Objections undermine worthwhile projects.

Most objections are only requests for more information.

You want to introduce a new idea, do some community development, or teach your son to build a model ship, and everything seems to be going perfectly. You’re engaging, relating, and connecting. Then, instead of a big yes to your proposal, project, or suggestion, you  hear objections such as:

• “I don’t like that idea”.
• I don’t think that will work”.
• “I don’t think we can afford”.
• “I’m not sure this is the right time to make such”.
• “I have to check with the instructions”.
• Alternatively, some other response brings your ideas to a screeching halt.

In such a scenario, you may feel rejected and likely write off the idea and go back to doing something else. However, this does not have to be the outcome.

Early in my career, I attended a lot of business training, all of which advised avoiding client objections. However, this advice did not ring true, so I trusted my gut and did what felt right.

Someone told me, “What you should be doing is turning objections into opportunities”. I welcomed and understood that advice could make a real difference if I could work out how to implement it.

Objections confirm a level of need or desire for your idea, product, or service and help you better determine the next steps in the implementation process.

Embrace the objections made by your people, prospects and customers. Sometimes, achieving the go-ahead can be challenging. Be ready; they are an inevitable step to improving community development.

Embrace objections.

I am not saying transforming objections into opportunities is easy. However, once you have mastered the skill, your success rate will increase dramatically.

A great way to have the biggest nightmares and the shortest community development career is to shy away from answering objections. People striving to avoid failure avoid situations that require honest discussion.

Quotable quotes.

“Objections only come when a person asks you to overcome some of their doubts or fill in missing information”. Peter Sergeant

“There is nothing good that does not meet with opposition, and it should not be valued any less because it encounters objections”. Vincent de Paul