Handle objections and close 13 of 15 in this group
SOP 111
Handle I've been burned before
What this page is for. Use it when a prospect says they have been burned before, or that they tried something like this already and it did not work. It carries where this objection sits, why delivery matters with it, what it sounds like, and the one close given for it, with the comparison that goes with it.
SOP-111-Handle-Ive-been-burned-before.md
1. Where this objection sits
Here the prospect blames bad experiences with other products, so it sits with the objections that blame other people. SOP 99 — Classify an objection, section 5, also lists "I've been burned before" under other people, as trust or skepticism. Put another way: other people have burned them in the past.
2. Why delivery matters here
People who blame others for avoiding a decision can be a pain to deal with. But it is said to be totally doable.
Delivery. A lesson here, learned over the years: the way you deliver a message counts as much as what it says. Even a perfect script flops unless you have big rapport and the right tone.
The aim. They are not the prisoners they make themselves out to be. So if you can get them to laugh at how silly it is to blame others, and to see that they really can make decisions for themselves, you will get a genuine close. The close below is a humorous way to point this out.
3. What it sounds like
- "I've been burned before…"
- "I tried something like this already and it didn't work."
4. Don't let it burn you twice
What you say, in order.
- Your reservations are understandable. If the same thing happened to me, I'd feel the same way.
- But maybe this is worth thinking about. If you don't do this, then you let that bad decision burn you twice.
- It burned you once when you made the bad investment. It burns you twice if that bad decision stops you from making a good one.
The comparison. It would be like having a bad eighth-grade boyfriend or girlfriend, and deciding from that one that men are not for you. Or deciding that all coaches are bad. There are good coaches and bad coaches. There are crazy men and crazy women, and there are good ones too.
The line to end on. The only thing worse than a bad investment is letting it block a good one. Don't let that bad decision burn you twice.
5. What this page does not decide for you
- What to do if they still say no after this close. Not established on this page. The general closes are SOP 101 — Run the general closes. How many closes to learn is covered in SOP 100 — Run the reason close, section 5.
6. The checklist
| Part | What you do |
|---|---|
| Delivery | Build rapport and get the tone right; delivery matters as much as the script |
| "I've been burned before" or "I tried something like this" | Their reservations are understandable; you would feel the same |
| The turn | It burned you once; it burns you twice if it stops a good decision |
| The comparison | One bad eighth-grade partner; good and bad coaches |
| The aim | They laugh at blaming others, and see they can decide for themselves |
7. What this page does not cover
The spouse or partner is SOP 104 — Handle the spouse or partner. How to sort an objection into its kind is SOP 99. Closes for a prospect who blames their own preferences are SOP 112 — Handle I don't like this specific thing.
Terms defined on this page
- Burned-before objection
- Blaming past bad experiences with other products, such as having tried something similar that failed. It belongs with the objections about other people, and is really about trust or doubt.