Month: February 2025

In this short episode, Lance Tyson breaks down the key buying signals that indicate a deal is ready to move forward. From verbal cues to behavioral patterns, we’ll show you how to spot, interpret, and chase these signals effectively. Learn how to engage buyers at the right moment, avoid missed opportunities, and turn interest into closed deals. If you’re looking to sharpen your ability to recognize and act on buyer intent, this episode is a must-listen!

Lance is the bestselling author of Selling Is An Away Game and The Human Sales Factor. You can purchase these books at Tyson Group.

Be sure to sign up for Lance’s LinkedIn newsletter here.

Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! https://www.tysongroup.com/podcast

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Reading The Signs: Spotting Buying Signals That Close Deals

Understanding Buying And Warning Signals

Think about this for a second. There are three concepts that are in selling, and most people don’t have a strong conviction of what they are. There are buying signals, something you observe that could be a buying signal. Luke says, “I notice buying signals. When I do, I chase.” I go, “Correct, Luke, at some level.” Anybody here have dogs? Anna, you’re shaking your head immediately. What kind of dog you got?

A purebred Beagle.

I got a Beagle. We have a lot in common. I got a purple dog and a Beagle. The Beagle has some energy.

Some energy and stubbornness.

That’s another spirit animal right there, so is mine. I don’t know if anybody has a dog like this or ever observed a dog where you have a tennis ball in your hand, fake throw it, and the dog takes it halfway across the field but you still have it in your hand. What you can’t do with some leads is chase a fake thrown ball. You’ve got to be able to observe a real buying signal, which then flips over to say, “I’ve got to know what a warning signal is in a sale.”

They come with definitions so I’m going to go over them in a second. If you know the difference between those two and how to address it, you’ve got to know what a buying objection is. There are categories of different things. If you get anything from me at all, it’s these definitions. If I was physically sitting across from Adam, crossing my arms like that, would you say it’s a buying signal or a warning signal?

Warning.

I could just be cold. If I was sitting across from Adam and I was going like this, or you’re on a Zoom call and going like this, what would you say that is?

Buying. The gears are turning.

Could be interested. Could be gone. I need shade. At this point, we’ve got to be careful of being these pundits on TV when somebody gives a speech and we’re going, “Somebody’s delivery means blah, blah, blah.” It’s a freaking guess. All you guys can do is guess. We all have contribution bias in sales. Contribution bias is when we look for the factors that make our case. The contributing factors that make your case. That’s what you look for. You should, at some level.

A buying signal is anything the buyer says or does or doesn’t say or do that would indicate a level of interest. I’ll say it again because it’s the opposite. It’s anything a buyer says or does or doesn’t say or do that would indicate interest. I’ve had salespeople that do a presentation. Let’s say I’m presenting to Baker and he doesn’t have any questions. He’s like, “It sounds pretty good.” I could say they’re buying signals but on the flip side, your other side should say, “He had no questions. He’s just being nice.” You’ve got to find a way to test those things.

Buying Signals: A buying signal is anything the buyer says or does or does not say or do that would indicate a level of interest.

You would all agree if you’re talking to somebody on the phone that this makes it exponentially harder. Yes or no? If you’re doing this and you can’t see anybody or you’re not face to face, it’s exponentially harder. Let’s go to a warning signal. What’s a warning signal? It’s the opposite. It’s anything a buyer says or does or doesn’t say or do that would indicate disinterest. They’re fair definitions. It’s easy to follow. How do you remedy?

Asking Questions That Solicit Opinions

The only way to remedy this is to ask a question that would solicit an opinion. That’s your only move. You have no other move. Think of it like a hypodermic needle. You’re inputting something or extracting something. That’s all trial closes. Everybody thinks this trial closes is this big spot in the sale. No. A trial close is a question that solicits an opinion. Too many times, we get so caught up in pitching that we don’t solicit opinions.

Say I’m talking to Luke and we’ll go with Adam’s example. Say I’m pitching these club seats and Luke’s acting like he’s interested. “Luke, on a scale from 1 to 7, how interested are you in this new club level?” Secondly, “Why would you do it? Why wouldn’t you do it?” I would ask a fully baked question like that because I would want to see where he goes.

Number one, I’d ask a question 1 to 7 because statistically, somebody won’t pick a middle number if you go up to 7. We have a data person who works with us on our team and says if you want the real stats, go 1 to 7, not 1 to 5. For some reason, when you go as high as seven, nobody picks a middle number. I also said, “Why would you do it? Why wouldn’t you do it?” However Luke would answer that question, chances are Luke will go positive before he goes negative.

Remember, two of you said, “I keep following up with somebody until they say no or stop calling me.” Let’s look at the behavior that’s pretty consistent across the board. Most people would rather not deliver bad news to you. It’s easier to ignore you and make you go away. If you ask the Rocks team, 9 times out of 10, when they pitch, somebody will say to them, “Great presentation.” They’ll go, “Great presentation. That’s the kiss of death. Do you know why? Who says your presentation sucked? Nobody.” They’re always going to say you had a great presentation. You’ve got to reverse and say, “What are some things that concern you?” You’ve got to go the opposite with it.

Let’s see if they answer 1 to 7. Let’s see what they like. If they say what they like, I can immediately flip it over and go, “What are some of your concerns?” If they start with some of the concerns, I can attack it. What’s probably happening with some of you, I’m not saying all the time and I’m not saying you don’t think about this, but sometimes you don’t go there because you’d rather not go to the friction. Nobody gravitates to friction.

If you go back to Adam’s example, when people are going to make a decision on committing to you for 1 year, 2 years, or 3 years for clubs, they’re going to do a pros and cons list in their head. “Here are all the reasons I should. Here are all the reasons I shouldn’t. That’s where you have to get their opinion.” That’s how people make decisions ultimately. You all make decisions that way. “Why should I do it? Why shouldn’t I do it?” Plus, minus, pros, cons. It’s like a weighted thing.

Episode Wrap-Up And Discussion Summary

I’m talking about what’s obvious to you but the magic is how do you facilitate a conversation that gets buying and warning signals or an objection? The last definition is a buying objection. Remember, a buying objection only comes after you pitch something. I’m going to go over these concepts ten times with you. This will be the first time of multiple times you know this. I’m just talking to you. I’m not even training you. We’re just talking.

A buying objection is anything a buyer says or does or doesn’t say or do that hesitates them from moving forward with the sale. You only technically get a buying objection after you pitch something. Anything prior to that is a put-off. They can only object to something they can buy if you’ve never pitched something they can’t object. You’ve got to think about it.

Buyers can only object to something they can buy if you have never pitched something they cannot object to.

We’re talking about very tactical things here. We’re talking about your brutal truths, follow-up, getting out objections, adjusting to what they want versus what we assume they want, and weighing out leads. Who’s worth following? Who’s not? That’s a hard decision because you could miss, and we have. It’s all those time management things. How do you create a little constructive tension sometimes into a sale? Not that you become a jerk or anything because we don’t want you to be that. We want you to have good people skills and good manners. Ultimately, we want to have a decent relationship with the people we do business with.

Important Links

Lance Tyson on LinkedIn Lance Tyson on Instagram Tyson Group on Facebook

In this short episode, we dive into the art and science of handling objections—a skill every sales professional needs to master. Learn how to turn resistance into rapport, uncover hidden opportunities in challenging conversations, and navigate objections with confidence and finesse. Whether you’re facing tough clients or complex deals, these proven techniques will help you stay in control and close more effectively. Tune in and take your sales game to the next level!

Lance is the bestselling author of Selling Is An Away Game and The Human Sales Factor. You can purchase these books at Tyson Group.

Be sure to sign up for Lance’s LinkedIn newsletter here.

Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! https://www.tysongroup.com/podcast

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Listen to the podcast here

In-Sights: The Best Time To Handle Objections? Before They Arise

The Science of Handling Objections: Strategies That Close Deals

Let’s look at the marketplace first. You do a lot of studies. Usually in the market, you’ll hear things about the cost of doing something’s too high, the cost of owning something’s too high, and the argument from sales as the cost of not doing it might be as high. What’s interesting about value is value is perceived. Anytime somebody objects about budget, that always seems most legit. Budgets are usually based on a past number. It usually is a timeframe and it means people are involved in the decision-making of prices.

The Predictable Way To Look At Objections

Budget is a decision-making process all in that’s a marketplace rejection. The last thing is the price. Price is the price. What’s interesting about capitalism is the price is what’s there regardless. The marketplace is an uncanny way of getting rid of products and services that don’t meet standards. That’s where price comes into play. As we look further into this, we have to have a predictable way that we look at objections.

Prices are capitalism’s uncanny way of getting rid of products and services that do not meet standards.

If we’re talking about objections in this episode, we’re going to talk about negotiation in the next seminar. One of the things we need to ask ourselves is, “When is the best time to ever deal with an objection?” Your choices comes up after somebody says something. The best time to deal with an objection is before it ever comes up. That means it’s baked into your process.

My mentor, Sami Iorio, was the greatest at dealing with objections before it ever came up in his speeches and the way he would prep for things. He would make comments that would in a way put a buyer on their heels a little bit. I’m pulling a text up from one of these guys who used to work with him. He used to say things. Remember the time he was selling to a big pharmaceutical company?

I’m sitting next to him. Before we started, he said to the decision-makers or the senior management, “Before I can get into help you, I need you to know that what we’re going to suggest is going to push your budget because it’s something you didn’t budget for. It’s going to be very inconvenient for your supervisors because what we’re suggesting is going to take them off the job site or production floor.” I looked at him and said, “That one line deal with that objection before it came up was unbelievably effective.”

That’s strategy. Before you go there, you have to understand what was behind Sam’s recommendation. In my book, Selling Is An Away Game, we talk about a very collapsible, predictable sales process. It’s a sales process that probably fits in a lot of spots. I’m not saying this is your process but hear me out. It follows a visit to an orthopedic surgeon or a dentist’s office. When you go to a dentist, doctor, or surgeon, you need to connect with somebody. They have credibility, were suggested, and referred to.

Selling Is An Away Game: Close Business And Compete In A Complex World

You walk into a doctor’s office and the nurse practitioner, assistant, or whoever it is, or PA evaluates you. The connect is they look at your insurance and qualify you, who you are, your name, and all your contact information. That’s the connect step. You identify who you’re going to deal with the provider and then they verify who you are. When you get in the office, there’s an evaluation done by a nurse, nurse practitioner, or whoever it is.

I have a couple of people in my family. My niece, Madison, is going to be a nurse. One of my son’s girlfriends is going to be either a PA or nurse too. This is probably something they’re going to do in their life. They evaluate. Once that evaluation is done, they confirm your past and look to move to the future. The doc comes in and diagnoses you. From there, based on a wellness visit or sick visit, there’s a prescription made. That’s the evidence and advice.

After you get a prescription, say you’re going to get your shoulder done because you tore a labrum, there’s going to be a dialogue about the prescription like what PT you’re going to get, any painkillers, and whatever it looks like. You have to debate back and forth with the doc. Ultimately, you close and advance it. We call for level first with objections. Before you get an objection to what they say after you pitch, there’s another level of objections called Inherent Objections. They are built in and tied to each one of these steps.

A Balanced Approach To Selling

The goal is to have you understand them first. We have a secondary sales process we teach inside of all our sales processes called A Balanced Approach to Selling. If you look at 3:00 first, it takes into consideration the mindset of the buyer or prospect. If you want to sell John Brown what John Brown buys, you’re going to see things through John Brown’s eyes. You’ve got to see the inherent objection that you can deal with.

There’s a strategy tied to that. What are you trying to accomplish? What are the overarching goals? What tactics would you use? What skills would you need? Brandon Lawrence, who’s on my team is one of our Senior Director of Business Development. He and I are on a call with an executive of major league baseball. She was very lukewarm, if not cold, at best. If you got out of there, it felt that we didn’t establish credibility but it was a cold call.

If we’re going into her and you look at that first connect step, her mindset for us is she’s preoccupied. We had to say or do something to get her out of her preoccupation. She’s probably asking herself, “Why the heck am I even meeting with these people?” Brandon and I both had to engage her in a conversation and get her to acknowledge that we were somebody worth listening to. There’s the rapport and credibility.

Were we able to move it to the next step? Yes. If you were reading the buying and warning signals thing she was doing, it seemed like a hell of a lot more warning signals and buying signals. We didn’t employ tactics as a good sales starter. We had to use impact statements where we were talking about other organizations we did business with. We had to facilitate the call. That’s called a white speak statement.

The first objection is she’s preoccupied. We need this when we’re prospecting, opening calls, and presenting. We have to get our buyers or audience over a level of preoccupation. That’s an inherent objection number one. Remember, before we can talk about objections when you present, you have to know the inherent objections that are there. That’s why the sales process is there.

Let’s look at step two. Back to the bounce stock selling, we’re in the evaluate step. If you go to 3:00, the mindset is that the buyers are disinterested. If you’ve ever asked buyers questions in the beginning, they were pretty enthusiastic about answering your questions. As you went forward, they stopped being enthusiastic and participating. It’s probably because your questions weren’t interesting.

If anybody ever told you there’s no bad and stupid question, that’s a lie. There are stupid and bad questions. Especially if you’re not thinking of your audience and you have that kind of EQ, that’s an issue. As you ask questions, you go through a needs assessment and opportunity analysis. The strategy would be to ask questions for the buyer to paint a picture of their ideal scenario.

Most salespeople ask questions like a lawyer leading a witness in court. They ask questions that are good for them, not necessarily the good of the buyer.

Most salespeople ask questions that are like leading the witness if you were in court. They ask questions that are good for them but not necessarily good for the buyer’s tactics. You have to understand the gap. Secondly, you have to create the right environment for asking questions. If you do want to be good at resolving objections or negotiating, facilitating is at play at all times. What skills do you need there? You’ve got to be a strategic thinker and an active listener.

Important Links

Selling Is An Away Game Lance Tyson on LinkedIn Lance Tyson on Instagram Brandon Lawrence on LinkedIn