How do I counter these objections?

22 replies
I work for a telecoms company and the first thing we do is offer our prospects a free no obligation price review. They send us a copy of their bill and we analyse it to see if we can make any savings and then if we can we go for the close.

I have been doing the job for a month and I get the following objections. How would you legends counter these:

1. No point in doing a price review now as I'm still in contract for X months/years

2. Am happy with my current supplier and not looking to change.

And how do you get past the gate keeps who says the DM doesn't take cold calls and won't accept emails.

I think I need to be slightly more aggressive in my sales efforts - how do I go about fostering this mentality?

Thanks, much appreciated!
#counter #objections
  • Profile picture of the author savidge4
    I have "some" experience with objection #1. I sell Satellite Internet services and they all have contracts. I have a list of what average expense is of internet service from many sources
    . So if there is an objection if you don't know you ask what service they currently have. you can then say "You are paying roughly $ a month" they will agree. you then turn it into our service is $ a month.

    At this point, you have gotten the basics of your numbers out. I ALSO keep a list of the cancelation policies for each of the competitors. So I can say well you have 3 months left. If you were to leave them today it would cost you $ and by switching you would save X$.

    Hesitation at this point.. I probably have some more leeway than you. I can offer to pay some of that amount, if not ALL in some cases.

    Overall you can within in the idea of striking up conversation at the very least plant the seed. From there you can then do 3 things. Convert them as mentioned above. Ask if they would like some time to think about it, set a day and call them back. And the 3rd option is to write down their contract end date down and call them back 1 month before hand. ( I do a lot of #3 )

    I actually have a bunch of guys in the field that give me names numbers and contract start dates of people. I probably have a list of 500 names I can call in 2 years! ha!

    Originally Posted by dreamer123 View Post

    I work for a telecoms company and the first thing we do is offer our prospects a free no obligation price review. They send us a copy of their bill and we analyse it to see if we can make any savings and then if we can we go for the close.

    I have been doing the job for a month and I get the following objections. How would you legends counter these:

    1. No point in doing a price review now as I'm still in contract for X months/years

    2. Am happy with my current supplier and not looking to change.

    And how do you get past the gate keeps who says the DM doesn't take cold calls and won't accept emails.

    I think I need to be slightly more aggressive in my sales efforts - how do I go about fostering this mentality?

    Thanks, much appreciated!
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    Success is an ACT not an idea
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  • Profile picture of the author dreamer123
    Thanks savidge4! Do you have any other recommendations or anyone else have any?
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  • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
    First I would ask you if it is worth converting them. Your sales manager might not like this but at a certain point if you have loads of leads isn't it smarter to chase the low hanging fruit?

    If they qualify themselves out why not move to the next?

    I don't know your business to know the numbers but you should be able to run the numbers and see if it is even worth your time to overcome these objections.
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    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      Aaron,

      Speaking from a point of Internet based communications, and knowing the other side of communications based business' the "List of Leads" is not all that great. For Satellite Internet specifically there are only 1.5 millionish residential consumers NATIONALLY. My pool of possible Leads is not all that large. Add to the fact that with Internet specifically there are basically only so many spots that can be filled.

      Now looking at the Telecomm market, reading any number of reports you will see that their numbers are dropping like flies in a Raid "Bomb" demonstration. Home phones are becoming less and less frequent.

      Understanding to a point how a telecomm call center works, you have to close a percentage of CALLS or the door is yours, and this is regardless of the qualifications of the call. So basically EVERY call counts. The number 1 hook in most cases with Telecomm is the "Bundle" option that includes the internet < this being my tie in and point of knowledge.

      My personal side note, Once I know of this, I can then go at the customer with the overall expense of the phone/ internet package, knowing full well they have a cel phone, and hardly ever use the land line - that is costing them like $70 a month or combined to about $100a month. So I can 80% of the time get a customer to understand the savings and benefit of dropping the package, keeping the cel phone and getting separate internet service.

      The OP does not have this luxury.. they are working with a bit of a dead horse of sorts ( sorry dreamer123 ) So my guess is that the OP is then trying to push the "Triple Play" Phone / Internet / TV, hence the contract... on the TV portion.

      So again I will tell you from PERSONAL experience in the field. Keeping a database of the names numbers and expire date of contracts is invaluable. I will also tell you that Telecomms DO NOT keep this information. THAT is low hanging fruit, and as an industry, it is not something that is tracked.

      Originally Posted by Aaron Doud View Post

      First I would ask you if it is worth converting them. Your sales manager might not like this but at a certain point if you have loads of leads isn't it smarter to chase the low hanging fruit?

      If they qualify themselves out why not move to the next?

      I don't know your business to know the numbers but you should be able to run the numbers and see if it is even worth your time to overcome these objections.
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      • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
        Originally Posted by savidge4 View Post

        Aaron,

        Speaking from a point of Internet based communications, and knowing the other side of communications based business' the "List of Leads" is not all that great. For Satellite Internet specifically there are only 1.5 millionish residential consumers NATIONALLY. My pool of possible Leads is not all that large. Add to the fact that with Internet specifically there are basically only so many spots that can be filled.

        Now looking at the Telecomm market, reading any number of reports you will see that their numbers are dropping like flies in a Raid "Bomb" demonstration. Home phones are becoming less and less frequent.

        Understanding to a point how a telecomm call center works, you have to close a percentage of CALLS or the door is yours, and this is regardless of the qualifications of the call. So basically EVERY call counts. The number 1 hook in most cases with Telecomm is the "Bundle" option that includes the internet < this being my tie in and point of knowledge.

        My personal side note, Once I know of this, I can then go at the customer with the overall expense of the phone/ internet package, knowing full well they have a cel phone, and hardly ever use the land line - that is costing them like $70 a month or combined to about $100a month. So I can 80% of the time get a customer to understand the savings and benefit of dropping the package, keeping the cel phone and getting separate internet service.

        The OP does not have this luxury.. they are working with a bit of a dead horse of sorts ( sorry dreamer123 ) So my guess is that the OP is then trying to push the "Triple Play" Phone / Internet / TV, hence the contract... on the TV portion.

        So again I will tell you from PERSONAL experience in the field. Keeping a database of the names numbers and expire date of contracts is invaluable. I will also tell you that Telecomms DO NOT keep this information. THAT is low hanging fruit, and as an industry, it is not something that is tracked.
        Yup, best to gather market data for your "tickler file" down the road. Calendar those callbacks & make them just BEFORE the prospects' current contracts expire. This works in a number of fields, like car leasing.

        The process is an inertia thing...takes awhile to build up, but once it's going it's easy to maintain. You just have to keep putting new people into the funnel.

        Question is: can you survive the first while as it's building up?

        The OP has got to question whether they're in the right market. You want to be in one that's on an upswing, not the way out.
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      • Profile picture of the author Ron Lafuddy
        Savidge,

        Unless something has changed, the OP is in business to business sales.

        http://www.warriorforum.com/offline-...ml#post9148870

        Also, from his post here: "And how do you get past the gate keeps who says the DM doesn't take cold calls and won't accept emails."

        Not your fault, though.

        The problem is you can't give detailed responses to vague inquiries, that provide almost no detail.

        What's his current pitch? Is he required to use it? How well is it working? i.e. some sales? no sales? He doesn't say.

        It would help to know what part of the world he's selling in, as the offers can vary dramatically. He doesn't say.

        It would also help to know which company, he doesn't say.

        Don't even know if he's working with "bundled" services or what types of packages he's offering. He doesn't say.

        Small business or large business? Most telecom companies break it down. He doesn't say

        Are there switching fees involved? Does his company waive them? Do they reimburse term plan penalties from the current provider? He doesn't say.

        Hard to give specific answers to non-specific inquiries.

        To the OP: If you want the kind of help you are seeking, you have to provide some details.
        You also might want to keep it in one thread instead of multiple. That way folks who are
        responding know what's going on.
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        • Profile picture of the author ewenmack
          Yeah best wait until he drops back in
          to see how motivated to make a change he is.

          Best,
          Ewen
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  • Profile picture of the author ewenmack
    Originally Posted by dreamer123 View Post


    1. No point in doing a price review now as I'm still in contract for X months/years

    2. Am happy with my current supplier and not looking to change.
    What if they are real?

    Best,
    Ewen
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  • Profile picture of the author dreamer123
    Hi Guys here is the detail you wanted.

    My current pitch goes something like this:

    Good morning/afternoon it's dreamer123 calling from XXX how are you today? Fantastic well we are a local telecoms company based not too far from you and we just wanted to see if we could be of benefit to you. Do you mainly use landlines or mobiles?

    How many people use those landlines/mobiles? Who are you with? Have you experienced any issues with the levels of service being provided? How do you feel about the prices that your current supplier is charging you?

    Okay, brilliant. What we are offering at the moment is a free no obligation price review so when you do come up for renewal you can make an informed decision. All we need from you is an up to date bill and once you send that over we will send a free price review over to you as soon as we can. How does tang sound to you?

    -- End of script --

    This was the script I was given to use as a guideline.

    There are only two sales guys. Me and one other person. I have 8 invoices (bills) so far and he has 2. I am based in the UK and my director wants me to target medium sized companies mainly companies who have about 30 people plus using the landlines.

    We are basically a reseller selling lines, mobiles, telephone systems, hosted IP, wifi and we are an alternative to the big players in our market BT, Talk Talk etc as we provide better customer service as the big players are renowned for being particularly poor in regards to the service they provide.
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    • Profile picture of the author Ron Lafuddy
      Dreamer,

      Thanks for jumping back in here and answering questions.

      So you have 8 bills received as a total for your month's worth of calling? Any sales?

      Are you stuck with that script or can you make adjustments?

      Are you creating your call list or is the company providing it?

      How many calls per day are you making?

      You mentioned phone systems. Are you also selling those too or are those sales handled by another group?

      Are you compensated for phone system sales, that you provide a lead for?

      Do you sell voice or "channelized" T-1's?

      Keep this in mind:
      There's a whole lot businesses that hate doing business with the incumbent carrier (BT)
      Probably 80 - 85% of them. Initially though, they don't know you or your company well
      enough to just jump on-board. You can overcome that. Just takes a little knowledge and
      some applied skill.
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  • Profile picture of the author dreamer123
    Hey!

    No sales as of yet but I have 2 people who look like they want to come with us .

    I'm not stuck with the script I can make adjustments but I don't know what adjustments it needs!

    The company is providing the call list however we can add new companies to the list which is what I am doing. I am mainly adding call centres as they make a lot of outbound calls. That's where we make our money.

    I am making about 170-250 calls per day.

    Yes I am selling phone systems NEC ones at the moment. I am being made the telephone systems expert and am currently being trained on how to sell and write proposals for these. And yes I do get commission for each system I sell..
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  • Profile picture of the author dreamer123
    So what do you suggest?
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    • Profile picture of the author Ron Lafuddy
      Make more calls. 170-250 per day, isn't enough if you want to see results now.
      There are businesses that hate doing business with BT. There are businesses looking for you - now. They are the low hanging fruit.

      Put your focus on reaching those particular businesses, by getting through the calls fast.

      Pick up your pace. It isn't hard because you are not having a conversation with the DM, on most calls.

      If the gatekeeper is blocking calls for the DM, make a note of that. You can call those back at odd times - early morning before the gatekeeper gets in or after hours, when the gatekeeper has left for the day.

      When someone tells you " We are happy with the current supplier and not looking to change" say, "thankyouverymuch" and dial the next call. Yes, you can argue with them. And that is exactly what they will think you are doing, and so they'll resist.

      You'll burn up your time and energy trying to get someone who is resisting you, to send you their bill. You'll feel beat up at the end of the day, you'll hate the work and your results will suck.

      Move on. Dial the next number quickly. You should be generating 1-2 bills, sent to you, per day. If that's not happening, you aren't' making enough calls.

      If someone tells you, "No point in doing a price review now as I'm still in contract for X months/years." Make a note of that and move on to the next call. Keep a record of those. They are interested and will let you review the bill at a later date.

      Here's a secret. If you browbeat and argue with people, they'll remember it and hold it against you the next time you call. You'll "poison the well". If you treat them decently and don't argue, you can call them next month and the next and the next and see if anything has changed.

      Things always change. Hit 'em at the right time and you'll get their business.

      Good luck!


      Added: Regarding: call centers Some things to keep in mind

      The resistance level may be a bit higher with them. They tend to use more high end, complex services
      from the incumbent carrier, namely voice T's, as a way to conserve cable pair and space in the phone
      switch. They probably have term plan contracts on the facilities as well as usage, bundled together.

      You're not dealing with the average POTS/PBX trunk user.

      Their service is complex. You won't understand how it's set up without looking at a CSR (customer service record)

      If you don't know how to read one, someone who does will have to interpret it for you. Good luck finding someone with that kind of knowledge.

      Switching their existing service to a reseller can get mucked up pretty badly if it's not handled correctly.

      Make sure that the folks on your side, who will be working the cut-over, have experience with complex services.
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  • Profile picture of the author dreamer123
    Thanks so much!
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  • Profile picture of the author Ron Lafuddy
    Your welcome.

    Learn everything you can about phone systems. Go out with the techs when they do an install.
    See what's going on, how they do the cable runs and how they interact with the customer.
    Take a look at the network interface (DMARC) where the cable is pulled to. Get familiar with
    the physical side of it. Ask questions, take notes.

    If things don't work out with this company, you'll be able to take your knowledge and make an
    excellent living anywhere, selling phone systems. You'll hear that the sales cycle is 6 months
    to a year, and maybe longer. Let me tell you there are phone system deals waiting to happen all
    around you. Go out and hit industrial parks and office buildings on your lunch hour, door to door.
    Introduce yourself and ask the receptionist how their phone system is working.
    You'll get all kinds of useful info if you casually ask questions...and let them talk.

    Be sure to take notes on the back of their biz card, including the name of the contact person
    who's responsible for the phone system.

    You'll also see the phone system they are currently using. Is it still under warranty?
    Who is their current system vendor? (they may not have one.)
    Find out how old it is and what kinds of problems they are experiencing.
    Is their current vendor responsive to maintenance calls?

    Do that for a week and you'll have leads that nobody else has.

    Most salespeople are lazy. They don't follow up on leads/referrals.
    They don't stay in touch with people and business slips right through their fingers.

    Don't be one of those salespeople.

    There are businesses out there that are ready to buy, waiting for you to contact them.
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  • Profile picture of the author dreamer123
    Thanks for all your help and your advice has really helped me increase my sales however my boss has been listening into my calls and has said he wants me to overcome the "we are in a contract for X months/ years"

    Any ideas?
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  • Profile picture of the author Ron Lafuddy
    What's you're boss's response to a prospect who says, "we are in a contract for X
    months/ years"?

    What does he/she tell you to say?
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  • Profile picture of the author dreamer123
    He says that I should say something along the lines of "it's always good to review your services just to see if you are getting the best price and service" I've tried that and it doesn't seem to work. The usual response is "we can't do anything until our contract is up so contact us back then"
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    • Profile picture of the author Ron Lafuddy
      Originally Posted by dreamer123 View Post

      He says that I should say something along the lines of "it's always good to review your services just to see if you are getting the best price and service" I've tried that and it doesn't seem to work. The usual response is "we can't do anything until our contract is up so contact us back then"
      Right. And so, what does your boss want you to say when the customer responds with
      "we can't do anything until our contract is up so contact us back then"
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  • Profile picture of the author dreamer123
    Jot the date down and call them back when they are up for renewal.
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    • Profile picture of the author Ron Lafuddy
      Okay, so is that what you are doing?
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      • Profile picture of the author DABK
        #2 you don't counter. You just say, have a nice day.

        #1, best counter would be: How much is the penalty for breaking the contract? I can offset some or all of it." If they are unhappy with their current provider and the contract is all that's keeping them from leaving, it should work for a good number of them.

        If you don't have something like that, you should.

        Talk to your boss about the life time value of a client, current costs to get a new one and the two of you should be able to come up with a number that doesn't exceed his current costs.

        Keep in mind, some people quit contracts even though they have to pay full penalty. Surely, a few more would break contract if the penalty they had to pay were smaller.

        Another counter is: have you had any down time with your current provider? (Best if you know ahead of time that their provider had issues x days before...

        AT&T outage or service down? Current problems and outages | Down Detector tells you about AT and T,
        Cbeyond outage or service down? Current outages and problems | Down Detector tells you about Cbeyond having issues)

        If they had, you ask them about how much it cost them in lost business or in paying for idle employees... Then you suggest your service as a better solution... And, if it is, you can make a sale. Or, at least get them interested in the free analysis.

        Google
        phone outage + company
        phone outage + city
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