How to Handle The Coronavirus Objection
Summary
How do you handle this objection: “We decided to wait to sell our house until after the coronavirus has passed.”
Watch this clip from one of our weekly coaching roleplay calls to learn how to specifically answer this objection.
We modified the “We’re taking our house off the market” script on page 99 of The Book of YES (get your free copy HERE) for the coronavirus objection.
3 things you should remember:
- It’s about their motivation, not yours.
- Connect before trying to convince. Earn their trust and put their best interest first. Let them know that you genuinely care about them and want to get them what they want.
- Your job is to be a problem-solver. Find out their concerns and figure out a no-B.S. solution that gets them the best results.
How are you handling it? Are you doing anything differently? Let me know in the comments section.
If you want to be a master at handling tough objections, you have to get on the waitlist for the all new Challenge. It’s 100 days of intensive training to help you accelerate your business and your income. Click here to learn more https://yesmasters.com/challenge.
Full Transcript
Handling the objection in order to get the appointment. Hi there. It’s Kevin Ward, the founder of Yesmasters Real Estate Success Training. Helping you get more yeses and more successes in your business and in your life.
Probably, the number one question that I have received from real estate agents over the last three months has been, how do I handle the Coronavirus objection?
That is somebody who says, “Well, we’ve decided to wait to sell our house until after Coronavirus has passed,” and so forth. I just decided. You know what? Instead of just doing a training video on that per se, I’m actually going to share with you a part of a coaching call that I did recently with my coaching members on specifically how to handle this objection.
You’re going to actually watch a part of that coaching call where I’m actually doing a role play of handling this objection. In the middle of the role play, I’ll break down why I said this. Why I responded this way, why I asked this question and so forth.
Now, the basis of the script that we’re using is if you have a copy of The Book of Yes, which a lot of you will do that or you can go to thebookofyes.com. Thebookofyes.com and you can get a free copy. Just pay shipping and handling and we’ll send it to you. This is not to sell the book. This is just to give you a framework. If you don’t have the script, it is on Page 99. It is basically the “We’re taking our house off the market” script or “We’re taking a break” script. We’ve modified that script for the Coronavirus objection.
That’s what you’re going to see in this next part of the video and the clip from this coaching call.
3 THINGS TO REMEMBER
Now, there are three things that I want you to look for and watch for as you watch this, this section of video.
- One is it’s about their motivation, not yours. It’s about their motivation, not yours. In other words, your responsibility is not to try to convince somebody to sell their house so that you can get a commission check. It’s not about you. It’s about their motivation and also about their concerns. That’s the first thing I want you to watch for.
- The second thing is the principle of connect before trying to convince. Connect before trying to convince. The first thing I’ve got to do is connect with them. If they don’t trust me and then I’m trying to convince them to meet with me or convince them to sell their house, they’re going to resist me. Because they know that I’m looking for selfish reasons.
If you are doing it for selfish reasons, you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. First, I’ve got to connect with what is their motivation? What is their concerns so that I’m connecting with them and let them know I hear your concerns. I can legitimately address their concerns so that I can actually help them get what they want. I’m not trying to do this to scoot around their objections so that I can get what I want. Okay.
I generally want to help them get what they want and when I help them get what they want, then you’re going to get what you want, which is you’re going to get paid. You’re putting their best interests first. Number one is about their motivation, not yours. Number two, connect before trying to convince. - Number three is that your job is to be a problem solver.
Your job is not to just run over them in their objection. Your job is to find out what they’re concerned about. Find a real, legitimate, no BS, honest solution that actually helps them get the best results.
Now, this video that you’re about to watch is just part of that coaching call, where we’re handling the objection in order to get the appointment. We do not get into everything about what you would do in the listing appointment. That’s a different training.
That’s a whole different conversation. This is designed to help you get past that objection on the phone or in setting the appointment, so then you can get into a meeting with them. Now I can work on helping them understand how we’re going to be able to sell their house with our Coronavirus protocol, which you should have. That should have been trained to you by your broker or somebody in your area.
That’s trained you on how to be able to show a house safely at a seller’s house safely, so that people’s health are not at risk. Based on all of that, I hope you enjoy this video. We’re going to click to it now and then I’ll be back at the end of that video to wrap it up.
THE OBJECTION HANDLER
Now, we’re specifically talking about the objection of “I want to wait until after all of this has passed. I want to wait until after the Coronavirus, all this kind of situation is over.”
Okay? That is the objection that we’re dealing with today. Now, we have to address their concern. What is the concern?
Safety.
The concern of safety. The concern is coronavirus. I’m concerned about people coming to my house or my wife is concerned. We have to be empathetic and connect with their concern and not act like we’ve disregarded it. Okay? Now, we’ve got to insert something here. I’m going to just play this out. I’m going to play with Kevin. I’m going to role play this with Kevin. I’m just going to throw this in as it feels natural to me and then we’re going to hack it. Okay?
Because I’ve never done this before. Okay? I’ve never prospected you’re in Coronavirus. We’re going to break this down. Kevin, throw me your concern.
I would like to do it sooner but my wife is concerned about letting people into the house. We’re not even sure if they’re going to be wearing the gloves and masks like they say.
Yeah. You guys are concerned about safety.
Right. Yeah.
Yeah. That totally makes sense. Let me ask you this. If you had sold the home, where were you planning to go next?
We were planning on going up to New Hampshire because we get a lot more land over there.
Okay. You guys are planning to move to New Hampshire mainly to get some space?
Yeah.
Some more land, it sounds like.
Yeah.
Awesome. Good for you. How soon did you want to actually be in New Hampshire ideally, if this whole Coronavirus thing hadn’t come along?
We wanted to be up there before the summer ends to get a little more of that weather up there.
I guess some of the good weather before the nastier weather sets in.
Yeah.
That makes total sense. Yeah. I got it. Now, I’m going to switch, guys. What have I just done? Let’s break this down.
BREAKING IT DOWN
Confirmed motivation?
A confirmed motivation. Now I know what they’re excited about. Right? I know what they’re not excited about. They’re not excited about safety. People coming in their house. What they are excited about is getting to New Hampshire. They want to get more space. They would like to get there during summer so they still have some long days. The weather’s still nice. They want get there before it gets to the middle of winter. Okay. Now I know their frame. Okay.
Now, as I’m thinking, what am I processing? I’m processing we’ve got when does flu season start? Guys, these are things if you’re in the game, you got to be aware of this stuff. When does flu season start? Around October, now cold and flu season starts. Now we have this possibility of viruses and all of a sudden get worse, which means that’s when Coronavirus could become more of a concern again.
If they’re going to move this year, it’s going to have to be between now and the end of September. Because I know their fear. Their fear is Coronavirus. Their fear is getting sick. Legitimate fear. Now I’m going to completely relate to them. What was the first thing that I did in the very beginning of this conversation? When he told me what the fear was?
You acknowledged it.
I acknowledged it. You guys, you’re just concerned about safety. You don’t want to get sick. Right? That makes total sense. I’m not downplaying or dismissing their pain or their fear. I am totally acknowledging it. I’m validating that their fear is legitimate. Okay? I saw it. I’m in a lot of Facebook groups for real estate agents. Somebody asks. This is the objection. They throw this objection out. We want to wait off the Coronavirus.
You say and then there was 75 stupid answers. Most of the stupid answers are because they totally dismissed the concern. Okay. They start going into the market’s going to collapse, whatever. If you’re not motivated, it ain’t going to matter. We don’t need to meet. It was just stupid stuff. They want to move. They want to move to New Hampshire. Now, I don’t know yet for sure if they’re truly motivated.
I’m never going to know if I act like I don’t care about them or if I jumped to conclusions. Is everybody clear on this?
Yes.
CONNECT BEFORE TRYING TO CONVINCE
The first thing that I have to do is connect. Everybody write this down. I’ve trained this for years. Connect before trying to convince. Connect before trying to convince. Connect before trying to convince. Connect before trying to convince. When I try to convince you of something before you even know who I am and I care about you, you’re going to resist me. It’s the first thing I got to do. You got to know and believe that I actually care about your concerns.
Not just want a commission check. I don’t care if you guys get six. Tough. Your problem. Not my problem. Do you want to sell? I’ll sell it. I’ll make money and get you guys out of here. Whether it’s in a hearse or in a moving truck, I don’t care. See? That’s how they feel sometimes. That’s not going to win you many people. Right? It’s not going to inspire a hire very often. The first thing you got to feel is that you get it. I totally get it. Okay. I totally get it.
It has wreaked havoc. It’s been crazy for the last few months. I totally get it. Now I’m acknowledging that. Okay. Now, let’s pick it up with,
It sounds like you guys are definitely still wanting to go to New Hampshire and get more space at some point in the future, correct?
Yeah.
Okay, cool. You are going to sell this house before you make that move. Is that correct?
That’s right.
Okay, cool. It’s just a matter of whether to do it now or at some point in the future, whenever you felt like the time is right. Is that correct?
Yeah. That’s correct.
Okay. Your biggest concern is Coronavirus.
Yeah.
Okay. Here’s a couple of ways this is going to go, guys. At this point, if I don’t feel like I have really clarity about what their main fear is about coronavirus, what are the possibilities here of their fear? One, they could be afraid of themselves getting sick. He said, “When people come in, I don’t know if they’re going to be wearing gloves. I don’t know if they’re going to be sanitized,” and all that kind of stuff. Okay.
He’s worried about them coming in, bringing in germs and then being contagious and him and his wife catching it. Now I already know that. Let’s say that he hadn’t said any of that. He just said, “We’re going to wait until after all this passes.” At this point, I would ask this question. Tell me. What are your biggest concerns about the Coronavirus and about our circumstances right now that makes you want to wait?
I’m glad you asked that. I have three kids here. My wife is concerned that with all these people coming in, there’s going to be a lot of germs all over the surfaces.
Yeah. I totally get it. You have three kids and your wife.
Yeah.
You guys don’t want everybody to get sick. That makes total sense. Right? See, now I’ve even got out more information from him. Now, is that going to be everybody’s concern? No. Some people are concerned because they have heard that buyers aren’t buying. I’ve heard that it’s hard to show a house. They may just be I don’t want to have a bunch of people coming in the house. I don’t want to do open houses. It’s going to be articulated in different ways.
I’m concerned that we’re not going to be able to get as high a price right now. I need to know what is he concerned about. Okay. Let me ask you this. What is my job? Problem solver. Everybody clear? My job is problem solver. Now, I’ve got to create a solution for this guy. What’s the most important thing right here?
MOTIVATION
Their motivation. That is all that matters. The most important thing here is motivation. Do they want to move soon? How bad do they want to move? Because if their motivation to move is lower than their fear of getting Coronavirus, guess what’s going to happen? They’re not moving. The question is, is their motivation high enough that we can get their fear of Coronavirus lower than their motivation to move?
Did they go like, “Yep. Let’s do this.”: Okay, cool. Let me ask you this. If there were a way that we could safely get your house on the market and get the right buyer in there who would pay a fair market value, give you a good price on your home so that you guys could go ahead and get to New Hampshire before the end of summer. The only way to do that safely without risking your family’s health. Is that something you guys would be excited about?
Yeah. That sounds like something we’d be excited about.
Awesome. Now, have I solved his problem?
Yeah.
I solved it. No, I haven’t solved it. All I’ve done is that if there were a way for your health to be protected, do you still want to move before the end of summer? I’ve gone from their concern and I’ve measured it up against your motivation and said, if we could take away this motivation or take away this concern, is the motivation to move sooner rather than later there? Now, the beauty of this is I still have a whole lot of ammunition that I have not had to use.
Like why they should do it now rather than wait. Because if they wait until after Coronavirus hits, it’s going to be next spring at the earliest before people’s Coronavirus concerns are no longer major considerations. Because you got winter coming. You got what we call cold and flu season. We call it that because viruses are more active in cold weather. It’s just the way it is. I know it’s going to get worse and they want to be there by the end of summer.
Well now, it’s going to be cold. It’s going to be like this. This isn’t the time we wanted to move. We’re going to wait a year, which may be okay. That may be their best thing. I may just put it on a personal circle 18. Build a relationship with them. Based on what he said, we could get there now and do it before the end of summer in a way that protected my family, then we’d go, “Okay, cool. Why don’t we do this?”
Why don’t we set up a time to get together and just take a look at the options? We’ve set up entire protocols to help protect our clients from the risk of getting sick. I think it’d be good for us to sit down and take a look at your situation and your family situation. See if this would be a good time and a safe time for us to help you guys get your home sold and make a move to New Hampshire. How would that sound?
Yeah. I’d be open to looking at the options.
Awesome. I could come out on Monday around 4:15 or would 5:15 be better for you?
5:15 works better.
5:15? Okay, cool. I will look forward to seeing you and your wife on Monday at 5:15. Okay. Now, I’m going to pre-qualify. Before I come out, I need a little more information so I can do my homework. Do you have a couple minutes? I’m going to go to now the seller sheet and I’m going to pre-qualify them. I’m going to probably ask a little bit more about the situation. Just get a little more information. What did I just do?
I just said, “Hey. Let’s just have a conversation about this system.”
Now, what I got to know is what is your Coronavirus protocol which we trained you guys on already? What is your Coronavirus protocol? Your brokers should have done training for you guys in your market and all that kind of stuff. You should have a plan that makes families safe and that reassures them that we would make this simple. All I did was I acknowledged. I did not downplay their fears.
I acknowledged their fears. I validated their fears. I validated their motivation. Now we’re just measuring can we overcome this fear to do it? Now, when’s the best place to do that? Face to face because now, I can build a relationship. Because their motivation is there, I can lead them to actually make a decision.
That’s it. I hope that was helpful for you. That will help you have confidence in your conversations with prospects and with seller leads that you can help them have the confidence to meet with you and set an appointment. If you have questions or comments, what is your feedback? How are you handling it? Are there things that you are doing differently or things that maybe are working for you? If there are, post those down in the comments below.
Ask any questions you’ve got. If this video was helpful for you, make sure you give it a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel. If this is your first time here, play to win and always expect YES.