The ABCs of fear, a simple way to overcome think it over objections

Clients keep asking me the same question. How do I actually overcome fear objections without making it weird. Most people overcomplicate this. I'm going to show you the exact framework I use, then break down a real call where I use it word for word.

The problem with how most closers handle fear

A prospect gets to the end of the call and says they need to think about it, or they don't know if they can spend the money. What happens next is usually one of two bad things.

Some closers go right for the kill. "What do you need to think about." They get combative because the conversation was going so well up until that point, and now they feel offended that the prospect would even push back.

Other closers just fold. They don't try to handle the objection at all.

Both are wrong. Here's how I see it.

It's our job as sales professionals to help people overcome their limiting beliefs, overcome their fear, and help them change. Because if they don't change, they'll get more of the same, more of the pain that they're in.

That's the whole job. Not to argue with them. Not to let them walk. To help them change their mind in their own mind.

Step one, slow down

When someone gives you a fear objection, their mind is racing. They just saw a big number. They're nervous. If you speed up to match their energy, you make it worse.

Here's a trick I actually use. If you have water on the call, take a sip when they give you the objection. It forces you to slow down. And when you slow down, they slow down too. Sounds simple because it is. It works.

Step two, get your mindset right

You don't overcome objections to make more money. You overcome objections because you know if they don't change, nothing changes for them. That's the mindset shift.

I do not overcome objections so I can make more money. I overcome objections because I know if you do not change, nothing will change for you.

When you believe that, you stop being combative. You start doing it for them instead of to them.

The ABCs of fear

This is a simple framework I pulled from a book called The Confidence Gap. Three steps.

• A, admit. Get them to admit it's fear holding them back right now.
• B, befriend. Fear is a good thing. If they weren't fearful, you weren't talking about anything important.
• C, convert. Help them convert that fear into something else. They can let it constrict them, or they can shape it into taking massive action.

That's it. Now let me show you what this actually sounds like on a real call.

Breaking down the real call

Quick context. I had already done discovery, gone through the presentation, and dropped the price. I asked her how she'd like to proceed.

She got nervous laughter right away. Classic sign of fear. So I didn't speed up. I clarified, and she told me it was about the money. From there I asked her a deeper why.

Why invest in yourself in order to get better?

Not "why do you want the program." I asked why she'd actually invest in herself. That's the deeper why. That's the thing that's going to help her overcome the fear in her own mind. If I don't have that why, I have nothing to work with.

Her answer was that she wanted to grow. So I reframed the risk.

Which one's going to be more risky, continuing to lose out on $114,000 each and every month just because we don't have the skills, or being able to get the funds together so we can get the skills and actually be more confident on the calls?

Then I asked if she was committed to change, because we could make the numbers work. I needed that commitment before going into logistics. If you go into logistics before someone commits to change, they won't give you truthful or open answers.

Once she committed, I walked through the numbers. She was still fearful, even knowing we could make it work. That's when I moved into the ABCs.

First, admit. I got her to bind to the fact that making change is scary.

Who grows inside their comfort zone?

Second, befriend. I told her the feeling she was feeling right now is exactly what she's supposed to feel.

If you're totally cool as a cucumber, I'd have to check your pulse. It means we're not talking about anything important.

I even used my body language over Zoom to calm her down, even though she couldn't fully see me reacting. The goal was to slow her mind down and show her that fear meant we were on the right path.

Third, convert. I gave her a binary.

We can either allow it to make us clam up, or we can shape it into taking massive action. Which one would you rather do?

She picked action. From there we moved into next steps. She ended up doing great, improving fast after that call.

Why this only works with real connection

This framework doesn't work if you skipped a real discovery process. The reason this conversation worked is because we had already connected on her why earlier in the call. If you don't actually understand the person you're talking to, trying to run the ABCs of fear will feel like a script instead of a real conversation.

This only works if we did a good discovery process and we really understand the person that we're talking to.

That connection is what let me test the change with her instead of fighting her on it.

The bottom line

Fear objections aren't a mindset problem you get to judge. They're a job you get to do. Slow down. Get your why right. Then run the ABCs.

Admit the fear is there. Befriend it, because it means you're talking about something that matters. Convert it into action instead of letting it shut them down.

Do it for them, not to them. That's the whole difference between a closer who gets combative and one who actually helps people change.