MODEL SALES SCRIPTS OBJECTION RESPONSES TO “SEND ME SOME INFO”, “WE ARE ALL SET”, “CALL ME BACK”, “I WILL MEET WITH YOU BUT CALL ME IN SIX WEEKS”, “TELL ME WHAT YOU DO” AND “I GET 20 CALLS LIKE THIS A DAY.”
In a previous article we summarized the six underlying phone scripts concepts you must understand to effectively respond to “sales objections” when appointment setting B2B over the phone. It is the death of inside sales teams if the sales reps don’t appreciate these six concepts.
1. You must overcome gravity.
2. What you hear are not substantively “sales objections”.
3. The reason most people don’t meet with you is that your sales scripts don’t give them enough reason to meet with you.
4. You must keep the sales conversation focused on your agenda.
5. Every word in your sales script counts.
6. It’s not only what you say, it’s how you say it.
One comment before we get into specific objection handling techniques. Keep in mind that when phone prospecting you should be working a process, not just making random calls rapidly in the mistaken belief that more call activity alone will lead to better results. Your lead generation process should be a distinct part of your overall successful sales process.
What you are really trying to do with your objection response scripts and the way you handle blow offs is to re-shuffle the cold calling deck in order of selling priority. You call to identify your best opportunities and set appointments with those that you have a reasonable shot of closing a deal with. You identify your no opportunity or low opportunity targets and ruthlessly discard them. In the middle you have various shades of gray and must prioritize your prospecting and appointment setting time. You seek to close on the highest possible sales step you can with every sales conversation. These closing and objection scripts will help you to achieve your sales objective.
Which leads us into a sales techniques preview of a future installment – Your “PLAN B” for how to handle blow off objections.
Reality is that most people will reject our request for a sales meeting, but that doesn’t mean that something very substantial and substantive can’t be accomplished with that sales conversation. Your objection and response scripts must anticipate that.
In the next article I tell you exactly what to do to accurately prioritize your prospects and how to build a solid foundation for future contact. You want a good solid relationship based upon respect, benefits, value and an appreciation of your abilities – without phone calls and without the cost of mailings.
Now, examples of top model responses to 6 common cold call objections.
1. OBJECTION HANDLING SCRIPT FOR RESPONDING TO THE “WE ARE ALL SET” BLOW-OFF.
This objection is sometimes expressed as “we have a vendor we love”, “we already have five vendors”, “we have a contract with 22 years left to run which is unbreakable”.
Reply: “That’s fine. Does that mean you are never going to look at new options, or could you suggest a time to call you in the future.”
Or try this, “That’s fine. Look, we wouldn’t expect anything to happen quickly anyway, that’s not the way it typically works in this industry. We do an awful lot of work with companies like Mega Corporation, International Amalgamated and Acme Intergalactic, and there are good reasons why companies like that decided to work with us. We would just be looking to introduce ourselves, give you some information on programs and service strategies that others have found valuable, and if in the future you are looking for options or a back-up vendor, we hope you think of us. Would that be worth 30 minutes of your time in the next few weeks?”
With the first phone script response you have virtually no chance of scoring a meeting as you have not provided additional benefits or asked to set an appointment. This short script response is best with someone who is gruff or appears very rushed.
With the second sales script, what you have done is lower their expectations and reassure them that you are not asking them to change.
You have established credibility by dropping names. Your phone script kept control of the conversation and asked for the meeting. If they say “no”, it’s on to plan B. If you are going to learn how to handle objections you must learn scripts & methods that keep you in control of your lead generation process. What the prospect says does not control how you handle objections, you control what happens in a sales call, not the prospect.
2. RESPONDING TO THE “SEND ME SOME INFORMATION” PHONE OBJECTION.
Let me be blunt. If your objection handling response to “send me some info” is “um, OK”, you are a wimpy sales rep and have doomed yourself to sales prospecting frustration and the waste of your time and company sales team resources. Many times this request is a cold call objection blow off in disguise. Your prospect is not interested in you or has no need. Let me ask you, do you want to get on this treadmill of calling back 15 times to maybe – maybe – talking again to someone who barely remembers you and can’t recall what you sent them.
If you get on this treadmill with your objection scripts, it is your fault, not the fault of your target. But there is even something worse about a sales professional quickly agreeing to this sales objection. The purpose of prospecting is to re-shuffle the deck and sort your prospects in accordance with their sales potential and worth. Your sales scripts and responses to objections must give potential high value – we are looking for a new vendor – we have a big order coming up – type prospects, the opportunity to identify themselves. If your sales scripts paths and prepared responses to common phone objections don’t do that, how will you separate the great opportunity sales calls from the time wasters?
The next time you get the “send me some info” or “just send your material” blow off, try this sales script response example. Remember, You must enable your prospect to reveal how you can sell them.
“You know, I don’t send out general information. The corporate stuff I would send you is just going to tell you what I just told you. We do A, B and C. Get results like 1, 2 and 3, and, have clients like E, F and G. If there is something specific that would be helpful to you, if you have a purchase coming up, or a project we might help with, I would be happy to put something together and send it out. Do you have anything specific in mind that I can help you with”? At this point do the most difficult thing.. say nothing and wait for your prospect to speak.
If the prospect can’t respond with something specific, your cold calling script plan should be to go right into your “Plan B” objection handling response.
What if they do come up with something specific? Do you immediately agree to put it together and just send it right out. OHHHHHH.. NOOOOOOOO.
You don’t do that. What you can do which may very well set you an appointment then and there will be discussed in a future installment.
3. RESPONSE TO THE “CALL ME BACK” PHONE SALES OBJECTION.
When you hear this, there is something you have to know. Is this a run me around the block, time wasting, no need, go nowhere, prospect who thinks that on their whim I am going to cold call and call and call, and who is going to suck every bit of motivation and energy out of my body by having me chase them .. or, is this someone who would legitimately welcome a phone call from you for a legitimate reason? You can find out now, or find out 10 phone calls later. Your choice. You should be ready with a sales script and written objection handling response.
Try this. “I would be happy to do that. When would you suggest I call you”? Once they give you a specific time period say, “Is there a reason why that is a good time to call you”?
If your phone script has established credibility with your initial set the meeting 30 second pitch, they know who you are, what you do, the value you provide and that you are worth consideration. If they have a reason they will tell you. We are going to buy one million dollars worth of stuff you sell and I won’t have the specs till then, that’s when we are planning a review of our vendors, that’s the quarter I will have the budget for a planned purchase …whatever. Once you know they are viable, it’s “thankyouverymuchcallyouthen” Click.
If they can’t give you a viable reason, see if you have the guts to use this phone sales objection response. “You know, I would be happy to call you back, but look, we provided companies like A, B and C about a zillion dollars worth of this stuff (or these services) last year and get more than our share of business. I don’t want to be on your back. If you are not open to a new source of supply, just tell me and I won’t bother you.”
With preparation and proper handling of a common phone objection, you can find out whether this prospect is a waste of time now, or 10 phone calls from now. Your choice. Your surgically prepared cold calling scripts save you time and capture sales opportunities.
4. RESPONDING TO THE “I’LL MEET WITH YOU BUT CALL ME IN A MONTH” COLD CALL OBJECTION.
Keep in mind that only half of those who specifically promise a meeting in the future, will actually book a meeting. Half. And that half only books after you get them on the phone again. No small achievement. Those that are good at objection handling will give it a shot now.
Try this. “Sure, I would be happy to call you then. We would probably be looking to get together a few weeks after that, which would put us into the week of July 20th. You know, I am in your area regularly and would be scheduling other meetings along with this one. If you feel comfortable, could we pencil something in for that week. It would help me with my planning and I would call the week before to make sure it still works for you. Would you feel comfortable penciling that in”?
About one-third will agree to the meeting. You have obtained their commitment.
5. HOW TO RESPOND TO THE “TELL ME” OBJECTION.
This usually rears it’s ugly head with words like, “Who are you”, “What do you do”? Your best objection handling response is to tell them what you have already told them and again, ask to set the appointment. Just repeat a variation of your set the meeting script.
“We work with companies like A, B and C. They selected us to provide 1, 2 and 3 and use us because we save time, administrative headache and costs. We want to introduce ourselves and tell you about some things we do differently that companies have found valuable. Our program X or methodology Y may have some benefits for you and I’m asking for 30 minutes to give you that information. Would you have some time in the next few weeks, say April 28th or 29th”?
Your phone objection response script should not delve into new areas or provide new information. If you give them too much to think about they will hesitate, and if they hesitate they will not set an appointment with you.
6. RESPONDING TO THE “I GET 20 CALLS LIKE THIS A DAY” COLD CALL OBJECTION.
That sales objection only tells you that sales representatives lacking your talents have called before you. It is a signal that your target has pre-conceived notions about you and is eager to say “no”. You well crafted sales script objection response is very similar to the “tell me” response above.
“Look, I don’t want to be on your back. We are a $50 million company and companies like A, B and C have selected us to provide their widgets. I don’t know if we might help you, but we do a few things differently that companies find save them time, administrative headache and costs. If getting info on some ideas or options to improve your situation is worth 30 minutes of your time, that would be great. If not, that is fine also. Would you have some time in the next week or two”?
So what you have done is re-establish your credibility and tell them about some powerful benefits they get when they meet with you. You also ignored their agenda, which was to moan about people calling them, a fact meaningless to you, and kept the conversation on your agenda.
Those are the most common cold calling phone objections and one form of response to each. There are harder and softer forms of response that you may choose depending upon your strategic goals and your cost per meeting, cost per sale realities. Use these sample objection handling scripts to challenge your sales practices.
Study the structure of these responses to resistance and you can craft improved scripts to overcome sales objections.
Best wishes for prospecting success,
Scott Channell
