Overcoming objections in cold calling is such a waste of energy.

We have all been taught the old frameworks. Acknowledge, respond, close. Or the classic "Feel, Felt, Found" method.

These techniques might look good in a textbook but they fail in the real world.

Overcoming objections goes completely against human psychology.

You cannot convince anyone of anything. The only person that can convince the prospect is themselves.

As social creatures we seek to be understood. We do not seek to be corrected.

When a salesperson tries to "overcome" an objection it feels like an argument. The prospect puts their guard up. The trust is gone.

The Psychology of Resistance

If you receive an objection when cold calling it is your job to understand it.

Most objections are actually just statements. They are knee-jerk reactions designed to get you off the phone.

In our SDR Sales Training, we teach reps to stop fighting these statements. Instead you should challenge them with a question.

You need to pivot from "convincing" to "understanding."

The art of sales is getting your prospect to open up and trust you. They are not going to do that if you try to win a debate against them.

The Wrong Way vs The Right Way

Let's look at a common example. The prospect says "I'm not interested."

The Convincing Approach (The Old Way)

"Yeah I feel you. A lot of my clients felt the same way at this point. They found after a 30 minute demo that their costs decreased by 30%."

This is terrible.

There is not one ounce of care for the prospect in that sentence. It goes against how we behave as humans. It screams "I do not care what you just said I just want my meeting."

This is the kind of desperation we warned against in Stop Begging for Meetings.

The Understanding Approach (The New Way)

"Fair enough. I called you so that makes sense. Do you mind if I ask one question before I let you go? Are you not interested because you have something in place or did the problems I mention just not resonate?"

Notice the difference.

The prospect is far more likely to speak to the salesperson that is trying to understand.

Interpreting the Objection

When you ask a clarifying question you often find out the real truth.

"I'm not interested" is usually a code word. As we broke down in The Sales Translator, it often means "I am busy" or "I don't trust you yet."

By asking if the problem resonated you force them to think.

If they say "we already have a provider," you can have a conversation about that provider.

If they say "the problem didn't resonate," you can ask what is a priority for them right now.

This requires you to think on your feet. It is a key skill we develop in our Account Executive Training.

Stop trying to be a magician who makes objections disappear.

Start being a human who wants to understand the business on the other end of the phone.

If you can make that switch you will stop fighting with prospects and start closing them.