Welcome to Make More Money Without Selling Your Soul. The podcast for bold entrepreneurs ready to simplify scale and reclaim their time. I’m Polly Lavarello, Evergreen scaling strategist and cushy business pioneer. Join me and my occasional guests as we explore the themes of wealth, selling and well-being, because building a business that works for you changes everything. Let’s dive in.

00:39 

Hello and welcome to the show. Today we’re talking about what to say when someone says, “I don’t have the money” on a sales call. And before we get into this, no, I’m not gonna share with you bro markety, icky, pushy, sleazy, gross practices. This is… I don’t like to use the word ethical either, ’cause that just feels really sterile, and I don’t know, like you’re gonna hold me to a standard that I don’t know what your standard is when it comes to ethical.

00:56

But let’s just say sales that feel good, okay? That’s probably the easiest way to explain it. Another way to explain it is I always talk about be the business that you would like to buy from, and this is very much in alignment with that. Having been on the receiving end of pushy sales calls, where I was expected to hand over my card details to practically a stranger on the internet, we’re not talking about any of that. I want to talk to you about the three core objections we can quite regularly hear on a sales call that actually are an indicator that we’ve not done a very good job. The first one is, “I don’t have the money.” The second one is, “I don’t have the time.” And the third one is, “I need to think about it.” So not only are we gonna be talking about what they’re really saying when they share that, but we’re also gonna be talking about what question can you respond with that will generate a more honest response to how they are really feeling.

01:50

Because after all, our goal here isn’t to get them to say yes. Our goal is to ensure they are making a considered decision about investing with us, and that won’t always necessarily mean that it’s gonna be a yes. It might be that you don’t feel they’re a good fit. It might be that they have something legitimately going on that means that they are not a fit for the program. So firstly, let’s talk about what people really mean when they say, “I don’t have the money.” Firstly, I don’t want you to make the mistake that may be really tempting at this stage, is to immediately say, “What if we split the payments? Can you put it on a credit card?” Ugh. “What if you can just find the money?”

02:33

Um, you know, we’re not here to solve what’s going on for them financially predominantly because very often when somebody says this, they’re not actually saying, “I don’t have the money.” They are most often saying, “I’m not choosing to prioritize this as an investment,” okay? And they’re very different reflections, okay? You know, we don’t wanna be doing the just give me your card details energy. No, thank you. We’re not doing that. Instead, we want to explore what is underneath it. So instead, the kind of question I would ask when someone says they don’t have the money is, “Sure. Can I ask you what feels difficult about the investment for you?”

03:10

Or something like, “When you say the investment doesn’t feel possible right now, is that because the money genuinely isn’t available or because you’re not yet sure this is something you want to prioritize financially?” Okay. This is a very different conversation because those are two completely different objections. If they genuinely don’t have the money available, that’s useful information. But if they have the money and they don’t feel sufficiently confident that investing in your program, your one-to-one, whatever your offer is, will create enough value, that’s not really a money objection. That’s a certainty or value objection, right?

03:47

And that’s where you can ask, what would you need to feel confident that this was a worthwhile investment for you? And that’s probably one of the most useful questions that I’m gonna share in this entire episode. So I’m gonna say it one more time. What would you need to feel confident that this was a worthwhile investment for you? Really simple question. In fact, you could even dodge the first two and go straight to that one if you wanted to, if that makes it feel easier for you to ask, right? But that’s really what we’re wanting to hear or know. And then obviously on the other side of that, you can then make a decision about what to do with their response, right?

04:24

The second objection we can get so often is, I don’t have the time. And when someone is saying, I don’t have the time, they could mean I genuinely have no capacity Or I don’t understand how this fits into my life, or that I’m worried I’ll buy this and not implement it. That one is– That one I hear, uh, often, right? Or it might be, I don’t believe this will save me enough time to justify the time investment. Or I’m already overwhelmed and adding another thing just feels unbearable right now. Or I’m not convinced that this is important enough right now.

05:00

And again, all of those require completely different responses. So rather than if you had, let’s say, more health, like, you know, if you had better health, you’d have more time, or if you had more, you know, if, if we were looking after your nutrition, you’d have more energy, and that would free up its own time, or whatever it is that you might be saying to help them understand, which can sound very internet sales guru, you could instead ask, “Can I ask what you’re imagining you’d actually need to do to make this work?” That’s a question. And I also really want you to recognize here that every single response that I’m sharing with you here is a question, not a statement. We’re not trying to persuade anyone. We’re not trying to share a perspective that might make them feel differently. We’re allowing them to do some self-inquiry that enables them to get over their own potential BS.

05:56

Like sometimes people aren’t bullshitting you, they’re actually bullshitting themselves first. And so by asking the question, they may actually recognize as they answer it, “Oh, no, you’re right. Now I think about this, I am ultimately choosing not to prioritize this right now. Hmm, okay, what am I gonna do with that?” So yeah, this is a really brilliant question to ask, that can I ask what you’re imagining you’d actually need to do to make this work? Because it can uncover a completely false assumption. Maybe they think they’ll need five hours a week to work on it. Maybe they think your program actually requires them to do a lot of things that they don’t have the capacity for, you know, behavioral change or, or I don’t know, time with your community that they don’t have the capacity for.

06:43

Maybe they think they’re gonna have to overhaul their entire life. Their objection could actually be caused by something you haven’t explained properly. That’s really important to understand. Getting an objection where someone has received all the information and made a, a calculated decision as to whether it’s right for them or not, brilliant. But if we finish a sales call, and I… These are the ones that are most painful to me, the ones where you wrap and you’re like, “Yes, they are the perfect fit. Why wouldn’t they join? This feels like they’re definitely gonna be in.” And then you get an email the next day saying, “I’ve actually decided not to do this.”

07:17

And in that time, the question that comes up for me is like, what were they spiraling around in the time that I wasn’t able to support them and answer their questions? Like, where has their head landed up, and what, what caused it to, to go that way, right? It’s not a great place to be. So ultimately, you know, we don’t necessarily need a yes or a no when someone finishes a call with us, but we do want them to have all the information they need to make a good decision about w- what they need to do moving forward. And finally, the third objection, I need to think about it. When somebody says, “I need to think about it,” it isn’t an objection to overcome. Really, it’s a request for more certainty, and that is where kinda saying, “Yeah, sure, go sleep on it,” is not necessarily the best next step, okay? And I wouldn’t necessarily respond either with, “Of course, what specifically do you need to think about?”

08:07

Because that will also make them feel like you’re backing them into a corner. Instead, something like, “Absolutely, what would be helpful for you to have clarity on before you make that decision?” Or even softer, “Of course, is there anything you’re still unsure about that I can answer for you?” Okay. I’d probably more often go for the latter. Is there anything else I can answer right now that will enable you to think about this in a way that’s gonna help you find clarity, okay? And then shut up, okay? Don’t say anything else. Let them think. Let them tell you. You know, sometimes on a call, people can just feel like, “I’m on the clock. I haven’t got very long.

08:45

I need to, you know, I need to take some time when I’m not feeling pressured.” So leaning back, giving them time to think, giving them time to process is incredibly important because in that scenario, there’s every likelihood they may be able to say, “You know what? Actually, I don’t need to hear anymore. I’m in.” But sometimes filling the space, the awkward space, the awkward silence with your voice because the silence has you feeling on edge, is actually killing a sale, okay? And if they say, “I’m not sure it’ll work for me,” great. That’s the real objection. Now you can address that. What do they need to hear to understand that it could work for them if you believe that is the, the case, right?

09:29

So I think it’s really important to kind of wrap this episode up by reiterating your job on a sales call isn’t to get someone to buy. It’s to get them to a place where they can make a clear, informed decision, and that decision might be yes, it might be not yet, it might even be no, and you’re okay with all three. Because ironically, when people don’t feel that you’re trying to get them to buy, they’re much more able to actually consider whether they actually want to. Okay? So that’s it. That’s all I have to say. I wanted to make this episode s- super short, super simple, one that you can whip out when you know you’ve got a few sales calls booked in to help you get people to a place where they are not telling you a top-line excuse to kind of close the conversation and not be with the discomfort of indecision anymore, and instead ask the question that opens up the conversation and enables you to deal with the actual legitimate objection.

10:25

Because honestly, I don’t know about you, but I know there are various clients I’ve worked with who’ve been like, “Oh my goodness, Polly, I’ve been sat on the fence for months before choosing to work with you, and now we’ve gotten started. I wish I did this right from the get-go.” So as I always say, selling is being of service. When we’re doing it from a place of supporting someone to make an informed decision, it can never feel gross. So lead with curiosity, lead with compassion, allow them to have space to think, allow them to have space to process. Never show any judgment to the, “I don’t have money, I don’t have time,” piece, and instead, you know, be curious and help them get to what is actually going on for them.

11:05

Because l- as I mentioned earlier in this episode, I actually genuinely believe for some people, they do legitimately believe they don’t have the time or the money, um, and aren’t necessarily even fully aware of what the real reason is in that moment. So giving them the space and the time to truly address that is of immense benefit and service to both themselves and to you. Brilliant. Happy launching, happy selling. I hope you’re smashing it this September, and here’s to a brilliant and profitable and spacious, expansive, amazing October. And if this episode was helpful, please do share it with your business buddies and give it a lovely five-star rating so I can reach as many ears as possible.  I’ll be in your ears next week