emPower Breakfast Lincoln
Chris was the featured speaker at the October breakfast, with a short, practical session on handling objections: You Are Capable of More: Handle Objections to Achieve Success.
Lincoln, over breakfast.
The emPower Breakfast has been bringing people together for 25 years, and the Lincoln breakfast carries the same simple idea: a monthly morning where small business owners and operators get to know each other and connect with the larger businesses and agencies around them. It is public and non-membership, so anyone can come, and the presentations are not sales pitches.The rooms stay intentionally small enough that you could meet everyone if you tried, the morning moves quickly, and it finishes on time. The Lincoln breakfast is hosted at the Talon Room, 230 N 12th Street in downtown Lincoln, and led by Area Director Chris Blum, who brings three decades of nonprofit experience from across the United States and has served the Lincoln community since 2014.Handle Objections to Achieve Success
A short, practical look at what to do when someone says no.
Almost everything worth having sits on the other side of an objection, whether that is a customer weighing a price, a client who says to send some information and then goes quiet, a good hire who is hesitating over an offer, or the quiet voice that says this is not the right time to ask. Most of us answer those moments faster than we understand them, and the conversation ends before it ever really starts.
This session slows that exchange down by one beat. It is drawn from the You Are Capable of More sales material, and in the fifteen to twenty minutes he had on the agenda Chris stayed on the part that travels furthest: the LAARC method, five moves that hold up whether the objection comes from a buyer, a candidate, a partner, or from you. The room got stories, a few familiar moments, and something to try in the very next conversation.
Listen
All the way to the end, without building the rebuttal while they talk.Acknowledge
Say back what you heard so they know it landed.Ask
Objections are an onion. The first answer is rarely the real one.Respond
To the actual concern underneath, not the sentence on the surface.Confirm
Check that it is resolved before moving on. Most people skip this.LAARC has been published by LeadingAge Illinois in its annual conference program and written up by Cisive and NAHCR. See the framework.
What you can take back to work.
Doors at 7:10, out by 9:30.
Schedule as published by the Lincoln emPower Breakfast.
Feedback from the rooms he speaks in.
Chris’ presentation at the Lincoln emPower Breakfast was succinct, practical and easy to implement for everyone in the room. We all deal with objections in our daily lives both professionally and personally and this presentation gave us a simple tool to use. My only question is “how well does it work on teenagers?”. I am grateful that Chris shared his talent with us at our breakfast.
Having Chris Sund as a Sarpy County emPower Breakfast speaker was a breath of fresh air. Before I heard him I thought, “nice title, I wonder if he’ll deliver any new ideas.” He was amazing! He brought up all the things that make us a little crazy and gave us new ways of handling objections. I would always be happy to recommend Chris.
Having started a brand new role in Business Development recently, the timing was perfect. Chris is a great story teller and shared how he was persistent and determined to get what he wanted in his career. I found the focus on “the pause” and how we speak resonated and caused me to pause. Tone, words and even our body language while listening all lead us to the next conversation.
You Are Capable of More.
You Are Capable of More is the bestselling book the session comes from, with ten principles for closing the gap between who you are right now and who you are capable of becoming.Chris brought copies to Lincoln and signed them after the breakfast. Teams that want the ideas to stick often pick up a few for the office.
Winner, How-To Category2026 Paris Book Festival
Bring This to Your EventBook Chris for your event.
Chris speaks on sales, leadership, and personal development for business and community audiences. Check availability and receive a customized proposal.