The ABC of Reversals
You’ve been asked a question that you know is a trap. What do you do?
Do you answer it only to spend the rest of the call trying to justify your response?
Do you lie to the prospect knowing very well that you could get caught out and act against your integrity?
Or, do you avoid answering the question and figure out exactly what and why they are asking?
I wrote my last newsletter about the importance of not answering questions but how do you actually do that?
It’s as simple as ABC.
The ABC reversal is my personal favourite.
Important note; you must practice this a lot before trying it on call. You’re not only learning a new technique but you’re going against everything that you were taught growing up. I covered this last week, I know, but what you’re about to learn is quite uncomfortable initially. If you are uncomfortable delivering, the prospect will feel it.
So how do we do it?
The ABC itself is quite simple if we break it down into 4 steps.
- Acknowledge their question.
- Give them an ego pump.
- List 3 reasons with at least one emotional agitator.
- Ask for clarification.
Let’s look at 3 examples.
- What is the success rate?
- Have you invested in this program yourself?
- Do you guarantee that it’s going to work?
We can answer these questions the same way.
Step 1 - Acknowledge
Start with a smile.
“That’s a really good question”. The purpose of this is simply to have them know that you have heard them.
Step 2 - Ego Pump
The ego pump makes a massive difference, but it doesn’t have to be in every ABC reversal. Tonality is important here. It has to be delivered almost in admiration.
“That’s how I know I’m dealing with someone who has done their research” or ”That’s how I know I’m speaking with a more seasoned investor”.
Step 3 - ABC
You can change these ABC's to whatever they need to be for your niche.
It should always be three.
“Typically, when someone asks me that question, it’s for one of three reasons. (A) Perhaps they have invested in something like this in the past, and it hasn’t quite worked out. (B) Maybe they know someone else who invested in something like this and they lost their money, or the third reason, (C) They could be coming into the call with some hesitation as to whether or not they have the skills, ability or time to make it work".
Step 4 - Clarification
Yes based - "Am I close with any of those?”
No based - "Am I way off with all of those"?
The Result?
If you pick the ABC accurately to your niche, 80% of the time the prospect will identify with one and you dig deeper on that. 20% of the time, they'll tell you it's none of those, it's this.
Action Steps
Go back to those questions you mapped out in last week's newsletter. The ones that you keep getting caught with.
Write out the potential objections hidden behind them, as well as what your ABC's can be to get to the truth.