If you haven't watched Eminem in "8 Mile" I suggest turning off your computer and praying your Roku TV lasts long enough for you to find it online—because without having seen it, you might find yourself lost in this blog. Or perhaps you're clever enough to keep up, though I doubt you'd be here if that were the case… but who knows?
So, let's cut to the chase. Why am I talking about a Detroit rapper who made millions before I was even out of diapers? And why do we care enough to dedicate an entire blog to him? Why does he even have a movie? Well, let me tell you… It's all about objection handling. When you're facing a prospect, you're very much like a young Eminem in a rap battle. How, you ask? Let me explain. These prospects know every possible objection, thanks to years of experience with less-than-stellar salespeople. But if you can preemptively address these objections, your chance of winning greatly increases. It's crucial to remember that these prospects have taken time out of their day to sit down with YOU because they believe you can solve a problem they have. So why not clear the air of any BS as soon as possible? This allows for a genuine conversation to begin, placing you both on an even playing field.
How does one accomplish this? Well, if prospects are conditioned to raise the same objections, why offer them the same pitch? This is a lesson Eminem learned after watching many others fail before him, and it's a strategy my business partner and I have seen work time and again after years in the game.
Eminem, given 45 seconds and the chance to go first, already had a better starting position than most cold callers, who get about 7 seconds and lack catchy rhymes. You're interrupting their day, after all.
Some lines from his battle demonstrate how Eminem effectively neutralized his opponent's firepower from the start, ensuring any later attempts to use the same attacks would seem unintelligent and unaware. Similarly, you can preempt objections in the sales process.
"(I already know everything he's about to say against me… I am white, I am a f***ing bum, I do live in a trailer with my mom)"
"(I do got a dumb friend named Cheddar Bob who shoots himself in his leg with his own gun)"
"(I did get jumped by all 6 of you chumps)"
But this approach must be executed correctly, or you'll end up looking like a Fisher-Price version of Eminem.
So, to take a step back, let me explain the rationale behind this blog. Everyone has their own view of the sales process, but here's mine: It's a BATTLE. Every word your prospect says can either arm you or fortify their defenses, so navigate the conversation carefully, unlike the Titanic's course.
Here's an example from when I attend channel partner tech events to grow my business face-to-face. In layman's terms, my business is a B2B go-to-market growth partner—we essentially secure qualified meetings for your sales reps, ensuring they always have a full pipeline.
How a novice or uninspired sales rep might approach a potential client:
"Hey sir, I work for Exodus Sales Collective. We do lead generation for companies like yours. Do you have a second?"
Wrong. You've just revealed your entire hand without even inquiring about them.
Instead, here's how you should "8 Mile" them:
Conner: "Hi, sir. I think I've seen your company around but can't recall where. Could you tell me more about what you do?"
Prospect: "We do A, B, C, and sometimes D."
Conner: "Awesome, that's what I thought. And remind me again, Mr. Prospect, where does most of your business come from? Mainly internal BDRs, the channel, or do you get a lot of inbound?"
Prospect: "Well, we do some stuff internally and have tried some external lead gen companies, but nothing really panned out. It was expensive and hardly had any ROI. We mainly rely on past relationships."
This prospect just dropped a lot of ammo for me. Now, I just need to pick it up correctly.
Conner: "Oh yeah, I've heard a lot of horror stories about outsourced lead gen… What were you guys even paying for that? And don't tell me they weren't US-based. :("
Prospect: "Yeah, we paid like $400 a meeting, and it was some firm out of India."
The prospect just gave me my ammo. Now it's time to "8 Mile" this and navigate effectively.
Conner: "No way, $400 a meeting and it's not US-based... Well, Mr. Prospect, I know you've been burned before, but my company, Exodus, does essentially the same thing. The only difference is we actually deliver results, and oh yeah, we're more expensive." cracks a smile "I have countless case studies with companies you probably know, like Vonage, RingCentral, and we just started helping Apple with market research, just to name a few."
Now the prospect sees I'm the real deal. He's going to have a lot of questions, but as a busy man with clients to meet, women blowing up my phone, and crypto charts to read, I can't spend all day in the hallway. I've essentially shown him I have the key to the door he's been trying to open, and he's not going to get it here. So, I'll make him pull out his calendar and schedule a meeting. If I've pitched correctly, he should go to bed thinking of Exodus.
Returning to the beginning, these prospects wouldn't be on a sales call with you unless they had a problem. Once you've addressed all their objections from the start, leaving them with little to nothing negative to say about your product, it's your turn to collect ammo. But don't be basic with questions like, "
So, Scott, what problems are you currently facing?" A much better approach is to give them options. No one wants to outright state their problems; that's what therapists are for. A better way is to say, "So, Scott, obviously you're on this call for a reason. Our company typically helps our clients with A, B, C, and D, and sometimes E, but I won't bring that up unless you do." This opens the door for you and your prospect to connect on a new level, establishing that you've already helped others in their situation and preemptively addressing any doubts they might have.
I hope this helps all the sales killers out there, and maybe even turns a few of you into one. If you have questions or want to debate the topic, message me on LinkedIn or email me at conner@exodussalescollective.com.
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