The Art of Objection Handling

ByJason O'Donnell

The Art of Objection Handling

In any field, handling objections is an important skill to possess. Whether it’s in knowledge management or another industry, understanding how to handle objections effectively can make the difference between success and failure. Like a painter who studies theory and practices brush strokes, handling objections also takes thoughtfulness and practice to hone your skill in the art. Here are some key insights on the art of objection handling:

Objection handling is a necessary skill

Objections are not uncommon when introducing change or new initiatives. People naturally resist change, and it falls upon those leading the change to handle objections effectively. Objection handling becomes a crucial skill for anyone seeking to lead change within their organization. As a KCS Program Manager, you wear multiple hats such as Coach, Strategist, Architect, and Communications lead, and objection handling is necessary in each of those roles as well. Recognizing the importance of objection handling across different areas emphasizes its value and relevance in various contexts.

Seek to understand before you seek to solve

Active listening and seeking to understand are fundamental aspects of objection handling. It’s essential to genuinely grasp the concerns and objections of the individuals you are trying to persuade. By asking open-ended questions, you can delve deeper into their perspectives and motivations. This approach allows you to gain valuable insights into their underlying reasons for objecting. Taking the time to understand their viewpoint before offering solutions demonstrates empathy, builds rapport, and creates a collaborative environment for problem-solving.

Expose underlying beliefs

In order to effectively change someone’s perspective, it is crucial to understand their existing beliefs. Objections, doubts, and misconceptions provide valuable insights into an individual’s point of view, revealing their beliefs, comprehension, and knowledge gaps. By uncovering and exploring these underlying beliefs, you can address them directly and help individuals reevaluate their thinking. This process enables you to challenge assumptions, correct misunderstandings, and provide alternative perspectives that align with their values and goals.

Use influence skills

The five coaching or influence skills outlined by Dr. Beth Haggett in her KCS Coach Development workshop can be applied to objection handling in any field. These skills include:

  1. Listening: Actively listening to objections and concerns, demonstrating genuine interest and respect for the other person’s viewpoint.
  2. Inquiry: Asking thoughtful questions to gain a deeper understanding of the objections and the underlying motivations behind them.
  3. Reflection: Taking time to reflect on the objections and considering alternative viewpoints or solutions before responding.
  4. Appreciation: Acknowledging the concerns and objections raised and expressing appreciation for the other person’s perspective.
  5. Advocacy: Presenting new ideas, perspectives, or evidence that support overcoming objections and advocating for a favorable outcome.

By applying these influence skills, you can establish trust, foster constructive dialogue, and create an environment conducive to exploring objections and finding common ground.

Use reference materials

Having access to reference materials can greatly support objection handling. In the specific context of KCS, there are numerous resources available to help influencers understand and address objections effectively. These resources include:

These reference materials provide valuable information, frameworks, and strategies that can be applied to handle objections effectively within the KCS framework and beyond. Not only are they great resources for leaders, but also resources to provide to all knowledge workers during conversations to help make the concepts a bit more concrete and tangible.

Tailor your approach

Recognizing that each situation is unique, it is crucial to tailor your approach to objection handling based on the specific circumstances. This requires active listening, good judgment, and the ability to ask relevant questions that address the particular objections raised. Understanding the emotional context and diffusing any tension are also essential aspects of the process. Using techniques like “seeking to understand” and “root cause analysis” are two ways to dig deeper into the motivations and drivers of objections. Sometimes the issue has nothing to do with the objection being put forward.

Some ways to tailor your approach could be any one or combination of the following:

  • Be sensitive and thoughtful to the feelings behind the objection; remember there’s a real person here
  • Acknowledge the validity of their feelings; empathize
  • Seek to understand the issue from their perspective
  • Work to uncover the underlying belief driving the objection
  • Offer an alternative perspective by reframing the issue (but don’t debate or argue)
  • Think “WIIFM” (whats in it for me?) to address the value for their particular perspective

But, lest we get ahead of ourselves, ALWAYS seek permission before offering coaching or advice; and utilize inquiry, reflection, and appreciation techniques to foster understanding and collaboration.

Objection handling is an art that requires patience, curiosity, and practice. By understanding and embracing the key insights outlined above, you can enhance your effectiveness as an influencer, gain confidence in addressing objections, and foster positive outcomes in your endeavors.

Lastly (or even better, firstly), remove the reasons for objections

Of course all of this is irrelevant if you don’t have objections to handle in the first place, right? You can work towards that end by ensuring all programs compliment each other. I spoke to this in my earlier post on the one thing for a successful KCS implementation. Clarifying and aligning your organization’s goals will remove a number of potential conflict that would ultimately create objections. By planning at the beginning and involving not only direct, but tertiary stakeholders in the planning phases, we can ensure that conflicts are mitigated if not fully removed at the beginning and that the program is embedded into every participants goals and objectives from the start. With a thoughtful planning phase and strategic framework, everything I’ve said above should be less relevant as a direct thing to solve and more just a more subtle skillset for smaller objections or questions that arise throughout the life of your program.

 

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The above content has been remixed/derived from the KCS v6 Practices Guide by Consortium for Service Innovation which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at info@serviceinnovation.org.
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