Overcoming Objections When Selling Your Nutrition Coaching Program.
Ever feel like a consult was going SO well and then you get to the close only to hear the DREADED six words…
“I need to think about it…”
One of the most difficult components Registered Dietitians & Nutrition Experts have with sales is dealing with objections. Sales is all about you sharing how the benefits of your service can fulfill a want/need/pain your ideal client is facing.
…..but then there are the objections.
My goal in this article is to help you overcome objections from a place of certainty, professionalism, and authority. Objections are not actually a bad thing; they are really just unanswered questions.
Putting this in a different way, we want to meet OBJECTIONS with QUESTIONS. Something I teach to my students in the I Believe Mentorship is objections are not “No.” They are “I need more information.” When you accept that frame, you are less likely to be deterred by objections.
The more proficient you become with client attraction and sales, the less objections you will receive. This is why we place so much emphasis on this topic in the I Believe Mentorship. Good sales is all about positioning your nutrition coaching program as the solution to their pain. Period.
The most common objections you will hear are:
1) Can I think about it?
2) It’s too expensive.
3) I need to talk to my partner before deciding.
Remember, if they weren’t interested in your coaching program they would’ve never scheduled a phone call with you in the first place. They NEED you, but it’s your job to convince them that you have the solution to their problem. It’s your job to identify the problem and position yourself as the solution. That is a completely different blog post in itself, but for now let’s discuss these objections.
I need to think about it.
The WORST thing you can do here is say “Ok go think about it and let me know!” DO NOT DO THIS! Most of the times this is just a smoke screen. They KNOW they need to take action today, they just need you to dig a bit deeper. I respond to this objection by saying: “Do you mind if I ask you what is it you need to think about?” Then, when they tell you what they need to think about, you can address those questions on the spot and help them overcome and last minute resistance they may have.
A lot of times your prospect will get nervous at the very last minute when it comes time to pull the trigger. It’s your duty to help them overcome whatever fear they may have by addressing their concerns. If you let them walk away and think “about it” you are allowing them to succumb to their own internal doubts and fears. The easiest decision for any human being to make is NO decision at all. “I’m fine” is a cop out from going after our goals. Good coaches help clients make change and that starts with the sale! No value will be achieved until a sale has occurred. Write that one down.
I also like to feed the objection back to them with a confused look on my face as if I assumed the sale would occur (because I do!) “You need to think more about it?” This creates a question for them to answer and allows them to open up and explain what it is exactly that they are uncertain on, so you can step in and address it.
It’s too expensive.
If you’ve prequalified your client properly, and demonstrated massive value, this objection should not occur. But let’s say it does. Here’s something I need you to realize – They CAN afford you, they are just choosing not to. The average American spends $300 per month on COFFEE alone! The average credit card debt is over $9,000. Americans are spending money every single day, so why not INVEST in into something that can actually improve their quality of life like nutrition coaching, right?
I like to meet this objection with the question of what investment were they prepared to make today? Let’s say they say $200 per month, and your coaching program is $400. You need to help them identify where in their monthly budget are the throwing money away on things that are not serving them (coffee, drinks, dinner out, etc) and how they can reallocate that money into your program. Does that sound like too much work? If so, then you don’t want the client bad enough! You should be approaching each conversation with a DONE DEAL mentality. The deal is already done in your mind, now you just have to convince the prospect.
Something I also like to say is “If you think it’s expensive to work with an expert, wait until you see how COSTLY it is to work with an amateur!” Now, that’s me being bold, but how true is that statement?
YOU went to school for 5+ years, are licensed and credentialed, and are a REAL nutrition expert who can change someones life right? You SHOULD be more of an investment than the Weight Watcher coach, the detox, or the latest Dr. Oz scam. This goes back to being sure YOU are sold on your prices and the value you deliver. You can’t sell unless you are in fact sold!”
I need to talk to my spouse/partner.
Easy.
Before you EVER take a sales call ask is there anyone else involved in the decision making process. If they say, YES – do NOT take the call without both decision makers being present. I do about 25% of my interview calls for the I Believe Mentorship with someones partner on the phone and I personally love it! I love when partners get behind their loved ones goals and most times they are just listening on the other end. Be a professional and invite both decision makers to be present during the call and this objection is easily avoided.
At the end of the day it’s your job to help them make a decision about joining your program while you are both on the phone together. You need to remind your prospect that if we don’t take action when we are really excited about something, the energy we have can wane down and we go back to settling for less than we deserve. That’s why you should always encourage them to go ahead and take action while on the phone with you. Ask them what are they more afraid of – Taking action today and getting to their goals? Or, spending another six months doing exactly what they are doing today, stuck, frustrated, and not seeing results. Sometimes people just need to approach it from that frame!
As you can see by the length of this article, there are SO many things I can teach about overcoming this and I have only scratched the surface of what I get into with my students in the I Believe Mentorship. If you want me to do a follow up article let me know in the comment section below.
I hope to see you at one of the I Believe Mentorship weekend retreats in the near future. We may even still have some spots available for guest sit ins! Check it out here ==> I Believe Mentorship Weekend Retreat.
And I have something VERY special for you, this is Top Secret and I’m probably going to take it down soon. An in-depth talk on client attraction and objection handling I gave at our New York Weekend Retreat for the I Believe Mentorship. Check it out here before I take the video down!
