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tags: A2, 02, Prospecting
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# 2. Conversation: Overcoming objections
Continuing with our cold call structure, one of the most likely elements you'll find in the conversation part of your cold calls are the dreaded **objections.** ☠️


Nearly all objections at the prospecting stage of the sales process fit into one of two categories:

- I don't understand the value and I'm too busy to think about it.
- I'm not ready for a buying conversation.

Usually, you only have a few moments after hearing an objection in which to clarify the value proposition of your product or service before being perceived as too pushy - or being hung up on (it will happen).
 
## How to prevent objections from happening
The best way to overcome an objection is to prevent them from ever happening. To prevent objections from happening in the first place, make sure you keep these two tips in mind when entering a cold call 👇

1. **Articulate value early and concisely.**
You can mitigate the value objection by simply respecting the prospect's time and explaining what you want early in your outreach. Every email, voicemail, and phone interaction should lead with an assurance that you won't take much time, followed by a short (30 seconds or less, or one to two sentences), buyer-centric, and customized value proposition.

2. **Don't sell the product, sell the next step.**
Your prospect will likely not be ready for a buying conversation yet. How could they be? They may have only just learned about you and your product from this call. Don't get into a discussion on the product yet or try to close. Focus on closing a follow-up meeting. If they ask a product question, recommend that you show them in the next meeting.
 

## How to handle the two most common objections
Even if you nail the two points above, objections will still happen. They're a natural part of any cold call. It's important you're ready to handle them correctly!

Let's have a look at the two most common objections you may face while prospecting and how to handle them:

### 1. "I am not interested" (or some variation)
Often, this may be your lead wanting to get rid of you because they are just not in the right mood, mindset or just don't have the time of day. Do not give in here. They may very well have a pain you can help solve.

{%youtube 7JqmuwWq8gw %}

### 2. "Can you send me more information via email?"
Usually, this is another way for leads to get you off the phone as quickly as possible. As with any objection, there is a way to deal with it and still have the opportunity to generate a meeting.

{%youtube LgUrsRwrtvA %}
 
## Additional objections while prospecting
You just learned about the two most common objections you're likely to encounter at the prospecting stage and how to overcome them.

As a bonus, we want to share additional objections that are not as common, but still relevant. There's no need to dive deep into them now, but browse through them so you become familiar, and come back to this lesson if you encounter them during your calls!

### 1. "Just send me some information."
We call this objection style "the brush-off." This objection varies in intent depending on when it comes up in your call with a prospect. If it comes up before you have had the chance to deliver your value proposition and explain who you are and what you do, it's very clearly a brush-off. If it comes afterward, but before you've had the chance to ask qualification questions, there may be interest, but the prospect isn't yet willing to talk about it further.

If it comes at the end of your call, after you've gone through both your value prop and qualification, the prospect may have decided this isn't valuable somewhere along the way. No matter where it comes up in the call, it's the SDR's duty to uncover what is really going on: Do they not yet understand the value, or are they not ready for a buying conversation? Why not?

**Responses:**

There are a few potential responses to this one, depending on what stage the call is in.
- Before you've delivered the value proposition: "Can we take 30 seconds now for me to explain what we do, and you can then decide if it's worth a follow-up?"
- Before qualification: "Can I ask you a couple of questions now to better understand how we might help?"
- After qualification: "Typically, people find it more valuable to see how this works in a demo."
 
### 2. "We already work with a competitor."
This is where it's important to know why you are unique and be able to explain that value clearly. Your prospect just heard, “Hi, we do X” and thought, “Oh, we have a vendor for that, we're good.” Your prospects are busy -- they don't want to fix things that aren't broken. It is your duty to change their mindset, and explain why they need the specific value you provide.

**Response:**
"At this point, we aren't asking you to rip anything out. A lot of our customers used to or still use Competitor X. We'd just like the opportunity to show you how we are different and how we have provided additional value to our customers. We can present some use cases of other companies like yours who work with us and with Competitor X. When is a good time to schedule a follow-up call?"

 
### 3. "Call me back next quarter."
Prospects are busy. They will push anything off to tomorrow because today is swamped. Don't let them! You have a solution they needed yesterday. Reassure them that this is not a buying conversation. You just want to show them what you do, and see if there's value for them.

**Response:**
"Of course. If it really is bad timing, I'm happy to do that. However, I would still like to set up a five-minute call to show you what we are doing and how we might help. That way, if it's not interesting, we don't have to worry about me chasing you next quarter, but if it is, we'll have more to talk about then. When is a good day/time for us to chat?"

 
### 4. "We don't have the budget."
It is important to dig a bit further to understand what not having budget means. Can they not afford it? Has your buyer burned through her personal budget for the year? Could your buyer find the money elsewhere if you show enough value? In most cases, the prospect doesn't need to have a budget at this stage of the process, and SDRs should leverage this fact to overcome this objection.

**Response:**
"That's okay. We don't expect you to buy anything right now. We'd just like the opportunity to share what we are doing and see if it's valuable to your company. Can we schedule a follow-up call over the next couple of days?”

 
### 5. "Does your product do X, Y, and Z?"
This isn't so much an objection as an obstacle to closing a call with a prospect and getting them to the next appointment, (e.g., a demo, or a discovery call with the sales rep). However, it is one of the most common obstacles that prevent an SDR from converting the lead to an SQL. Not only does getting in the weeds waste time, but you also run the potential of devolving into a features/benefits conversation. The good news is this generally means the prospect is interested. Use this fact to end the conversation and set up the next appointment.

**Response:**
"I am glad you asked that. I think it will be helpful to set up a time where we can answer this question and others with a specialist. When is a good day/time for us to talk?”

 
### 6. "Sorry, I have to cancel. I'll get back to you with a better time."
People don't like to say "No" -- and that includes your prospects. This manifests in ghosting, procrastination (as mentioned above), and asking for more time.

Sales expert Mike Rogewitz swears by Sandler's Negative Reverse Selling strategy to overcome tricky non-objection objections like these. "You want to call out your prospect's lack of interest and get them to admit the answer is 'No' without going too negative," says Rogewitz. "Essentially, you're getting them to realize they're bullshitting you."

**Here's the formula:**

> Prospect: “XYZ fluffy response.”

> Salesperson: “Typically when I hear someone say XYZ, it really means ABC. Is it fair for me to assume that's the case?”

By using this simple script, you'll nudge your prospect into giving you the final answer you need to move on.

**Response:** "Typically, when someone cancels and says they'll get back to me, it means they're just not interested in what I have to offer right now. Is it fair for me to assume that's the case?"

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