When an agent hears an objection in the sales process, they often react like deer caught in the headlights: they freeze in terror, moving only at the last second before the buyer or seller runs them over.

Often agents will view an objection as a big wall between them and the sale, a wall so tall that they can see no way around, over, under, or through. But objections are really like a two- to three-foot-high picket fence. They have lots of openings. You can climb over them or walk down the fence’s length and find the gate.

An unskilled salesperson fears hearing an objection, but a great salesperson views objections as opportunities. Your mental approach to an objection will determine your success or failure.

A great salesperson knows that most objections result from one of two situations. The seller or buyer has legitimate concerns regarding the property or about your abilities to make the sale happen.

The first situation is regarding the concerns of the property, which is usually price based. The seller usually feels that their home is worth more than the marketplace or more than you would recommend.

This is your signal to go back to the price. Re-explain the importance of proper pricing. Show him that he will be the highest bidder for his home. Remove the emotion from the discussion and look at the facts. The more emotion you allow into the discussion the higher the price the seller will want. You must have conviction and belief in your price. It is imperative you show that when handling objections effectively. Remember this is your opportunity to overcome the concern and then ask for the order again. Every objection is an opportunity to close. Great agents clearly view objections as opportunities.

The second situation is the seller’s concern about your abilities. This objection stems from your presentation and conviction. When this arises a great agent will go back and focus on their track record. They will focus on telling the seller about their ability to get the job done. Once they have done that they will ask for the agreement from the seller. This can be done many ways. I often used a question such as, "Do you believe I can sell your home?" If they said yes, I ask for the order. If they said no, I asked the most important and powerful word in sales, "why?" It allowed me to get to the bottom line of the objection.

There are about forty possible objections you will encounter in real estate. You can learn to counter them all.

If you wrote them all down and practiced them for half an hour a day for the next six months, you would know them automatically. You would be prepared for any situation in selling. You would then have the confidence to say, "Bring them on; I am ready for them."

Pro teams like the Denver Broncos spend four to six hours a day practicing football. Then they review films and study their play books. They spend more time preparing for a game than playing the game. There’s a lesson in that.

How skilled in sales would you be if you adopted that regimen? How about if you practiced even one hour a day on your skills at overcoming objections? You would become an unstoppable real estate sales person.

Practice being successful daily, and you will be amazed at your progress in as little as 30 days.

Published: April 28, 1999

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Editor's Note: This article reflects the opinions of Dirk Zeller only and not necessarily the views of this or any other publication, organization or Website owner.

Dirk Zeller is a sought out speaker, celebrated author and CEO of Real Estate Champions. His company trains more than 350,000 Agents worldwide each year through live events, online training, self-study programs, and newsletters. The Real Estate community has embraced and praised his six best-selling books; Your First Year in Real Estate, Success as a Real Estate Agent for Dummies®, The Champion Real Estate Agent, The Champion Real Estate Team, Telephone Sales for Dummies®, Successful Time Management for Dummies®, and over 300 articles in print. To learn more regarding this article, please visit www.realestatechampions.com.