How to Overcome Objections when Approaching New Advertising Clients
Do you worry about rejection? Does the thought of approaching a potential advertising client make your stomach turn to jelly? Don’t know exactly what you’re going to say?
Well the answer for some of you will be “yes”…because the general nature of some of the emails I receive tells me so. This feeling is perfectly normal, and I’ve certainly experienced it myself… so I know how it feels. This feeling with subside before to long and then the $$$ will flow.
Here’s how I got over the ‘worry about what to say and how to say it’ real quick, and it worked really well. If fact, once I did this I could speak to all potential clients with strength and confidence each and every time. It’s a real simple excercise that you should do right away if you’re new to the business, or have been in it for awhile and not getting anywhere…
REVERSE THE SITUATION!
1) Just imagine for a moment that you’re the business owner that is being approached to advertise in a business card dispenser.
2) Now write down EVERY question that you would ask the person who is selling you the advertising. When you do this…get tough and ask every single sceptical question you can think of. I’m talking every answer, right from the beginning. EG. If the business owner says “I’m not interested”…that should be the first question you ask because you’ll get that one!
3) Now write down 2 answers beside each question you came up with and refine them so they sound really effective and benefit driven towards the client.
4) SECRET OF SALES - Now end each of those answers you came up with, with a question. The questions can be as simple as… “Does that make sense?”, “Can you see how that would work?”, “Does using your spare business cards like this make good sense to you?”
These are very basic questions i’ve suggested, but they will draw out any further objections, and that’s what you’re trying to do. The new objections they come up with you should have answers for already. The only time you should stop asking questions is when you know they are convinced…then you move in and close the deal.
When you get an objection you can’t answer, make sure you write it down as soon as you get back in your car… then come up with a ‘killer’ answer for next time. You’ll get to the point of having ‘heard everything’ and you will find your conversion rates will be real high.
Go ahead and do this…even if it takes you 2-3 + hrs to to do, it’s worth doing…bigtime! You’ll never need to worry about what to say next!
Feel free to share any thoughts and ideas here on the blog. Please don’t wait for others to write…or for me to write. Put your 2 cents worth in and help give everyone a leg up….just like you’re looking for (otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this). Give alittle -take alittle…that’s a nice way to operate. Wouldn’t you agree that contributing and helping others is a nice positive thing to do? 
So go ahead, do this excercise and you’ll be suprised how much better you feel about this business opportunity after doing it!
Dean
Email This Post
| Make a Comment
Purchase Manual HERE
4 Responses to “How to Overcome Objections when Approaching New Advertising Clients”
Hi Dean,
This is an excellent post and one that I will watch with interest!
I have one to kick things off…
Yesterday I spoke to a business owner local to one of the display boards I am currently working on. He is a carpet cleaner so this form of advertising will really benefit him.
Once I’d introduced myself and explained why I was calling his initial response was “Been there - Done that”. My reply was an instant “Fantastic, so you can see the benefits to your business by advertising in this way! Can you tell me where you last advertised like this?” He replied that he had tried 2 different shopping centres and both were the same format - video screen advertising!
I immediately realised that he’d missed my initial point and had assumed that I was trying to talk him into signing up for another video advertising campaign, which of course I wasn’t. I then empathised with him and, rather than tell him he was wrong and I wasn’t talking about that type of advertising, I asked him if he felt whether he thought that type of advertising would have been more successful if the viewers had been able to take away something with his contact details on… A business card maybe?
His response was a big yes! He said that the ads were very professional and visually appealing but as the viewers had no way of taking his contact details with him he had concluded that 99% of them hadn’t taken his number down when it had appeared on screen and had probably forgotten his ad by the time they’d got home.
I then agreed and said “Wouldn’t it had been great if they’d been able to take a card with your logo, contact details and maybe even an incentive to call him… Like a small discount on production of that card?”
He agreed and I then told him that’s exactly what I could offer him in one of the biggest shopping centres in his local area!
I am seeing him next week so I will let you know how it goes!
The point to this rather long post is that I have many times heard sales reps give up at the first hurdle because the person they’re speaking to hasn’t responded in the way they’d expected. Instead of probing a little further they’ve walked away when just one question could’ve resulted in a sale…
One thing I was told many moons ago was never assume! Because all that does is make an ass out of you and me (ass|u|me)!!!!
Kev
Kevin
May 30th, 2007
Make A Comment: ( 4 so far )
Done with this post? Return to the Homepage! Advertise on this website! Details Here
Even if you have had selling experience with another business or job in the past, your thoughts and ideas on how to sell would be very welcome here!
Dean
deanc
May 30th, 2007