A guy goes into a bookshop and asks the girl behind the counter: “Do you have that book called ‘Handling rejection without killing’?” I love that gag!

Buyers can have honest objections - valid reasons why your deal isn’t right for them. Not to be confused with the negotiation tactics they use to improve the deal. Objections don’t always mean rejection and it’s important to manage them well to get the most out of the situation.

Typically, objections arise when the customer says ‘no’. Obviously, the first step is to ask why not, but more than 50% of the time the first reason given is either not the real one or it’s only part of the truth. Buyers are guarded about sensitive reasons like cashflow or competitive contracts.

Communication skills are vital throughout the selling process, but never more than when you are faced with objections. Maybe you can’t convert the sale, but at least you will get better feedback on your proposition and, in the case of a failed close, you will know what you need to work on back at the ranch.

Recently, I found I needed a key for an antique lock. So I took the lock to a hardware shop and they sent it off to get me a quote. They called me after a week and said it couldn’t be done. I asked why. “Dunno,” he replied, “they just said it couldn’t be done”. This meant I genuinely didn’t know what to do - perhaps the lock really was broken beyond repair and there was no point in pursuing it further. Or maybe it was just that they didn’t have the right tool to fix it. I gently persuaded the shopkeeper to help, so he picked up the phone and asked the workshop why they had sent it back. “Ah, I see,” he turned to me. “It turns out that the locksmith has died.” Honestly! I took it to a different business and it’s now done. You see what I mean?

If you’re rejected, always make sure you find out and validate the reason the buyer has said ‘no’. There will normally be more to it. If there is more than one reason, get a sense of the priority. If you can’t then persuade or trade your way through this, at least you know the true reason why you did not succeed.

You can’t win ‘em all - a bit like the girl in that bookshop.