Feel, Felt, Found

Verbal Jiu-JitSu

Home & Garden Show Models???

Verbal Judo

Core Judo principle: Don’t resist when your opponent pushes you; rather, increase your pace in that direction and pull him a little at the same time, or vice versa let him pull you. Don’t let him ever get the “strain” on you, but go with him. Why “Don’t resist”? Because when someone comes at you with force, your first temptation is to resist with force. But that’s the beauty of Judo is it uses the other person’s force to your advantage. When someone raises an objection, let’s say about the price of your solution, “Don’t Resist”. As it says, “increase your pace in that direction”. That means, move with the force, not against it. When we get an objection in sales, instead of resisting, we need to move right with it. An objection places our prospect on one side and you on the other. The end goal is to get on the same side, and resistance keeps us on opposite sides.

1. So first empathize with them, telling them that you understand how they FEEL

2. Then tell them about somebody who FELT the same way

3. Then tell them how that other person FOUND that it was more than 100% afforadble when the took into consideration ALL the information and research

****By empathizing with how they feel, you are going with the grain and not against which effectively continues to build rapport. When you talk about how somebody else felt, you move the focus to a more objective place where they are more likely to feel trust. This also makes them a part of a group such that they will not feel alone in the decision. When they are attached to that group, then you move the whole group by telling how the people in the group changed their minds. The buyer, being attached to the group should also change their mind at the same time****

Remember we listen to UNDERSTAND not to respond

Express empathy—truly. Don’t fake it. Put yourselves in their shoes and try to understand where they are coming from, then express that.

“You know, if I were in your shoes, I would have the same concern…”

“It makes perfect sense to me that you want the best value for your money…”

This is Verbal Judo at its core: you’re taking away the resistance. Empathy instantly begins to drop the barriers.

“I definitely, 100% understand how you FEEL and where you are coming from. I can see how at first it’s a lot with everything you have going on first moving into your beautiful brand new home.”

Next, explain that you or your clients felt that way in the same situation.

“Many of our clients similar to your situation initially had that concern as well… “

“I used to feel that way when I was in a similar situation…”

This helps them realize that their problem isn’t unique to them and opens their mind to the possibilities of solutions already learned by others.

“Last night I had a customer who FELT the same exact way you do when we first introduced the idea of getting clean water...”

“But...”

Understand and THEN uncover solutions

Now explain what was uncovered/discovered (found) that made the difference and made them adopt your solution anyway.

“What they found was that what looked like a large investment at first turned into a substantial and life changing financial win”

“What I found was that…”

This is the final non-resistance move and lays the groundwork for turning the tables around and moving back into a productive problem-solving discussion.

“When they saw how truly impactful this issue can be within their brand new home, their families well being and especially their budget...they FOUND it was not only worth it but 100% affordable.”

“Would it be helpful to explore some of the things I’ve learned working with other prospects in similar situations that might be helpful?”

“So good news is this...even though its already 100% afforadble, we have some amazing promotions so let me call my team leader and see exactly what I can do for your all....I’m super excited and very confident that we are going to be able to help you just like all those families who felt the same you do now.”

Example #1

Objection: Your prices are too high.

Feel: “I get where you’re coming from and how you FEEL. If I were in your shoes, and just had purchased a brand new home, I would want to make sure I got the most value for every dollar spent. Plus budgets are tight all around, so it makes sense to me that you want to use the capital you have in the best way possible.

Felt: “We have many clients who were initially concerned about our prices as well and FELT the exact same way and Ill be the first to tell you that we’re not the cheapest option out there, as you know.

Found: “What they FOUND was that after a thorough exploration of what our product does in terms of saving them money and checking with some customer as references they discovered that the price point is actually a great value because the return they would get on the small investment is and would life changing.

Permission: “Would you mind if I take a few minutes to explain how this worked for them and show you how it could be something that would work for you too?”

Example #2

Objection: Your competition seems to have a better solution.

Feel: “Thanks for sharing that concern with me and I totally understands how you FEEL. It makes total sense to me that you are evaluating all of the options out there.

Felt: “I have FELT the same way before: when I buy a product, I always want to try to make the best decision given all of the different options. Just last month I was buying a truck and it was hard making the right decision, given all of the factors involved and so many competing options.”

Found: “What I FOUND was that the best decision isn’t just about the quality or features, but it involves all aspects including price, post purchase service, and even some intangibles, like customer service and even warranty.”

Permission: “Would you mind if we spent a few minutes going back over the different aspects of what you need to see so we can come up with a combined package that would work for you?”

If you are dealing with a “Director” how would the Permission part of your objection handeling go? In other words, instead of saying “Would you mind...” what would you say?

Think about it for a minute and then flip the card.

“Now I’m going to...”

So instead of “would you mind” its “Now I’m going to”

EXAMPLE

“Now I’m going to go back over the different aspects of what you need to see so we can come up with a combined package that would work for you?”

Way more direct and not passive at all.

- OR -

The permission can be as simple as calling your team leader to introduce new information (Promotions, lower payments, dropped interest rates, deferments, soap packages, Direct Marketing Programs etc)

Scenario : Your customer wants it and likes it...BUT it’s not in their budget...Use the “feel, felt, found” way of handling the objection before proceeding to show promotions and introduce a new offer. Close me I dare you...double dare...Can you?