Handling and Anticipating Objections in Your Evergreen Funnel
I was on the hunt for a new bathing suit. As I looked through the racks, my brain was firing off objections left and right. Too pricey. Looks cheap. Wrong color. Wrong shape. There were a lot of reasons why I shouldn't buy certain swimsuits. Objections are a normal part of the buying process. Without them, you’d probably have a lot of buyer's remorse. As a business owner, anticipating objections is one of the best ways to boost your conversions. When you can handle objections well, you build trust, showcase the value of your offer, and convert more customers.
Way too many people leave objection handling out of their evergreen funnels. And it’s just one of the many reasons their funnels aren’t converting quietly behind the scenes.
What is Anticipating Objections and Objection Handling?
Anticipating objections is when you identify the reasons why someone wouldn’t want to buy. Objection handling is when you address those reasons in your content, messaging, or evergreen funnel.
Essentially, you’re not waiting until someone reaches out and says, “Is this worth the price?” or “I’m not sure this would work for me.” You’re jumping ahead. You know that as someone moves through your funnel, their brain is going to be firing off objections. You’re answering them before they bail and decide the offer isn’t right for them.
With a move toward more ethical marketing practices, there are sometimes questions about whether objection handling is ethical. Isn’t it pushy or manipulative? Not if you do it right. Lying? Making someone feel like shit for not choosing your offer? That isn’t ethical. But showing that you genuinely understand your audience and meeting them where they are is a basic part of marketing.
Why You Need to Address Objections in Your Email Funnels
99.9% of the time, your customers are not reaching out with their objections and giving you the opportunity to refute them. They're just closing out your sales page and ignoring your sales pitches. If you are not anticipating objections and handling them in your evergreen funnels, you’re losing people, and it can be hard to get them back.
Figuring Out Your Audience’s Objections
How do you actually know what objections your audience has? AKA, how can you anticipate their objections? Through market research. Too often, I have clients guess what their customers' objections are. And usually, they think it’s a price issue. But when we dig deep, we find that people are concerned about the time investment of the course, or they're worried a product won’t work for their specific needs.
Instead of making assumptions, actually get into your audience’s head with market research. Here are a few ways you can gather market research:
Surveys - Send a survey to your audience asking them specific questions related to your offer. One of them should be a way to gauge their objections. I create market research surveys for all of my clients, and I use the info we gather to craft their evergreen funnel.
Forums - Look through Reddit, Facebook groups, and other forums related to your niche. People vent their frustrations openly and honestly, so you might get some good insight.
Conversations - Refer back to your DMs and email replies. If you get asked a question more than once, that’s an objection waiting to be addressed.
Past Customers - Ask people who have already bought your course, membership, or product to provide feedback. Ask them what almost kept them from buying, and then why they made the leap. That kind of feedback is gold.
Objection Handling in Your Evergreen Funnel
Now that you’re anticipating objections, you need to handle them in your evergreen funnel. And timing matters. The sweet spot is typically after someone has entered your list (ie. downloading a freebie or attending a webinar), but before you’ve asked them to spend money. By front-loading the objection, you’re priming them for the sale.
Let’s look at some objection handling examples and how they might be used in an evergreen funnel.
Example: I don’t have time for this course.
Include an email in your funnel that shows them just how fast the course can be. Share a client story of someone who worked through the course in a week or a weekend, and began implementing right away. Emphasize different ways they can access the material (like via a private podcast), so they can learn and multitask. Or share why they don’t have time to wait. They can choose not to invest in the course, but what’s the time saracfice they make there? More spinning their wheels?
Example: I’ve tried this before, and it didn’t work.
Highlight your differentiator. While it might be similar to something they’ve tried before, you might have a method, process, or strategy that makes it different. Also, share case studies and testimonials from people who have been successful with your offer.
Example: It’s too expensive.
Explain the real value. What does it cost to not solve the problem? Share payment plan options or use a price anchor (like pricing tiers) to establish some context around the price. Share outcomes, transformations, or ROI.
You’ll never convert every person. That’s literally impossible. But by anticipating objections and addressing them in your funnel, you can move more people toward a conversion. Objection handling isn’t about convincing people to do something they don’t want to do. It’s about clearing the way for people who are interested but need a bit more trust and confidence to make a purchase.