How to Overcome Sales Objections With Your B2B Lead Generation
Sales Letters
One of the disadvantages of business-to-business direct mail
lead generation letters is that you are selling on paper, not in
person. That means you are unable to read your prospect's body
language. Unable to hear and respond to his objections.
And yet one of the advantages of sales letters is that you are
selling on paper, not in person. Face to face, a prospect can
interrupt you and change the subject. But on paper, you control
the sales pitch. As long as your prospective customer keeps
reading, you control the sales process.
Another advantage of sales letters is that you can anticipate
objections and answer them in the body of the letter. You can
even start your letter with a common objection, and answer it
square on. Here are three common objections, and ways that you
can overcome them in your B2B direct mail lead generation
letters.
"WE DON'T WANT IT"
Overcome this objection by presenting benefits that your reader
may have overlooked, or may never have considered. Assume that
your prospect understands the benefits of your product or
service only in a general way.
Example: "We reduce your downtime because we ship your
replacement transformer in under three hours, guaranteed. We
lead the industry in in-stock, emergency transformer
replacements."
"YOU ARE TOO EXPENSIVE"
Overcome this objection by describing the quick return on
investment that your prospect will enjoy (assuming there is
one). Or show how buying a competitor's product is actually more
expensive once total cost of ownership is calculated.
Example: "Yes, you will save money in the short term by buying a
Blodux 5236. But our Nadag 7876 lasts longer--two years longer.
Which means you will pay $125 less per month for the life of our
machine compared with its closest competitor."
"WE ALREADY HAVE A SUPPLIER"
Overcome this objection not by bad-mouthing your competitor but
by stressing benefits that your competitor does not or cannot
offer. Or show how your competitor isn't really a competitor
because your company concentrates only on selling the product in
question, while your competitor sells a great deal more, making
them a generalist but you a specialist.
Example: "Your current supplier certainly has a well-earned
reputation in our industry for a quality product. But my firm
delivers a comparable product backed by better after-sales
service. We offer you the personal, customized service that
larger firms cannot match."
If you are crafting a sales letter and don't know the common
objections that prospects raise, talk to your sales force. They
are the best source for understanding how to turn a no into a
yes.
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