Overcoming Objections in Selling Digital to SMB’s

Jack ZavoralDirector of Member DevelopmentOctober 17, 2017

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Quick Survey: Where does the NO happen mostoften in YOUR sales process?

1. Prospecting – can’t get an appointment2. During initial meeting/needs analysis3. After a formal proposal is made4. After questions, negotiations, follow-up – closing process5. Long after initial call, decision delayed indefinitely

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Quick Survey: Where does the NO happen mostoften in YOUR sales process?

1. Prospecting – can’t get an appointment2. During initial meeting/needs analysis3. After a formal proposal is made4. After questions, negotiations, follow-up – closing process5. Long after initial call, decision delayed indefinitely

© 2016 Borrell. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Experimentation is Strong

Source: Borrell’s 2016 Local Advertiser Survey; N = 3,185 planning to buy a medium they haven’t bought before.

34% of advertisers said they planned to try something

new.

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No Time No Money

No Need No Trust

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No Time No Money

No Need No Trust

• Plagued by sales people• Running a business• Haven’t thought about it• Staffing issues

• Have not budgeted• No previous ROI• Sales are down• Spending elsewhere

• Sales are good• Don’t understand• No associated value• Too much business

• Wasted money previously• Bad experience in past• Just a “sales” person• Not a consumer

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Six Approaches to Handling Objections

1. Anticipate and start to address early

2. Listen and show genuine interest

3. Ask questions to uncover fully

4. Acknowledge and restate objection - address and don’t avoid

5. Avoid confrontation or defensive posturing

6. Ask for commitment if overcome

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No Time No Money

No Need No Trust

• Plagued by sales people• Running a business• Haven’t thought about it• Staffing issues

• Have not budgeted• No previous ROI• Sales are down• Spending elsewhere

• Sales are good• Don’t understand• No associated value• Too much business

• Wasted money previously• Bad experience in past• Just a “sales” person• Not a consumer

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No Time• Plagued by sales people

Anticipate:• “I know you are very busy running a

successful company, as a professional media consultant I can take the burden of marketing off your shoulders and show you how digital advertising can work to grow your business”

Listen/Empathize/Commitment:• “I completely understand that many Reps just try to sell you something

without understanding your real needs. I have tools I can use to uncover the most impactful digital strategies that can help drive business, and just need to ask you a few questions so I can understand your needs and then provide a solution. I will be very respectful of your time.”

Restate:• “So if I’m understanding correctly, you are being bombarded by sales

people, most of whom don’t seem to be providing valuable solutions?” • “I totally understand, and hear it from businesses everyday. If I could

have the opportunity to learn more about your operation, could I have the chance to demonstrate the potential for helping your business grow and providing a return?”

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No Money• No previous ROI

Second Level Questions:• “What have you done in the past?

How do you measure success? Do you look at your website analytics? How do people find you when they are in the market?

Address and Don’t Avoid:• “I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t invest money in something that

doesn’t show a return either. Digital advertising works best when it is a complement to your traditional ad strategies, and let’s you reach people in various stages of their purchase decision. We can also include a trackable offer (coupons, forms, capture emails, free downloads, likes, benchmark site-traffic, and other key site-metrics).”

References/Success Stories:• “I do know that a negative experience in the past can cause

hesitation in making future commitments. I’ve worked with many businesses in that same boat. I am very focused on ROI based strategies, and will only propose solutions that have worked well for other clients.”

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Avoid Confrontation or Defensive Attitude:• ”Yes, it can be confusing at times if

you focus on the technology. I can answer as many questions that you may have, but I’d rather show you why digital solutions work rather than how.”

• “Heck, I don’t know how a radio signal turns into voices in the car either.”

Alternative Solution:• “I have some ‘how to’ training materials available that can help clear

things up for you if you’re interested.” • “Is there someone at your business who has a better working

knowledge of digital solutions who could join us?”

Second Level Questions:• “How do people find your website?” • “What percent of shoppers do you think do research online?”

No Need• Don’t understand

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Listen/Empathize:• “That’s one of the problems with an

emerging media like digital, it’s been sold by people who don’t understand how/why it works. I can help you understand how it fits in with what you’re doing today, and how to make your media investment work harder.”

Anticipate:• “I know you did business with us in the past and from what I can see

there were some issues. If those have left you with a bad taste, can I spend a few minutes sharing with you how those have been addressed?”

Avoid Confrontation/Defensive Stature:• “I can completely understand why you would be hesitant to go down

this road again, and I can tell you that it would be easier for me to just sell you a media schedule, but I think a combination of (media) and digital services will return the greatest amount of new customers.”

No Trust• Bad experience in the

past

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Specific Objections

• Automotive – I use Cobalt/Dealer.com/factory services for my digital advertising

• No website, just have a Facebook page

• Already on #1 website in the market

• Already #1 in organic rankings

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Specific Objections

• Automotive – I use Cobalt/Dealer.com/factory servicesfor my digital advertising• We can offer very similar tools, and focus on what you want

rather than just new vehicles• Factory programs make you look exactly like the other dealers • Rather than get someone to come to your site from a referral,

wouldn’t you rather have them come directly to your site?

• No website, just have Facebook page• Facebook is not your brand, can’t control what’s posted• Facebook does not reach everyone, especially certain demos• Facebook making it harder to reach w/o boosts and ads• Who updates your page? How often?• Facebook page will not rank as high in search• Building sites is not as expensive as it used to be

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• Already on #1 website in the market• Great! I can show you other ways to reach

your audience(YouTube, FB, Retargeting, Email, SEO)

• Follow the customer wherever they go online• How else do people get to your site?

• Already #1 in organic search rankings• Fill the top of the funnel, not just those ready to

buy• Organic search attribution is best ROI for digital

ads

Specific Objections