"What things do customers say that GET ON YOUR NERVES?!"

I'm talking go to the locker room to take a moment. I'm talking tell your girls about it at the bar or after work. I'm talking ruin your mood for the next few sales. I'm talking gets you to walk away without getting paid. I'm talking go post about it on Twitter.

We asked this question a few weeks ago. The answer changes person-to-person.

The common thing? Everyone has them. There are moments at the club that take the wind out of your sails.

Here's the thing: there are definitely situations that demand a strong reaction. Someone trying to disrespect your boundaries. A personal attack from a stranger. Customers trying to skip out on payment. May the door hit these *ssholes on the way out.

But most of the answers above?

They're not attacks.

They're not inherently disrespectful.

They're not even mean.

They're just your customers, asking questions, giving you excuses, or being defensive about spending their money.

And yet, they GET ON YOUR NERVES. HOW DARE THEY.

...how dare you?!

They're here to pay you. They're here to give you their money

Accepting any objection, stall, or excuse as a reason to get upset, frustrated, and annoyed- running out of patience on the first try- these are all signs that you need to change your approach to customer objections now.

It's not just costing you money. It's costing you inner peace. That frustration carries over into every area of your life. That negativity can lose you sleep, friends, and happiness. It's like little needle-pokes.

You might get through a few without flinching; but when it hurts a little every time, enough needle pokes will keep you out of work, below your full potential, and out of reach from your happiness.

Solving their problems is how you get paid above and beyond the standard at the club. These are the in-roads into making big money from customers that are used to getting the same responses again and again from dancers:

"Alright, thanks for your time."

"Have a good night."

"Well, if you're broke go to a bar."

"Seriously?"

*Walks away*

"These guys are so cheap."

"There's no money out there."

*Sits by the bar complaining*

*Sits in the locker room going unpaid*

Those are the lines that should get on your nerves. The lines you tell yourself to walk away from opportunities to get paid, because you haven't learned how to deal with their objections. Today we're getting rid of those- and replacing them with responses that get you paid.

1.    Objections will happen. This is inevitable, a part of the business, and not a reflection of you. If you want to close more, stop getting emotionally caught up in them.

2.    Understand why they object. You’re not competing with your coworkers. You’re competing with every customer experience your customer has ever had, including negative ones, unpleasant ones , and downright scams. Objections are an opportunity to show your customer that you’re a pro, and that you’re on his side.

3.    Welcome to your job interview. That’s what you’re doing when you sit down in front of a customer and ask for his time and money. If you showed up to a job interview and they said “we’re not sure about you as a candidate,” would you walk out or explain why you deserve the position? If you believe in your ability to deliver a great experience to your customers, then the objection is not a reason to walk away.

4.    Find out what he’s really objecting to. Customers won’t usually tell you right away why they’re not buying. Whether it’s “you’re really, really, really not my type and nothing will change that” or “I already overspent last week and don’t even know if I can pay rent,” or “I will probably buy if you can convince me, but I want to see how you handle my pushback,” it’s your job to learn more. 

5.    Learn more by asking the right questions. “well, here’s a cheaper option” is not a question. It’s a price cut.  The most common way dancers respond to objections is by cutting price. Let’s get one thing straight: the issue is almost NEVER price. If he is out at the club, he has already imagined what it would take for him to spend his money.  He likely has a budget- and he likely will gladly go past that budget for an experience that goes beyond his expectations. What you don’t know is what his idea of a great experience is. If you get the answer to that, you will have a much easier time selling him on something.  

6.    Address his concerns. Treat them as seriously as if they were yours. After all, if he doesn’t buy, and then goes home with thousands of dollars in his pocket that could have been yours- well, that is certainly your issue. 

7.    Handle problems, don’t create them. You will never be paid as much for dancing as you will be paid for problem solving.

8.    I’ll repeat that, because it’s that important: you will never be paid as much for dancing as you will be paid for problem solving. Your customer is full of problems. He may not say all of them out loud. Your task is to identify them, maybe even before he does, and to resolve them. Doing this is one of the easiest ways to build rapport, and takes very little at the club.

9.    Check the stories you’re telling yourself. “that doesn’t work at my club,” “that’s not how my customers think,” “it wouldn’t make a difference.” You sure about those? The attitude you bring them is what they’ll deliver back to you.

10. Check your tone. Create a sense of trust and comfort for your customers, and you’ll be far more likely to get them over their objections. Lines alone will not do it for you.

Want to see these principles in practice? Keep going to break down 10 of the most common objections you've already heard at the club with specific scenarios, examples, resources, and evidence to back up this approach to sales: