right now trying to get the car cleaned and so expect to have some interruptions in the background. If this is your first time of listening to the podcast, don't worry. This is not about how to keep your cars clean in Nigeria. The goal of this show is free business education. So remember to share, promote and talk about the show so that your friends and family members in Nigeria and abroad can benefit from the questions that we tackle.

They can do that by subscribing on Spotify, YouTube, Apple or any player of your choice or rather player of their choice. And if you in particular have any sales and marketing questions or bring them to me, you can call, you can SMS, you can send me a WhatsApp on 08064662140. So today on the show, I want us to look at the Fine girl objections. Now, some of you might be wondering, fine girl, what does that have to do with anything?

Objection. What is an objection? So let's get straight into that. Now, if this is your first time listening to the show, the emphasis, the focus, the bearing of the podcast is we're trying to solve sales problems. We're trying to solve problems that come up whenever you're face to face with a particular customer, chatting with a particular customer, sending an e-mail to a potential client. And then little hiccups and things are coming up every now and then that seem to prevent you from closing this deal.

Now, anything or rather most things that are going to come up during the conversation because best believe it is a conversation whether you know it or not. Or rather, you should adopt the philosophy that every single sale is a conversation. You're having a conversation with someone, not that you're trying to make a sales pitch to someone or make a sales pitch at someone. So during the course of the conversation, several things are going to come up that traditionally in sales we call objections.

Now objections are any reasons that people give for not going ahead or for stalling. So if somebody says you're too expensive, that's an objection. If somebody says you want to build house, that's an objection. If somebody says in this tin noble economy, that is an objection. And those are objections around price. If somebody says, let me get back to you, that's an objection. If they say let me talk to my wife, let me talk to my pastor,

let me talk to my brother, let me consult my shareholders, that is an objection. So all these things that people say that other things that people say so that they can't go ahead or because that they're stalling, then that is what we call an objection. So when objections come up, it just means that people have concerns about your product or your service or maybe concerns about you, but they're not saying those things yet.

So whenever objections come up, the traditional thing to do actually is to try and handle the conversation in such a way that we get to the root, that we get to the main thing. Because famously for money objections, some people say, ah, indistinable economy. And you think the problem is that they can't afford it, but maybe the problem is they can afford it, but they just want flexible payment terms. You know, maybe drop 50% now,

another 30% later on, and then maybe 20% upon delivery or something like that. So whenever you hear an objection, the goal is to continue to engage in a conversation because Please remember it is a conversation so that you can bring the agenda back on track. Find out what the real reasons are. Now, traditionally the kinds of objections that people face in business are money price. You know, budget. Those are the first things I

said. You're too expensive. Chukudi sells it for, you know, 200,000 naira cheaper, indistinuable economy. Do you want to build a house on top of my head? What are you saying? 2.5? Are you mad? You know, all those sorts of things. Those are money objections. Always beyond my budget. So those are money objections. Now, the reason why I'm mentioning them is because these are the ones that everybody gets. Now, there are other objections,

but this is one that everybody has faced. It doesn't matter the business that you're in, if you're selling insurance, if you are selling software, if you are selling cars, if you're selling planes, if you're selling a Gucci, if you're selling Turkey for selling fried chips, Indo meat, like it doesn't matter what you sell mobile phones. Everybody has had money or price objections. Are you serious? 25,000 for what? I don't have money, I'm broke,

it's too expensive. I can get it from Lagos at 100K cheaper. We've all had those things before now. There is a class of objections that lots of people are not familiar with, even though they get it, but they don't know that it's an objection. And that's the reason why I'm talking about the fine girl objection. The reason why I'm talking about this is because I did the training for a client in Benin and he sells a he sells gadgets,

electronical, electronic and computer gadgets in his store. And then he has the sales team of three associates and one of them, you know, came across this whole thing where somebody was like, you're a fine girl, blah, blah, blah, you know, all those kind of things. And I'm glad it came up because to be honest, whenever I'm coaching sales associates, you know, particularly females, sometimes I want to broach the I like to broach certain kinds of subjects.

But then again, I don't want to be too forward. So when these things come up live in the field, you know, I'm always happy so that we can address it. And the final define girl objection actually is an objection because remember, we're talking about reasons that people are giving for not going ahead or things that people say to stall the conversation. Now, if you don't believe me, let's take a step back. If you don't believe me, that fine girl is an objection, Let's look at the work of Brian Tracy.

Now, Brian Tracy in his old material, very old material, he talks about personal objections. And for him, he says personal objections occur when people spend more time talking about you, the person that they're talking to, instead of talking about the problem or the need. Because to be honest, there, whenever people are spending time talking about you are not the problem, just check it. You'll see that all those signs that people come and assess saying, oh, fine girl, how many times do all those people by all those fine girl people check it.

You see that it very rarely happens. And The thing is, it's not just it's not just fine girl. That's the form that it takes. It takes different forms where people are just trying to stall the conversation, they're trying to avoid the conversation, they're trying to wrestle themselves out of the situation, but they're trying to do it in a very polite manner, in a very, very polite manner. Now, let me give an example for how I used to get personal objections.

Now you guys know that I used to be in the event space, wedding photography, wedding video, and I noticed that there were some clients that would come and they would spend a lot of time talking about my master's degree. Like, oh really? Oh, oh, you studied oil and gas. Wow, from oil and gas to photography. Ah, that is really whatever. Oh, you're chasing your dream. Oh, you're so charming. Oh, the website is expensive.

Oh, I'm curious about learning wedding photography. You know, they're talking about every single thing apart from what they need, which is wedding photography and video, the style that they like and things like that. Now, The thing is, when I was young in the business, now, I was naive. I'd be very flattered. And yes, I would start talking about my master's program, about how oil and gas, you know, was challenging but intellectually stimulating.

Eventually, we'll start talking about How I Met my wife in Aberdeen and, you know, working in the UK and civil service and you know all that. And before you know it, that's how one hour has passed. You guys feel like you're friends and, you know, they stand up and leave, you know, But The thing is, have you noticed they did not buy, they didn't buy Shishi, they didn't buy a game. Now, most people assume that that is a good meeting because we spoke about me.

We spoke about, you know, we started blending on a personal level. I know some things about them and the masters that they went for. I spoke about my own masters too. And, you know, we seem to blend on a very, very personal level. But at the end of the day, they didn't buy shishi. That is an objection. They're trying to stall the conversation. They're trying to extract Abby is the extract Abby extricate trying to extricate themselves from the conversation, but they want to do it in a very polite way.

So they start talking about you instead of talking about the problem. So this is what Brian Tracy calls personal objections or what I like to call fine girl objections because I've noticed that guys usually throw these on girls a lot. Fine girl like you, blah, blah, blah. Truth of matter is the guy is just trying to get a discount. That's why the guy is talking fine girl this understand this and that and that. So don't fall for all these things.

No fall for all these things at all. I mean, like I pointed out, you don't have to be a fine girl to get some of these things. We can be a fine boy or an average boy or whatever. But the moment people start talking about you, instead of talking about the problem or the need, you have fallen into what Brian Tracy calls personal objections. So like I said, the fine girl objection was the latest instance that I came across, you know, one of my current clients,

the Engadget sales. And the thing was the guy came in, I wanted to buy PS4. What is it called? Pad, control pad. That's the thing that you, you know, the thing you hold on both hands and used to control the game, you know, where you tap up, up, down, down, you know, to kick out, to punch out everything. So the sales associate, she did what I told them to do, which was you anchor high because everybody likes to negotiate in Niger, low price everything,

everything apart from when you go to the Cyber Cafe and you want to pay for Internet, you know, But apart from that, people price everything, everything. So I told her to anchor high. The idea behind anchoring high is that if somebody comes and they want something from you and really you'll be OK with 200,000, if you say 200,000, they'll start trying to price you down. So if you're OK with 200,000 and they come in, you know, just say 220 or 230.

By the time you guys dance back and forth, you know, you settle on 200, you're good, you've gotten the money that you wanted. So of course, she anchored high. And then the guy started off with usual price objections. Oh, too expensive, blah, blah, blah or what not. And then from there, another set of objections. You know, we started with price objections and other objections. So you can see that he has come here to buy PS4 pads.

He thinks pricing is an issue. He's trying to get a discount and he's going to say anything that will get to the discount. So the next thing he just threw an offhand comment was like, excuse me? He just ran offhand comment. He just said, I'll tell you, Olga, that you only pack fine girl food this place. You know, that's the kind of thing I supposed to throw you off. But that's the point of the conversation where truly, truly,

if you're a fine girl, you will now blush and then you will now smile and then you now do your eyebrows. You know you're Sony off guard. And then before you know it, and then you've given him that discount. But then luckily she was a sharp girl, so she should refocus. And she said, even yourself, you're a fine boy and see how you are pricing. And I told her that that was brilliant. What she did was brilliant. The strategy for dealing with personal objections is always to refocus, which is what she did.

You guys say, I'll tell you, Olga, you just packed fine girls for this place. And she blushed. And then she said, you myself, you're a fine boy and see you fine boy, look at you up and down, fine boy, see as you are pricing. And she refocused, We should always refocus on need analysis to make sure we understand what it is that the client needs, whether the thing meets their needs, whether I can solve their problems and get the conversation back on track.

That's what we should always do when we have personal objections. So for me, back in the day when people would be like, haha, you're a master's degree holder and you're doing wedding photography. Instead of me getting sidetracked and talking about my master's degree and living and working in the UK and meeting the love of my life there and then me and them, we're now talking about personal, personal, personal, personal things that we live there feeling like friends.

But then they never buy things to always refocus. So yeah, yes, I do have a master's degree. In fact, that is where I learned my photography and that is where I got my love of a much more natural style of photography. So for your wedding on So what kind of photography are you looking at? Are you looking at something much more natural or do you like all the fancy Photoshop things that brides are doing nowadays? That is what I should have done.

Acknowledge. Oh yeah, I studied in the UK and yeah, it's pretty interesting. And yes, that's how I love my photography and that is what has given me my unique, unique sense of style, this style of photography that I have. Is it the kind of thing you're looking for? Refocus the conversation. So if they say, Oh no, actually I prefer this, I prefer this, you know, we can't end it there. There's no need going around making friends.

Look, we're in business not to make friends. So how do I put it? We're not in business to make friends. We're in business to make money. So let's remember that. So that's the goal. We're not here to get our ego stroked. So I know that is always very good when somebody shows up and they're fine, man. Look, I won't I won't deny, you know, whenever somebody comes and start talking about my looks, yeah, I get thrown off gut, especially with a fine babe that's talking to me.

Yeah, nothing throws me off too, but should always refocus. And it's nice that you're trying to do your business so much like a friend. You're like you and you know, and so it's it's it's always a good stroke to the ego when somebody comes and talk about how attractive we are or how tall we are or how educated we are or how charming we are or how, you know, blah, blah, blah, blah. But look, forget that thing on our objection.

A brand, Tracy calls them personal objections. They're trying to be polite, and they're trying to extricate themselves from the conversation in the most polite way possible. So my guy who comes here wants to buy APS 4. Maybe he came there thinking you can buy this thing for 5K. And then he found out that actually asking price is more like 80 something or 100 and something. Yeah. You know, you guys extricate yourself from the situation in a way that doesn't show that you know, you know, you know, to like you don't have money.

So you do the normal financing thing, you know, the normal price objections, you know, too expensive, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And then you do the fine girl thing. You know, by the time she blushes, if you don't get the if you don't get the discount, you know, you leave, leave on a good note, you know, so don't fall for all that crap. Brian Tracy calls them personal objections. The reason why I just call them final objections is because at least in this part of the world,

people tried a lot on women. I find you're like you, you know, blah, blah, blah. So don't fall for all that crap. So I guess the main thing I'm trying to say here is this. Let's remember that when we're having conversations with people to see if they can become potential customers, they're always going to have concerns. Concerns about the price, concerns about the quality, concerns about your your own credibility because it is a concern.

I like what I see. But is this guy or is this big professional love to deliver on the things that I need. So all kinds of concerns and these things are going to come up in many, many ways. All those things are called objections. They just show that people have certain concerns. Whatever people say at face value is not the main thing. So like in this case, when somebody says I will tell yoga that you only pack five years full here, you know, that is not the main thing.

In fact, it's never related to the thing at all. The main thing is just that the guy does not want to pay full price and he's going to do whatever he can to get a discount. And then in my own case, people talking about my master's degree and my personal charm and all of that, it could have been anything. It could have been that. Well, OK, I see the photography. Clearly this is a foreign style, but I don't like this foreign style.

I prefer the Niger style. Maybe that was the real issue in some of those things, but I'll never know because I got flattered and I got carried away. Now. Oh yeah, they think I'm a fine boy. Oh, yeah, they think I'm posh. Oh, yeah, they think I'm educated. And then we spend one hour talking about my life instead of talking about why they are in front of us, which is that they're getting married as so, so, so dates. They need photography, They need video.

So remember, for these particular classes of objections, what we're trying to do is to refocus. And the sales associate, she refocused very well. I'll tell you a guy, he packed fine girl fool here. And then she blushed and then she smiled because she appreciated the attention. And yes, she's a fine girl. And then she refocused yourself. You're a fine boy. See yourself up and down, everything tight, everything looking smooth, see your skin.

And you're now pricing, pricing this thing. Ah, come on, you're too big for this. So we always try and refocus what the main issue is. And I really hope that that young lady is listening to this, especially maybe one or two who have fallen for this fine girl objection before, You know, don't fall for this thing again. But if you're falling, don't worry, don't feel bad. It happens to everybody. So in my own case, it was fine boy, educated boy, tall boy, you know, whatever what The thing is, we all fall for it.

We all get it every now and then. OK, so that's all for today, folks. Now remember, if you have sales or marketing questions, bring them to me. You can call SMS or WhatsApp me on 08064662140. Thank you very much for your time and attention. I'll catch you guys at the next episode, dear listener, where we'll be talking about, let's see, OK, maybe the next episode, look at closing techniques because that's also stuff I spoke about with this particular client is sales associates.

I wanted to get the ladies on point when it comes to how to close the sale, so I have to check through my list and see what are the outstanding topics that we haven't covered. But anyway, either way, it's going to be something real juicy and relevant to growing your business. So I'll catch you guys at the next episode.