photo: Ville Pirttilahti

Blocking

In traditional martial arts, a lot of training and emphasis is spend on training blocking techniques. These can be trained in forms (alone, without an actual attack), with training partners following set patterns, or in a sparring environment where the movement and attacks are free.

At first, the emphasis is on the outer form and the track of the block, where you will try to imitate your instructor’s movements. You get a feeling of contact and try to build your balance against the attack. Sometimes, the block is more like a hit against the attack and sometimes you try to use the power of the attack to your advantage and move into a better position for your next attack.

Block your sales objections

In sales, a block is your answer to the sales objection or a critical question that your customers asks from you. The customer is trying to find your weak spot and see if what you are offering is really solving a problem for her. She might have got insights of your product/service from your competitor, have previous experience of similar solutions or she has been doing a research of information on her own. You have to be prepared for all of these and train at your home dojang (training place) for upcoming attacks.

Training blocking techniques require discipline. You have to have your mind into them or you will not get much out of the training. The form is given to you and you have to follow it and trust your instructor on his expertise. He will try to correct your movement with vague explanations and modify your movement to follow a certain track. With repetition, you will learn to control your body and become quicker to perform the block with better balance. As with everything else, the timing of the block is crucial. Even if everything else is in balance, the form looks great and the track is perfect, you will get hit without mastering the timing of your block. But still, beginners worry too much about the timing and try to come up with excuses of why this time, the timing wasn’t the best. One shouldn’t concentrate too much on the timing in the beginning, because that is more of an inner skill than a physical skill. The timing will come with a lot of repetition and with the development of the physical form of the movement. Perfect timing for a block comes “from the feeling” not from reaction to an attack.

Too few salespeople take the time to train for sales objections properly. Even if you have mastered the particular sales objection last time, it is wise to train for it again. How did we get into that situation? What was the real purpose of that question? Have our competitors found a new approach that challenges our solution and is considered to be better? When you can trust your knowledge and you have readymade proven answers to sales objection, you will be more comfortable in a tougher conversation with your customer. When you have many tested answers to the common sales objections, you can choose the one that fits the best for the situation. The more you prepare yourself with these basic questions and answers, the easier it is for you to keep your concentration on the more important signals, those that will result in making a deal with your customer. Don't spend too much energy on unimportant parts of the sales conversation.

The purpose of the block is to keep you unharmed and improve your position in the fight, moreover to stop the attack before it hits you. The attacker often uses more energy than you with the block. The same goes with a sales conversation. Answering simple sales objections, should be easy for you and you should have practiced the answers before entering the meeting. The more you practice, the better timing and better answers you will provide, when being asked the questions you already know. With this solid foundation, you are more prepared and don’t spend too much energy on the less important questions of the sales conversation Whenever you have time, go through in your head the basic questions your customers have asked you and try to prepare more answers with more versatile approach. Ask from your colleagues and manager, what kind of sales objections have they encountered and how have they answered them. Mastering the basics is the foundation of success.

photo: Seppo Iivonen

Read:

Part 1 of to evade, block or counter