One of the goals of tennis players is to serve the ball so perfectly that the opponent can’t hit the ball back—that’s called an ace. Prospecting is very similar, in that you want to serve up a talk/email track so compelling that your prospect must accept it and say yes to a meeting.
But much like tennis, every serve can’t be an ace; every prospecting pitch doesn’t immediately land a net-new meeting. Tennis involves hitting the ball back and forth until you win the point, and prospecting is handling each objection until you win the meeting.
Having listened to my clients make prospecting calls for the past 25 years, the objections from prospects really haven’t changed. Here’s a list of some I’m sure you’re currently hearing along with some helpful information and suggested responses (noted by italics).
I’m Not Interested
When prospects tell you they’re not interested, it’s because you weren’t interesting. If they or their competitors use your product or service and you present them with a clear, concise delivery of your opening script, they’ll be interested.
“Let me be clearer. I help companies create profitability by identifying cost-reduction recommendations of your technology. I can’t fix every aspect of your business expenses but when it comes to (issue/problem), I’m the answer. That’s why I want to come in to show you exactly how it’s worked successfully for (industry colleague) and can for you. How’s Tuesday the 15th at 9:45?”
I Already Have a Vendor
“When you bring another vendor into the mix, two things happen. One, your current vendor must address price or customer service to keep you as a client. Two, you may discover that we complement your technology and upcoming strategic initiatives including compliance and profitability, and we’re able to lower your costs while providing your firm with more customized solutions. So either way, you win. I’m committed to the opportunity of sharing this information with your firm and was hoping to meet at your offices Tuesday the 15th at 9:45 for a collaborative conversation.”
We Don’t Make Decisions Here; They’re Made by Headquarters
“Many of our customers have their HQ elsewhere and we’ve found that much of the control is local, as it should be, for better response times and support. Does your corporate headquarters allow for local decision making?”
The Owner/President/CEO Isn’t Interested in Changing How We Do Things
“Understandable, your firm already acquired technology, and evaluating new opportunities to drive compliance, security and profitability may not be on the table today.
Can I ask at what time during your fiscal year does evaluating your technology become a priority?
I’m sure you’d agree that it would benefit you to have my dealership come in, on my dime, and look at how you’re accomplishing these tasks. We’d also bring best practices and ideas about how other like-minded businesses are accomplishing their goals across the country. We could help you better deliver an argument with your current vendor to reduce pricing or provide better customer service.
You may also find that what we’re offering can complement what you’re accomplishing and not change it, but improve it.”
How Expensive Is This Technology?
For this objection, I explain how the technology is scalable, and the cost depends on what functions they’re looking for, which is why I offer a free analysis.
“We’ve consistently found, with each of our clients, that the technology is not only inexpensive, but also creates profit, allowing you to continue to build your business. So more work is completed during the business day without having to add to your employee count.
It doesn’t cost anything to have me come in and show you how your colleagues across the country and the state are accomplishing their goals. Let me at least do that for you, and if we decide to take this to the next step, that would be my pleasure.”
We’re All Set With How We Do Things
This is usually followed by the person hanging up, and I know it’s because they weren’t listening correctly. I don’t take it personally, but I also don’t call back and say “I think we got disconnected” because we both know that’s not what happened. What I do is give it a week and then go after them by email, or I find an additional point person at the same company.
We Already Have a Company We Work with
Pretty much every company already has some sort of technology in place, so what I say is:
“Of course you do, but I haven’t yet sat down with a law firm that hasn’t wanted to understand what best-practice, cost-effective technology innovations and recommendations their colleagues are using to drive security, compliance and profitability.
I’d like to provide and share the same with you. Would (appointment date about three weeks out) work for me to come in and share this with you?”
We’re Very Busy/We Can’t Take People Away from Their Tasks to Perform This Evaluation
“That’s understandable. I can do this assessment on my dime and time. What we can help you with is getting more work done during the business day without having to add to your employee count. The fact that you might not have the manpower to accomplish all your tasks may mean that your technology has to step up. That’s what we do here at (your dealership name) and why I’d like to come in and provide you with a free analysis.”
We Already Have a Great Handle on That
“Understood, but just as you spend all day providing (industry product/service; for example, legal advice) to your clients, we spend all day, every day, finding new ways for (industry business; for example, law firms) to utilize technology so they can service more clients and understand what hundreds of other law firms are doing across the country to accomplish these goals.
Having these choices in hand might also be a better fit. With that framework, let me bring some new ideas to the table and show you how you can get a great handle on them.”
You Should Just Email Our Owner
You should meet with whichever contact is made available to you and create your recommendations—hopefully you uncover some cost savings. Then write to the owner via email:
“John, I’m writing because I’ve uncovered a bleed in your technology spend. I had the pleasure of working with your GM Bill Edwards and conducted an assessment of your current technology on my dime. It takes into account compliance, administrative efficiencies and profitabilitly goals for the firm, and I’ve uncovered cost reductions I could institute that will deliver (results of your efforts).
Bill suggested I reach out to you and coordinate a time when I can present these findings to you.”
We Recently Purchased It
“(Prospect’s name), I can’t tell you how impressed I am when a company knows the purchase dates for their technology hardware. It’s an important piece of technology infrastructure solutions, but not the only piece.
What I’d like to do is share how we can use the technology that’s already been invested in by your firm and find ways for that investment to reproduce additional dividends. This happens through software, processes and service offerings. Let me show you what we can do with what you’ve already paid for. which becomes an even bigger win for you.”
Please Send Me Information
“I have marketing materials, but I’ve found that it saves my clients a lot of time when I don’t send it. Here’s why: I’ll send the information, then you’ll open it, review it and may have a question. I’ll call you back to schedule a meeting and when I arrive, you’ll have to pull out the materials and remember your questions. We may be better served if I bring the materials with me, and if you have a question, I can answer it immediately. That’s how we work—when you have a problem, you get an immediate response and solution. So, how’s Tuesday the 15th at 3:45?”
Of course, the best objection is no objection; by addressing common, repeated objections before they happen and putting them in your prospecting conversations, you’ll have a better opportunity of winning the meeting. Here are a couple situations, using my company as an example.
We Already Have a Vendor/We Already Have Somebody Taking Care of This
“John, I was calling to be of service to the church. My firm works with over 68 other churches here in Tennessee, and all of them had a technology partner providing copiers and printers. What they found by bringing in Kingston Technology Group is that we understand how churches are trying to:
- Drive additional donations and secure their donation portals.
- Reproduce bulletins and download music in a more cost-effective way.
- Honor form 990 compliance.
- Use their CRMs to increase attendance at ministries and services while being more cost effective with their technology budget.
This is what they want from the right technology partner, and for the past 25 years, that’s been the Kingston Technology Group. I’d welcome the opportunity to share what other cyber-focused, congregation-driven churches are doing to accomplish their technology goals while controlling costs. Would it be OK if I stopped by the church on Tuesday the 15th at 9:45?”
We Recently Purchased a Copier
“I saw on your website that one of your initiatives is using the best technology to produce each of the five types of surfboards you make at Johnson’s Manufacturing. My firm currently supports 68 other manufacturers throughout Baltimore (cite examples), even if they have just acquired new business technology hardware, with:
- ISO and OSHA compliance.
- The right label technology for better warehouse management.
- Ensuring ECM version control and job traveler data access remotely during production runs.
- Digitizing actions such as bills of lading to reduce the order-to-cash process timeline.
Modern manufacturers know that the technology such as copiers are really the on-ramp to the digital highway. For the past 25 years, Kingston Technologies has ensured that manufacturers can drive that digital highway smoothly, so your information and data is always securely available.
That’s what competitive manufacturers are looking for in the right technology partnership. I’m committed to the opportunity of sharing this with the plant, and wanted to know if Tuesday the 15th at 9:45 would be OK for me to stop by?”
As noted earlier, prospecting and tennis have many similarities, including one person serving to the other. In our case, it’s serving a prospecting pitch to land an opportunity to talk with a potential client. The volley back and forth is the real game of tennis, and the volley of handling objections sometimes even before they happen is the game of prospecting.
What’s great about prospecting is both people win. We win a new client opportunity, and the client wins the chance to learn how our selling solutions for managed IT, cybersecurity, managed print services, ECM, digital signage, production print, unified communications and technology hardware and software can help them accomplish their business and strategic initiatives more effectively.
