Handling Objections. Rebecca Switzer. (c) Copyright Roof Sales Mastery, LLC - All Rights Reserved

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1 Handling Objections Rebecca Switzer

2 Handling Objections at the Door Now you re armed with 17 excellent canvasing approaches, plus the most ideal times to use them to line up inspections in a fraction of the time. You march confidently into your neighborhood, flawlessly deliver your favorite door-knocking approach, and the person at the door says, No, thanks. You re utterly shocked and kind of mad at Roof Sales Mastery who told you those approaches were proven to be effective! Relax. Now it s time to learn the art of objection handling. Almost no one says yes to anything right away. (Have you ever tried to get a woman s number at a bar?) Just because a homeowner says no at first does not mean you should just say, Okay! and turn around and leave. People naturally object to things at least once, but usually 3-5 times. This is completely normal. Be persistent, but never pushy. The average customer says no five times before they say yes, and the average salesman gives up after two or three nos. This is a huge advantage for you, because by learning how to properly and effectively handle these objections, you re going to pick up customers that other contractors leave behind. Objections can only stem from a few concerns: 1) No perceived need ( I don t think I have any damage ) 2) Price (incorrectly assuming the inspection costs something, or that you are going to try to strong-arm them into buying a new roof) 3) No trust (they do not yet trust you as a person or a professional) 4) No urgency (they do not see the need to worry about the possibility of an issue yet) 5) Scapegoat ( I need to talk to my husband/insurance company/agent first, etc.) The best time to handle an objection is before it comes up. This can be done during your initial approach by acknowledging or touching on a concern or objection they are likely to bring up, thereby squashing it and moving on to the closing question: asking for the appointment. For example, if you are canvasing in a neighborhood that hasn t had much contractor activity and residents living there are unaware of potential damages to their homes, in your initial approach at the door you might say, We didn t think there was going to be much damage in this area seeing as it wasn t the heaviest-hit part of town, but we ve been surprised at how many roofs in the neighborhood actually did have hail damage, so we re doing free inspections for the neighbors By predicting one of the more likely objections that homeowner is bound to use and acknowledging it in your approach, you are effectively handling it before it even comes up. Of course, you can t realistically handle every objection in the book before it comes up, so it is important to be prepared to handle them when they do. 1

3 Handling an objection will always follow this pattern: ask > (objection) > agree, but > feel/felt/found > ask Ask for the appointment. When the customer gives you an objection, the first thing you want to do is agree, not argue, and then use the feel/felt/found method. The reason behind this is that you are not battling or belittling the customer, but instead showing them that you understand their point of view, but you also have information that they might not be aware of. Always follow it up by asking for the appointment and offering two times again. It sounds like this: I totally understand how you feel, in fact some of your neighbors felt the same way, but what they found was it was better safe than sorry to get everything checked out just in case they did have damage that needed attention, like so many of the houses in this area do. So does Monday at (time) or (time) work better for you? Now that you have the basic guidelines for handling objections at the door, we will cover the 12 most common objections storm restoration salesmen encounter and word-for-word methods of handling them in multiple ways so that you can turn those nos into yesses. The 12 Most Common Objections & Exactly What To Say To Handle Them I don t have any damage. Let me show you something (pull out camera and start showing pictures). These are a few pictures of damage from some of your neighbors houses just down the street. See, unlike damage to a car, roof damage is really hard to see unless you have a trained eye. Most of these people didn t think they had any damage either because it doesn t cause immediate leaks or tear off entire shingles which would be really obvious. It s a free inspection; basically what I do is climb up on the roof, take photos of any damage I find, and come down and show you what s up there. Better safe than sorry! Does (time) or (time) work better for you? Oh cool, who inspected it for you? (usually the answer is well, nobody... ) A lot of people don t think they have damage because unlike wind damage, hail doesn t cause the roof to leak for several months or even years, and you can t see it from the ground. If you do have damage to your roof from the hail, the good news is that insurance covers it. That s why we do the inspection to see if there s any need to file a claim in the first place. If I don t find any damage, I ll let you know there s nothing to worry about and you re good to go. So does (time) or (time) work better for you? 2

4 Have you noticed all the roofs being built in your neighborhood? Those are actually all being paid for by insurance because they got damaged by the hail storm. In fact nearly all the homes I ve inspected were damaged except for one or two that were brand new roofs and seemed to hold up okay. Most people feel that it is better safe than sorry and have me take a quick look for them just to be sure. So would (time) or (time) work better for you? Do you know Tom & Jenny across the street, or Dave & Judy three doors down? They felt the same way, but had me take a look just in case, and I actually did find quite a bit of damage on their roof, and we re going to be meeting with their insurance company to make sure it gets covered. Most of the houses in this area got damaged; it was just really big hail. I Did your car get any dents on it? (yes) Yeah, a lot of people weren t fortunate enough to be parked in the garage it looks like! If the hard metal on a vehicle got dented, it s extremely likely that your soft asphalt shingles got damaged, too. That s why we re doing free inspections for the neighbors, just to be safe! I can swing by at (time) after Dan & Lisa or (time) after Glen & Susan on (day). Which works better for you? My husband/brother/neighbor already looked at it and said it was fine. I can totally understand, my dad is a jack of all trades and seems to be able to take care of just about anything at his house. When it comes to hail damage though, you really have to be trained to identify damage. It s pretty difficult to spot, and if you don t know what you re looking for, hail bruises look like nothing more than small scuffs. With as many houses we have found damage on already in your neighborhood like Jack & Leah s and Rod & Terri s, it would be pretty unlikely that your roof was the only one that didn t get damaged. Like I said, it s a free inspection, it only takes about 20 minutes, and if you really don t have anything wrong, I ll let you know. So does (time) or (time) work better for you? I understand, I hear that a lot. What does your husband do for a living? (dentist, steel worker, truck driver, computer programmer, carpet layer, etc. - anything but a storm restoration specialist). The craziest thing about hail damage is that it s really hard to see if you aren t a trained storm restoration specialist. It isn t like on a car where dents are really obvious it doesn t cause leaks right away and unless you know exactly what you re looking for, it s really easy to overlook. Kind of like, if someone showed me an X-ray of a tooth and asked me to point out a cavity, I wouldn t have any idea what I was looking at, because I m not a dentist. Hail damage is like that to someone who isn t a trained storm restoration specialist! It s better safe than sorry, and I ve found damage on almost every house in this neighborhood with the exception of one or two that were brand new roofs. Would (time) or (time) work best for your husband and I to hop up there and take a look together so I can show him what we re looking for? I totally understand, in fact one of your neighbors said the same thing, because her brother is actually a roofer and he came over to check it out and said it was fine. What s interesting is that a roofer knows 3

5 how to put on a good roof, but they don t necessarily know much, if anything, about hail damage. Kind of like I know a lot about hail damage, but I can t put on a roof! Haha. I m trained specifically to do storm damage inspections and unlike a regular roofer, all I do are insurance claims. You d be surprised how many people thought they didn t have damage, but after I inspected it and took pictures, they were surprised at what they overlooked. If I genuinely don t find any damage, I ll just let you know. It s a huge waste of my time to tell you you have damage if you don t. If I do find damage though like I have on most of your neighbors houses, I ll take pictures and let you know what I can do to help you out. So does (time) or (time) work better for you on (day)? I totally understand, in fact one of your neighbors said the same thing, but she had me take a look anyway because her husband is a dentist, not a storm restoration specialist, and he admitted he didn t really know what he was looking for. They were glad they had me take a look because they actually did have hail damage like a lot of the houses nearby, and I ended up meeting with their insurance company who agreed to pay to replace their roof, so would Monday at (time) or (time) work better for you? Just come over any time while I m working and just call me and let me know what you find. I would love to do that, but unfortunately I have to do inspections with the homeowner present just in case. Plus, if you do have damage, I d like to be able to show you the photos of what s going on up there so you don t feel like you have to just take my word for it. It only takes about 20 minutes; I ll be in and out before you know it. Would (time) or (time) work better for you? I need to talk to my husband first. Absolutely, in fact I only do inspections with both husband and wife present, that way I can show both of you the photos and walk you through everything, and if heights don t bother him and he wants to climb up on the roof with me, he s more than welcome. What s a good time I can meet with both of you, (time) or (time)? No problem, I ll be at Don & Marie s tomorrow evening to inspect their roof for them; I ll pop over after I m done and see what time works for the both of you to get yours checked out! I think I ll just call my insurance company. That s actually why we do the inspection first so we can determine whether or not there is damage, that way you ll know if you actually need to file a claim. If we don t find any, we ll let you know there s nothing to worry about. If we do find damage, we document it all and actually meet with the adjuster so you get taken care of, so does (time) or (time) work better for you? 4

6 I understand, in fact I ve met a few homeowners that did the same thing first, but unfortunately one of them got denied when they actually did have damage, and another got approved but the adjuster missed several damaged items because he rushed through the inspection. My job is to prepare everything before the adjuster comes out so that nothing gets overlooked or missed, and it s a free inspection. So does (time) or (time) work better for you? I completely understand, but actually what we do is a free inspection to see whether or not you even have any damage that would require filing an insurance claim in the first place; that s why people have us take a look first. So would Monday at (time) or (time) work better for you? My insurance company is already coming out. Oh, terrific. You re already ahead of most people then! I meet with adjusters on a daily basis to review claims---state Farm, American Family, Liberty Mutual, Allstate. What we ll do in your instance is take measurements and a damage assessment before the adjuster arrives so we already have a frame of reference as far as the scope of damages, this way you have a second professional opinion and the adjuster has a contractor s expertise. So does (day) at (time) or (time) work better for me to stop by and take a look? I m already taken care of. Cool, no problem! I ll tell you what, we ve been getting a lot of calls from hoeowners who s contractors flaked out on them or fell through, so here s my card just stick it on your fridge and if you run into any issues or have any questions, just check out our website or give me a call and I d be glad to help you out. I ve got a roofer. No problem, I hear that a lot everyone has a roof! Haha. The reason most people take advantage of the help of a storm restoration specialist like me though is because a regular is usually inexperienced with insurance claim processes and usually don t know much about hail damage. They know how to put a roof on, but they aren t trained specifically in claims processes. I m trained to specifically deal with storm damage insurance claims for homeowners to make sure the claim is assessed fairly and wholly for you. I can stop by after your neighbors the Martin s on (day) at (time) or (time); which works better for you? We re selling this house and moving. Oh, okay you especially want it looked at then. The first thing the home inspector does when they inspect the property is check the roof and the foundation. I actually help people strictly with insurance claims, and if I find damage on your roof like I have on so many of the neighbors houses, I ll actually work with your insurance company and they ll cover it so you don t have to worry about forking over money to buy the new owners a roof. I can come by at either (time) or (time), which works better for you? 5

7 What s in it for you? I get asked this a lot. What s the catch, right? Haha. How it works is we do a free inspection, no obligations. If you have damage, I ll walk you through what an insurance claim entails, and if you like me, we meet with your insurance company to make sure it gets approved, we do the work and the insurance company pays for the repairs. Sounds too good to be true, right? But that s just how it works. Again, if for some reason you don t have any damage, I ll just let you know there s nothing to worry about. I m not going to tell you you have damage if you don t, but most of the houses I ve looked at out here have had damage so far. So does (time) or (time) work better on (day)? I rent. This may seem like a potential roadblock, but it is actually a golden opportunity. If you can get into contact with the landlord, it is likely they own multiple properties, not just the one you happened to knock on. Getting hooked up with a landlord is a great way to potentially get 5, 10, or more properties with just one customer. No problem, a lot of these homes are rentals. I do a lot of work with landlords, as usually they own multiple properties in the area, so they especially need our help. What s your landlord s name and phone number? I ll just give them a quick call to let them know we are working in this neighborhood currently and we can take it from there. If the tenant does not have the landlord s contact information, give them a card and say, No problem, well can you do me a favor and at least give them my card and let them know we ve been finding quite a bit of damage on the roofs out here from the hail storm? They all fall under insurance, so if there is damage, they should be covered. Better safe than sorry! The last thing they want is have your roof leaking on you guys! Thank you, have a good day. I m not interested. Sometimes people think I m a roof salesman that s not what I do. What I deal with specifically is insurance claims. We do free inspections to see if there are damages that would warrant an insurance claim, and if there is, we meet with the adjuster and go over everything together. I m not going to tell you you have damage if you don t, because it would be a huge waste of my time. If you ve got damage, I ll take pictures of it and go over it with you and let you know what I can do to help you out. If you don t have any, I ll let you know you ve got some peace of mind and there s nothing to worry about. So does (time) or (time) work better for you? 6

8 If after handling a couple objections, the homeowner still wants to pass, leave it on a positive note with an open invitation for them to change their mind at any time, no hard feelings. Respond with: No problem! Well I m going to be seeing Barry & Jan, Claire & Peter, Ted & Barb, and several more of your neighbors this week, so if you change your mind, just wave me over. Here s my card if you want to give me a call! Have a good night. Never hold a grudge. You won t be able to handle every objection every time. Even if a homeowner is rude at the door, keep a smile on your face and be polite and cordial. Some people are just more skeptical than others, and it is not uncommon for these homeowners to call you later after they see you helping out so many of the neighbors. Maintain an open line of communication by staying professional and friendly. Practice door knocking approaches followed by an objection or two with a partner so that casually and politely handling the objection becomes natural and second-nature. Once you get good at it, you ll be an appointment-setting machine, and your pipeline will be full before you know it. 7