3 Keys to Turning Objections into Opportunities

By Mark Whitby

Last week we discussed how to deal with objections related to the economy -- e.g. "we're downsizing, we've got a hiring freeze, we have no budget for recruiting, the project is on hold," etc. This week, let's look at how to turn objections into opportunities…

1. Use Empathy to Get Them on Your Side

The first thing you need to do is empathize with them. Remember, they're a human being who's just given you some very bad news -- think about how they might be feeling right now.

What some recruiters try to do is ignore the objection and just steamroll their clients into a conversation. However the most successful recruiters use empathy to build rapport. Match their tone of voice and say something appropriate, for example: "I'm very sorry to hear that. Many of my clients are in the same position as you are." Something that is sympathetic and reassuring.

2. Often the Best Way to Answer an Objection is with a Question

Next you want to answer the objection by asking a question. This is an opportunity to take control of the conversation by asking some solid open questions. For example:

• "I understand you've got a hiring freeze at the moment. Tell me, what impact will that have on your department and how is that going to affect you personally?"
• "With a smaller workforce, how will you deal with the increased workload?"
• "When will you be recruiting again?
• "How do you plan to handle sickness, holiday or maternity cover?"
• "What do you think about hiring a temp to help pick up some of the slack?"
• "Turnover occurs in every business. If you lose a key team member unexpectedly, how will you go about replacing him or her?"
• "What types of candidates are you always open to at least hearing about, even if you're not actively recruiting?"
• "If I come across an exceptional candidate with [desired skills and experience] then you'd probably want to be informed, wouldn't you?"

3. Reposition Yourself as a Valuable Resource

Finally, the most important thing is for you to position yourself as a resource or helpful advisor. There's a couple of ways you can do this. Remember, you are thinking of this as an opportunity, no matter what objection they throw at you, you can turn this to your advantage. So, here's an idea: what about turning the client into a potential candidate? You might ask them: "How is your job going to be affected by this? How open would you be to hearing about alternative career opportunities?"

Another way you can position yourself as a resource or a helpful adviser is to offer them a free outplacement service. You could say, "Look, I am really sorry that you are experiencing difficulties right now and that you are making redundancies or cutbacks, maybe there is something I can do to help. We offer a free outplacement service where we will come to your premises, we will meet the individuals who are affected and we will give them career counseling and we can give them advice on their CV or their resume and if appropriate, and we can even discuss specific jobs for them."

By using these 3 keys, you can use every objection as a "springboard" to stronger client relationships and winning more new business.

© 2009 Mark Whitby, All rights reserved.

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