What do you do if your client objects to your freelance proposal?

Actively listening when faced with objections is crucial. Allowing your client to express their concerns fully without interruption demonstrates respect and provides valuable insights into their priorities and pain points. By understanding the root of their objections, you can tailor your response more effectively and demonstrate your commitment to finding a solution that addresses their needs. This approach fosters better communication and increases the likelihood of reaching a mutually satisfactory resolution.

Focus on interest, not position. The art of active listening requires both internal and external skills. Internal skill refers to listening without judgment and assumption. External skill refers to competency such as paraphrasing, enquiry and emotion tagging.

Try to find out what the points are that are unsettling your customer. Make a list of these points and ask yourself in advance what information you already have on each individual point. So do you already know what exactly is bothering your customer? Why is he reluctant? Work your way from point to point and find arguments as to why the customer's worries and concerns are unfounded at each point. Explain to the customer why you can solve these points and how.

Once we've listened, the next thing we do is to summarize. How do we know we've done the right summary? That's when the counterpart responds to your summary by saying "That's right!" In terms of handling concerns, be open about it. Listen, acknowledge, clarify (probe) and offer your suggestion.

Relate your product to their benefit using FAB Statement: Feature- What the product has [We have] Advantage- How is it different from the rest [The good thing is] Benefit- What benefit does it bring [So that you can] Example: We have 50mm foam in our shoes. The good thing is its durability and comfort while you're running, so that you can run longer without any pain or injury.

Negotiation is about being flexible. Be prepared to offer alternative solutions or concessions. The focus should be to solve their problem- it may or may not be using your initial offer.

Rapport helps in shutting down their internal voice. When we are negotiating, there could inner voices in their head such as thinking what's for lunch, thinking your product is expensive... or even thinking what's their plan during the weekend. To combat this, rapport and active listening are 2 important skills. When rapport is there, it creates familiarity and connection between two parties.