One of the scariest parts of starting your private practice is the idea that you have to “sell your services”. I’m sure that during your time in school, you never imagined that you would have to script your sales process or even take sales training. For most of us, selling doesn’t come naturally and feels icky, like you’ve duped someone into buying something they don’t really need. Our job isn’t to pressure or persuade a prospect into making changes.
The sales job of a natural health practitioner is to identify the problems and pain points by asking questions and listening to the answers then sharing the benefits of your program, highlighting how you can help solve those problems.
Being able to sell is a learned skill so it makes perfect sense that you would need to practice this skill in order to do it well and with confidence. Being able to sell yourself and your program has NOTHING to do with how educated you are, how many certifications you have, or how much experience you have.
Let’s take a look at 3 common objections prospects pose and the scripts you can use to overcome the objections before they even happen.
Objection #1: This is too expensive.
Scripted Questions To Ask Before Giving The Price:
- Have you worked with a nutritionist in the past?
- Did you enjoy that experience and achieve your goals (why/why not)?
Use the why not answer to explain how you are different and how you are going to work with them to overcome whatever the why-not challenge was. - What are the top 3 to 5 challenges you face that you believe will stop you from achieving your goals?
When you explain your program to them, highlight how you will help them overcome the challenges they spoke about by doing X, Y, and Z. Flip the challenges on their head and use them to showcase the benefits of working with you.
Example: One of my challenges is that I’m very social and my husband always likes to entertain business associates at restaurants.
Script: You mentioned that you are very social and that you frequent restaurants with your husband. One of the benefits of working together is that we will review menus and food options so that you know exactly what to order and what to avoid when you socialize. You will feel confident going out to eat because you will be armed with the nutrition education to make the best possible choices. Socializing won’t be a deterrent for you.
I overcame her challenge with one major benefit that is offered by working together. You must ask questions in order to understand the prospect’s challenges and fears. Then when you explain your program and how you can help them, touch on how you will overcome those challenges and fears by working together.
When you do this price is no longer an objection because the prospect can feel the value in working with you.
Objection #2: I don’t want to give up chocolate, wine, or other favorite foods.
Understand The Fear Behind This Objection:
Ask the question… On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being 100% committed), how committed are you to making some small changes to your food choices, including your comfort foods?
If you get anything less than an 8, ask why they are only 60% committed. What is stopping them from being 80 to 90% committed?
There will most likely be some sort of challenges or mindset beliefs that they need to overcome before they can be fully committed
Remember that people don’t like change. They like to feel comfortable and pacified. It’s a widely held perception that dieting means restriction from all of their favorite foods. Even if you plan to change their nighttime snack addictions, let them know they can keep their chocolate, wine, etc. Their guard will drop and they will relax.
Our job is to make small changes one at a time. Long-term changes start with the client having the confidence and belief that they can actually make and sustain the changes. This is not possible when they are consumed with all of the foods they can’t have.
Objection #3: I’m too busy and don’t have time to plan, prep and cook.
“Show me your schedule and I’ll show you where your priorities lie.” Robin Sharma
Make It Simple And Not Time Consuming:
Ask the following questions:
- Who does the grocery shopping?
- Are you okay with repeating meals and snacks or do you need variety daily?
- Who in your family can you ask for help so that you can carve out 30 minutes, 3 times per week to prepare your meals and snacks?Here is the uncomfortable question you should ask: How are you going to reach your goals if you don’t prioritize your time? What else are you doing instead?In the past I’ve asked clients to bring their weekly calendars to our sessions and we actually schedule time for grocery shopping, prepping and cooking together. If it’s on their calendar it becomes real.
When time is a concern for the clients what they are really saying is that they don’t value their health or aren’t motivated enough to allocate their time to making the commitment.
So your job is to build up their confidence by giving them small changes to make one at a time to build momentum and confidence.
Almost All Objections Come Down To Emotions
- Not FEELING the value or the benefit of the program and how it will specifically help them get what they want.
- Lack of confidence and the disbelief that they can actually achieve their goals.
- Fear that they will fail, repeat the same mistakes and give up feeling comfortable.
When you can identify these emotions and mindset challenges and overcome them by explaining how you will work through them, you ward off the objection before it’s even given to you.
Have you heard any other objections, and how did you handle them? Let me know in the comments.
