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No Sales Appointments? Try the ‘Aha!’ Formula
Do you often hear the prospect saying, “I’m not interested”, “I’m happy with what I’ve got”, and then “We don’t have any money”? The ‘Aha!’ Formula helps you anticipate and handle the objection properly before asking for the appointment, and always asking for the appointment after handling the objection. Learn how to set great appointments, using the ‘Aha!’ Formula, that will translate into energy and confidence on the phone. Anticipate the objection, Handle the objection, Ask for the appointment. The ‘Aha!’ Formula works every time for securing qualified appointments with decision-makers. It sounds simple, and it is. But so often we’re intimidated by the word ‘No’, so rather than handle the objection or perceived rejection, we simply thank the prospect, hang up the phone, and make the next call.
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INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS: 425 UNIVERSITY AVE., SUITE 800, TORONTO, ON M5G 1T6 TEL: (416) 979-9131 FAX: (416) 979-3030
Mountain View, CA www.SoftwareSalesJobs.com Toronto, ON
No Sales Appointments? Try the 'Aha!' Formula
By Andrea Sittig-Rolf, President, Sittig Incorporated
Published in Software Sales Journal, December 2006
Do you often hear the prospect saying, "I'm not interested", "I'm happy with what I've got",
and then "We don't have any money"? The 'Aha!' Formula helps you anticipate and handle
the objection properly before asking for the appointment, and always asking for the
appointment after handling the objection. Learn how to set great appointments, using the
'Aha!' Formula, that will translate into energy and confidence on the phone.
Do you often hear the prospect saying, "I'm not interested", "I'm happy with what I've got", and then "We
don't have any money"? The 'Aha!' Formula helps you anticipate and handle the objection properly before
asking for the appointment, and always asking for the appointment after handling the objection. Learn how
to set great appointments, using the 'Aha!' Formula, that will translate into energy and confidence on the
phone.
Anticipate the objection, Handle the objection, Ask for the appointment. The 'Aha!' Formula works every
time for securing qualified appointments with decision-makers. It sounds simple, and it is. But so often we're
intimidated by the word 'No', so rather than handle the objection or perceived rejection, we simply thank the
prospect, hang up the phone, and make the next call. Imagine, though, having to make fewer prospecting
phone calls because you have improved your appointment-setting skill level.
As good as your opening script is, most of the time you will encounter objections from your prospect while
setting the appointment. After years of conducting The Blitz Experience, as well as taking some good advice
from Stephan Schiffman, author of a fantastic book on cold calling called "Cold Calling Techniques That
Really Work!" the most common objections you will hear, fall into the ten categories below:
" "No, thanks. I'm happy with what I have."
" "I'm not interested."
" "I'm too busy."
" "Send me some literature."
" "I once had a bad experience with your company."
" "We don't have money to buy anything right now."
" "What makes your company so good?" or "Why should I switch to you?"
" "Just give me the thirty-second version of your presentation."
" "We're not in the market right now."
" "How much is it?"
Essential Destination for Software Sales PeopleMountain View, CA www.SoftwareSalesJobs.com Toronto, ON
As I mentioned in the 'Aha!' Formula, the key is to anticipate and handle the objection properly before asking
for the appointment, and always asking for the appointment after handling the objection. Keep in mind that
you may hear more than one objection in any given phone call. In other words, the prospect may say, "I'm
not interested" and after handling that objection you might hear, "I'm happy with what I've got," and then you
might hear, "We don't have any money."
Prospects may give multiple objections, some of them true, some of them false, and just used as a tool to
get you off the phone! While it's important not to take the first 'No' for an answer, I don't recommend
overcoming more than three objections in any given phone call. Sometimes, the answer is 'No'. However, by
learning how to overcome the most common objections, you'll significantly increase your appointments ratio.
In this chapter, I will give many examples of exactly how to overcome each of the most common objections
you will hear when making phone calls to schedule appointments with qualified decision-makers.
"No, thanks. I'm happy with what I have." Also known as 'status quo', this is probably the most difficult
objection to overcome, because people don't want to change unless there is a compelling reason to do so.
The key to handling this particular objection is to describe how your product or service complements,
enhances, or supplements what the prospect is already doing.
In other words, don't put yourself in the position of competing with the prospect's current vendor, and
possibly insulting the prospect's earlier decision to go with your competitor; instead, your solution will
actually enhance what they're already doing. This works so well, because now the prospect doesn't have to
choose one or the other, but can instead have both: the former decision they made regarding the same
products and services you offer can simply be enhanced by what you provide. By using this technique,
you're actually reinforcing what the prospect is already doing by showing that your solution will fit into their
particular plan. You can also try the tactic of "We don't mind being second," which indicates your interest in
having at least some of their business, if not all of it.
This tactic in overcoming the "I'm happy now" objection works well in my business of sales training. Often,
the prospects I call on are already doing something in regards to sales training, but because of the specific
appointment-setting techniques training I do, my Blitz Experience program often complements or reinforces
other training programs the prospect might already have in place.
To understand the practicality of this technique, the example below demonstrates exactly how this technique
can be used:
Andrea: "Hi, Mr. Prospect. My name is Andrea Sittig-Rolf, and I'm the creator of The Blitz
Experience, an activity-based sales training program that empowers salespeople to schedule
appointments with qualified prospects the day of the training, resulting in a pipeline full of new
opportunities at the end of the day. The reason for my call today is to schedule an appointment to
learn more about your sales organization so we can determine whether there is a fit for The Blitz
Experience within your firm. How does Thursday at 10:00 a.m. work for you?"
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "We're all set with sales training for the year. In fact, we just
signed up for a program yesterday."
Essential Destination for Software Sales PeopleMountain View, CA www.SoftwareSalesJobs.com Toronto, ON
Andrea: "That's great! May I ask what kind of program it is?"
Prospect: "Sure, it's sales process training, and it's conducted by XYZ Company."
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "Well, that's perfect actually, because The Blitz Experience will
enhance that program beautifully by focusing on the very first phase of the sales process; setting
the appointment." (Ask for the appointment) "Why don't I come by next Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. to
learn more about your company and your new sales training program so we can determine whether
The Blitz Experience will enhance what you're already doing?"
Prospect: "Okay."
Notice the 'Aha!' Formula used throughout the script. By anticipating the objection, I was ready to handle the
objection and then ask for the appointment. Easy, right? It's actually not too bad when all you have to do is
overcome one objection and then get the appointment. However, as I mentioned previously, sometimes
prospects will give more than one objection. Using the same example above, the multiple objections script
might go something like this:
Andrea: "Hi, Mr. Prospect. My name is Andrea Sittig-Rolf, and I'm the creator of The Blitz
Experience, an activity-based sales training program that empowers salespeople to schedule
appointments with qualified prospects the day of the training, resulting in a pipeline full of new
opportunities at the end of the day. The reason for my call today is to schedule an appointment to
learn more about your sales organization so we can determine whether there is a fit for The Blitz
Experience within your firm. How does Thursday at 10:00 a.m. work for you?"
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "We're all set with sales training for the year. In fact, we just
signed up for a program yesterday."
Andrea: "That's great! May I ask what kind of program it is?"
Prospect: "Sure, it's sales process training, and it's conducted by XYZ Company."
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "Well, that's perfect actually, because The Blitz Experience will
enhance that program beautifully by focusing on the very first phase of the sales process, setting
the appointment." (Ask for the appointment) "Why don't I come by next Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. to
learn more about your company and your new sales training program so we can determine whether
The Blitz Experience will enhance what you're already doing?"
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "Why don't you just send me some literature?"
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "I'd be happy to send you more information, and I have found it to
be more useful when it's targeted to your specific needs." (Ask for the appointment) "Why don't I
just come by Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. to learn more about your sales organization, and I'll bring
plenty of literature with me?"
Essential Destination for Software Sales PeopleMountain View, CA www.SoftwareSalesJobs.com Toronto, ON
Prospect: "Okay."
In this scenario, if the prospect had given me one more objection, I would handle it and ask for the
appointment for the last time. Beyond overcoming three objections in a row, your prospecting phone call
turns into an argument, which is the last impression you want to leave with the prospect when hanging up
the phone! After hearing three objections, simply thank the prospect, hang up, and make your next call.
Another way to handle the 'I'm happy now' or 'status quo' objection is as follows:
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "We're all set."
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "That's great! We actually don't mind being second, and we can
offer alternative pricing to keep your primary vendor honest, or we may find out we offer something
your primary vendor does not." (Ask for the appointment) "Why don't we get together Tuesday at
9:00 a.m. so I can learn more about your existing solution and how we might work with what you
already have?"
Let's move on to the next category, "I'm not interested," probably heard more often than any other objection
when prospecting for appointments. The key here is to describe the result your solution provides and, more
specifically, the result your solution has provided someone else (i.e., another customer). Here's what I say
when I have Anticipated the objection and the prospect tells me he's not interested:
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "You know, Mr. Prospect, that's what many of my customers said
before they understood that The Blitz Experience would actually double the number of
appointments with qualified prospects their salespeople were able to set as a result of the skills and
techniques taught and practiced during the Blitz." (Ask for the appointment) "Why don't I just come
by at 3:00 p.m. next Tuesday so I can share with you some actual results other customers have
enjoyed by participating in a Blitz Experience of their own?"
Notice here I explained a typical result my customers have had from The Blitz Experience. I said, "You
know, Mr. Prospect, that's what many of my customers said before they understood that The Blitz
Experience would actually double the number of appointments with qualified prospects their salespeople
were able to set as a result of the skills and techniques taught and practiced during the Blitz."
Offering a sales training program that can double the number of appointments typically set for a sales team
is a compelling argument when talking to a new prospect for the first time. By immediately explaining a
compelling result, I am more likely to get the appointment.
In addition to offering the general results that can be expected from The Blitz Experience, I might give a
specific result that a named client or client industry has experienced. Using the same objection as above,
here's what that conversation would look like:
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "I'm not interested."
Essential Destination for Software Sales PeopleMountain View, CA www.SoftwareSalesJobs.com Toronto, ON
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "You know, Mr. Prospect, that's exactly what ABC Bank said until
they tried The Blitz Experience and closed over $10 million in sales as a direct result of the
qualified appointments scheduled during the Blitz. They have since rolled out the Blitz program to
their entire company!" (Ask for the appointment) "Why don't I just come by at 10:00 a.m. next
Wednesday so I can share with you some more incredible results other customers have enjoyed by
participating in a Blitz Experience of their own?"
Next, the "I'm too busy" objection is also quite common. The beauty of this objection is that you don't want to
talk to them now anyway; you want to set an appointment to talk in person! If they're too busy to talk, that's
the very reason to set an appointment, so you can talk face to face when they're less busy and have
scheduled you in their calendar. Another technique that works well here is if they're too busy to talk and they
ask you to call back to schedule the appointment, suggest that you tentatively schedule an appointment now
and that you'll call back to confirm. Microsoft conducted a study that showed there is a 70 percent greater
chance an activity will happen if it's scheduled in the calendar. So, in our scenario, there is a 70 percent
greater likelihood the prospect will honor the appointment and meet with you if you can get him or her to put
it in their calendar. With multiple objections given on this particular call, it might go something like this:
Prospect: (Anticipated objection) "Andrea, you've caught me at a time when I'm too busy to talk."
Andrea: (Handle the objection, Ask for the appointment) "Okay, well then rather than taking time
now, why don't I just come by next Thursday at 11:00 a.m.?"
Prospect: (Anticipated objection) "Well, why don't you call me back to schedule an appointment?"
Andrea: (Handle the objection, Ask for the appointment) "I'd be happy to, but why don't we go
ahead and tentatively get it on the calendar now, and I'll call back to confirm?"
Prospect: "Okay, what did you say? Next Thursday at 11:00 a.m.? See you then."
Even with up to three objections in one call, each should be Anticipated and Handled, and you should
always Ask for the appointment. This is the 'Aha!' Formula in action!
The next popular category of objection is "Send me some literature." I actually quite enjoy this objection,
because I have a funny way to handle it. Feel free to use this one for those of you who are brave enough to
do so! When the prospect has told me, "Send me some literature," I have Anticipated this objection and
here's how I Handle it: "I'd be happy to send you some literature, but just so you know the package it comes
in is five feet eight inches, 150 pounds, with dark hair (Ask for the appointment), and it'll be there Friday at
9:00 a.m.!" Obviously, the package I'm describing is myself and not an actual package, but it gets a laugh
every time and gets the appointment most of the time! The point is to use humor when you can. Most people
will appreciate it, and it will break the ice and give you leverage to actually getting the appointment.
On a more serious note, another way to handle the "Send me some literature" objection might go like this:
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "I'd be happy to send you some literature. However, until I learn
more about your company and its needs, I won't know what to send." (Ask for the appointment)
Essential Destination for Software Sales PeopleMountain View, CA www.SoftwareSalesJobs.com Toronto, ON
"Why don't I come by at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday so I can learn more about your company and
possible solutions we can provide so that I know what literature to share with you?"
This works well because, after all, you won't know what literature to send unless you find out more about
your prospect and what their needs are, and how do you do that? You set an appointment!
Hopefully, the objection you will hear least often is, "I once had a bad experience with your company." If you
hear this particular objection, the way to handle it is to first empathize with the prospect, then talk about how
your company has changed since their bad experience. Now, if their bad experience was yesterday, you're
in trouble because your company did not change overnight. However, if their bad experience was several
years ago, chances are your company has changed since then, and that's the very reason you should meet,
to remedy their bad experience and learn more about how you might do business with them now. Here's
how this might sound:
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "We once had a bad experience with your company a few
years back."
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "I'm sorry to hear that. You know we've actually changed quite a bit
since then." (Ask for the appointment) "Why don't I just come by next Thursday at 10 a.m. to learn
more about your company and discuss how we've changed in a way that might be of benefit to
you?"
Another reason the prospect may have had a bad experience with your company is that he or she was
mistreated by the salesperson he or she was working with at the time. If that salesperson is no longer with
your company, that is a perfect reason to meet, so you can make up for whatever the original salesperson
did wrong at the time. Here's how that would go:
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "We worked with a salesperson from your firm years ago who
did a terrible job for us."
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "I'm really sorry to hear that. That person is no longer with our
company, which is exactly why we should meet." (Ask for the appointment) "How does Friday at 2
p.m. work for you?"
Another common objection you might hear is, "We don't have money to buy anything right now" or "It's just
not in the budget." During one of my Blitz Experience role-play exercises, I used the objection, "I don't have
any money," with the salesperson. I loved his response. He said to me, "Well, neither do I. That's why I'm
calling you!" He said he actually uses this technique and it works most of the time because he gets the
prospect to laugh, thus letting his guard down, allowing the salesperson to get the appointment.
A more serious way to handle this objection might sound like this:
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "It's not in our budget right now."
Essential Destination for Software Sales PeopleMountain View, CA www.SoftwareSalesJobs.com Toronto, ON
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "In that case, now is the perfect time to meet, before you're even in
the market for a program like ours so we can take our time to learn more about your organization
and how our Blitz program will be of benefit." (Ask for the appointment) "Why don't I just come by at
10:00 a.m. on Thursday so I can learn more about your sales team and share more about how our
Blitz program has doubled the number of appointments a typical sales force will schedule in one
day?"
Prospect: "Okay, see you then."
Another way to handle the "We don't have any money" objection goes like this:
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "We don't have any money."
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "Actually, we have several payment plans that make our sales
training programs quite affordable. Also, we've found that most clients sell upwards of $100,000 in
products and services as a direct result of the appointments they schedule during the Blitz training."
(Ask for the appointment) "Why don't I come by next Tuesday at 2:00 p.m., and I'll share some of
the amazing results our clients have had in participating in The Blitz Experience?"
Prospect: "Okay."
With the "We have no money" objection, there are many ways you can go. You can discuss payment plans,
leasing options, no money down, ninety-day payment, and other terms that may make your solution more
appealing to your prospect. Your willingness to work with them and their budget will increase your chances
of getting the appointment and ultimately getting the sale. Also, if you're able to show how your solution
actually increases your client's profitability, you will be more likely to get the appointment and get the sale.
Prospects aren't as impressed with you saving them money or making them more productive, because
they've heard it all before. If you can prove your solution will increase their revenue or profitability, you'll
have their attention.
Another situation you may run into with prospects is having them ask you, "What makes your company so
good?" or "Why should I switch to you?" This is the prospect's way of getting you to give your entire pitch
over the phone, making the appointment unnecessary. Don't get caught up in this scenario. Instead, it
should go something like this.
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "What makes your company so good?"
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "I do! That's the very reason we should meet!" Or (Handle the
objection) "Lots of things make us great! That's exactly why we should get together, so I can learn
more about your company and determine a fit for our solution." (Ask for the appointment) "How's
Thursday at 11:00 a.m.?"
Or
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "Why should I switch to you?"
Essential Destination for Software Sales PeopleMountain View, CA www.SoftwareSalesJobs.com Toronto, ON
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "Well, there are many reasons, which is the very reason we should
meet in person." (Ask for the appointment) "How's Wednesday at 9 a.m.?"
Another trick prospects often use goes like this:
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "Just give me the thirty-second version of your presentation."
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "I would be doing a great disservice to you to try and do that, which
is exactly why we should get together." (Ask for the appointment) "How's Friday at noon for lunch?"
Another common objection you may hear is: "We're not in the market right now." Here's how this
should go:
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "We're not in the market right now."
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "Great, because now is actually the best time to meet, before
you're in the market, so you can take your time to learn about the best solution for your company
and so I can help you determine the best solution based on your specific needs." (Ask for the
appointment) "How's Tuesday at 3:00 p.m.?"
Finally, another objection that sounds like a buying signal goes like this:
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "How much is it?"
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "We offer a variety of programs and solutions, and I'd be doing you
a disservice to try and quote you a price over the phone." (Ask for the appointment) "Why don't we
just get together Thursday at 2:00 p.m. so I can learn more about your company and your needs to
determine the appropriate investment?"
In a situation where you've already had your initial appointment and the prospect asks, "How much is it?" it
truly is a buying signal. However, when making the initial phone call, it is usually a tactic used by prospects
to get you off the phone, so don't be fooled!
Andrea Sittig-Rolf is President of Sittig Incorporated. Andrea is the author of 2 compelling sales books called
'Business-to-Business Prospecting: Innovative Techniques to Get Your Foot in the Door with Any Prospect'
and 'The Seven Keys to Effective Business-to-Business Appointment Setting'. She is also the creator of The
Blitz Experience, a results-oriented, activity-based sales training program that empowers salespeople to
schedule appointments with qualified prospects the day of training, resulting in a pipeline full of new
opportunities at the end of the day. For article feedback, contact Andrea at andrea@sittiginc.com
Essential Destination for Software Sales People
Mountain View, CA www.SoftwareSalesJobs.com Toronto, ON
No Sales Appointments? Try the 'Aha!' Formula
By Andrea Sittig-Rolf, President, Sittig Incorporated
Published in Software Sales Journal, December 2006
Do you often hear the prospect saying, "I'm not interested", "I'm happy with what I've got",
and then "We don't have any money"? The 'Aha!' Formula helps you anticipate and handle
the objection properly before asking for the appointment, and always asking for the
appointment after handling the objection. Learn how to set great appointments, using the
'Aha!' Formula, that will translate into energy and confidence on the phone.
Do you often hear the prospect saying, "I'm not interested", "I'm happy with what I've got", and then "We
don't have any money"? The 'Aha!' Formula helps you anticipate and handle the objection properly before
asking for the appointment, and always asking for the appointment after handling the objection. Learn how
to set great appointments, using the 'Aha!' Formula, that will translate into energy and confidence on the
phone.
Anticipate the objection, Handle the objection, Ask for the appointment. The 'Aha!' Formula works every
time for securing qualified appointments with decision-makers. It sounds simple, and it is. But so often we're
intimidated by the word 'No', so rather than handle the objection or perceived rejection, we simply thank the
prospect, hang up the phone, and make the next call. Imagine, though, having to make fewer prospecting
phone calls because you have improved your appointment-setting skill level.
As good as your opening script is, most of the time you will encounter objections from your prospect while
setting the appointment. After years of conducting The Blitz Experience, as well as taking some good advice
from Stephan Schiffman, author of a fantastic book on cold calling called "Cold Calling Techniques That
Really Work!" the most common objections you will hear, fall into the ten categories below:
" "No, thanks. I'm happy with what I have."
" "I'm not interested."
" "I'm too busy."
" "Send me some literature."
" "I once had a bad experience with your company."
" "We don't have money to buy anything right now."
" "What makes your company so good?" or "Why should I switch to you?"
" "Just give me the thirty-second version of your presentation."
" "We're not in the market right now."
" "How much is it?"
Essential Destination for Software Sales PeopleMountain View, CA www.SoftwareSalesJobs.com Toronto, ON
As I mentioned in the 'Aha!' Formula, the key is to anticipate and handle the objection properly before asking
for the appointment, and always asking for the appointment after handling the objection. Keep in mind that
you may hear more than one objection in any given phone call. In other words, the prospect may say, "I'm
not interested" and after handling that objection you might hear, "I'm happy with what I've got," and then you
might hear, "We don't have any money."
Prospects may give multiple objections, some of them true, some of them false, and just used as a tool to
get you off the phone! While it's important not to take the first 'No' for an answer, I don't recommend
overcoming more than three objections in any given phone call. Sometimes, the answer is 'No'. However, by
learning how to overcome the most common objections, you'll significantly increase your appointments ratio.
In this chapter, I will give many examples of exactly how to overcome each of the most common objections
you will hear when making phone calls to schedule appointments with qualified decision-makers.
"No, thanks. I'm happy with what I have." Also known as 'status quo', this is probably the most difficult
objection to overcome, because people don't want to change unless there is a compelling reason to do so.
The key to handling this particular objection is to describe how your product or service complements,
enhances, or supplements what the prospect is already doing.
In other words, don't put yourself in the position of competing with the prospect's current vendor, and
possibly insulting the prospect's earlier decision to go with your competitor; instead, your solution will
actually enhance what they're already doing. This works so well, because now the prospect doesn't have to
choose one or the other, but can instead have both: the former decision they made regarding the same
products and services you offer can simply be enhanced by what you provide. By using this technique,
you're actually reinforcing what the prospect is already doing by showing that your solution will fit into their
particular plan. You can also try the tactic of "We don't mind being second," which indicates your interest in
having at least some of their business, if not all of it.
This tactic in overcoming the "I'm happy now" objection works well in my business of sales training. Often,
the prospects I call on are already doing something in regards to sales training, but because of the specific
appointment-setting techniques training I do, my Blitz Experience program often complements or reinforces
other training programs the prospect might already have in place.
To understand the practicality of this technique, the example below demonstrates exactly how this technique
can be used:
Andrea: "Hi, Mr. Prospect. My name is Andrea Sittig-Rolf, and I'm the creator of The Blitz
Experience, an activity-based sales training program that empowers salespeople to schedule
appointments with qualified prospects the day of the training, resulting in a pipeline full of new
opportunities at the end of the day. The reason for my call today is to schedule an appointment to
learn more about your sales organization so we can determine whether there is a fit for The Blitz
Experience within your firm. How does Thursday at 10:00 a.m. work for you?"
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "We're all set with sales training for the year. In fact, we just
signed up for a program yesterday."
Essential Destination for Software Sales PeopleMountain View, CA www.SoftwareSalesJobs.com Toronto, ON
Andrea: "That's great! May I ask what kind of program it is?"
Prospect: "Sure, it's sales process training, and it's conducted by XYZ Company."
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "Well, that's perfect actually, because The Blitz Experience will
enhance that program beautifully by focusing on the very first phase of the sales process; setting
the appointment." (Ask for the appointment) "Why don't I come by next Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. to
learn more about your company and your new sales training program so we can determine whether
The Blitz Experience will enhance what you're already doing?"
Prospect: "Okay."
Notice the 'Aha!' Formula used throughout the script. By anticipating the objection, I was ready to handle the
objection and then ask for the appointment. Easy, right? It's actually not too bad when all you have to do is
overcome one objection and then get the appointment. However, as I mentioned previously, sometimes
prospects will give more than one objection. Using the same example above, the multiple objections script
might go something like this:
Andrea: "Hi, Mr. Prospect. My name is Andrea Sittig-Rolf, and I'm the creator of The Blitz
Experience, an activity-based sales training program that empowers salespeople to schedule
appointments with qualified prospects the day of the training, resulting in a pipeline full of new
opportunities at the end of the day. The reason for my call today is to schedule an appointment to
learn more about your sales organization so we can determine whether there is a fit for The Blitz
Experience within your firm. How does Thursday at 10:00 a.m. work for you?"
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "We're all set with sales training for the year. In fact, we just
signed up for a program yesterday."
Andrea: "That's great! May I ask what kind of program it is?"
Prospect: "Sure, it's sales process training, and it's conducted by XYZ Company."
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "Well, that's perfect actually, because The Blitz Experience will
enhance that program beautifully by focusing on the very first phase of the sales process, setting
the appointment." (Ask for the appointment) "Why don't I come by next Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. to
learn more about your company and your new sales training program so we can determine whether
The Blitz Experience will enhance what you're already doing?"
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "Why don't you just send me some literature?"
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "I'd be happy to send you more information, and I have found it to
be more useful when it's targeted to your specific needs." (Ask for the appointment) "Why don't I
just come by Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. to learn more about your sales organization, and I'll bring
plenty of literature with me?"
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Prospect: "Okay."
In this scenario, if the prospect had given me one more objection, I would handle it and ask for the
appointment for the last time. Beyond overcoming three objections in a row, your prospecting phone call
turns into an argument, which is the last impression you want to leave with the prospect when hanging up
the phone! After hearing three objections, simply thank the prospect, hang up, and make your next call.
Another way to handle the 'I'm happy now' or 'status quo' objection is as follows:
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "We're all set."
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "That's great! We actually don't mind being second, and we can
offer alternative pricing to keep your primary vendor honest, or we may find out we offer something
your primary vendor does not." (Ask for the appointment) "Why don't we get together Tuesday at
9:00 a.m. so I can learn more about your existing solution and how we might work with what you
already have?"
Let's move on to the next category, "I'm not interested," probably heard more often than any other objection
when prospecting for appointments. The key here is to describe the result your solution provides and, more
specifically, the result your solution has provided someone else (i.e., another customer). Here's what I say
when I have Anticipated the objection and the prospect tells me he's not interested:
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "You know, Mr. Prospect, that's what many of my customers said
before they understood that The Blitz Experience would actually double the number of
appointments with qualified prospects their salespeople were able to set as a result of the skills and
techniques taught and practiced during the Blitz." (Ask for the appointment) "Why don't I just come
by at 3:00 p.m. next Tuesday so I can share with you some actual results other customers have
enjoyed by participating in a Blitz Experience of their own?"
Notice here I explained a typical result my customers have had from The Blitz Experience. I said, "You
know, Mr. Prospect, that's what many of my customers said before they understood that The Blitz
Experience would actually double the number of appointments with qualified prospects their salespeople
were able to set as a result of the skills and techniques taught and practiced during the Blitz."
Offering a sales training program that can double the number of appointments typically set for a sales team
is a compelling argument when talking to a new prospect for the first time. By immediately explaining a
compelling result, I am more likely to get the appointment.
In addition to offering the general results that can be expected from The Blitz Experience, I might give a
specific result that a named client or client industry has experienced. Using the same objection as above,
here's what that conversation would look like:
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "I'm not interested."
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Andrea: (Handle the objection) "You know, Mr. Prospect, that's exactly what ABC Bank said until
they tried The Blitz Experience and closed over $10 million in sales as a direct result of the
qualified appointments scheduled during the Blitz. They have since rolled out the Blitz program to
their entire company!" (Ask for the appointment) "Why don't I just come by at 10:00 a.m. next
Wednesday so I can share with you some more incredible results other customers have enjoyed by
participating in a Blitz Experience of their own?"
Next, the "I'm too busy" objection is also quite common. The beauty of this objection is that you don't want to
talk to them now anyway; you want to set an appointment to talk in person! If they're too busy to talk, that's
the very reason to set an appointment, so you can talk face to face when they're less busy and have
scheduled you in their calendar. Another technique that works well here is if they're too busy to talk and they
ask you to call back to schedule the appointment, suggest that you tentatively schedule an appointment now
and that you'll call back to confirm. Microsoft conducted a study that showed there is a 70 percent greater
chance an activity will happen if it's scheduled in the calendar. So, in our scenario, there is a 70 percent
greater likelihood the prospect will honor the appointment and meet with you if you can get him or her to put
it in their calendar. With multiple objections given on this particular call, it might go something like this:
Prospect: (Anticipated objection) "Andrea, you've caught me at a time when I'm too busy to talk."
Andrea: (Handle the objection, Ask for the appointment) "Okay, well then rather than taking time
now, why don't I just come by next Thursday at 11:00 a.m.?"
Prospect: (Anticipated objection) "Well, why don't you call me back to schedule an appointment?"
Andrea: (Handle the objection, Ask for the appointment) "I'd be happy to, but why don't we go
ahead and tentatively get it on the calendar now, and I'll call back to confirm?"
Prospect: "Okay, what did you say? Next Thursday at 11:00 a.m.? See you then."
Even with up to three objections in one call, each should be Anticipated and Handled, and you should
always Ask for the appointment. This is the 'Aha!' Formula in action!
The next popular category of objection is "Send me some literature." I actually quite enjoy this objection,
because I have a funny way to handle it. Feel free to use this one for those of you who are brave enough to
do so! When the prospect has told me, "Send me some literature," I have Anticipated this objection and
here's how I Handle it: "I'd be happy to send you some literature, but just so you know the package it comes
in is five feet eight inches, 150 pounds, with dark hair (Ask for the appointment), and it'll be there Friday at
9:00 a.m.!" Obviously, the package I'm describing is myself and not an actual package, but it gets a laugh
every time and gets the appointment most of the time! The point is to use humor when you can. Most people
will appreciate it, and it will break the ice and give you leverage to actually getting the appointment.
On a more serious note, another way to handle the "Send me some literature" objection might go like this:
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "I'd be happy to send you some literature. However, until I learn
more about your company and its needs, I won't know what to send." (Ask for the appointment)
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"Why don't I come by at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday so I can learn more about your company and
possible solutions we can provide so that I know what literature to share with you?"
This works well because, after all, you won't know what literature to send unless you find out more about
your prospect and what their needs are, and how do you do that? You set an appointment!
Hopefully, the objection you will hear least often is, "I once had a bad experience with your company." If you
hear this particular objection, the way to handle it is to first empathize with the prospect, then talk about how
your company has changed since their bad experience. Now, if their bad experience was yesterday, you're
in trouble because your company did not change overnight. However, if their bad experience was several
years ago, chances are your company has changed since then, and that's the very reason you should meet,
to remedy their bad experience and learn more about how you might do business with them now. Here's
how this might sound:
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "We once had a bad experience with your company a few
years back."
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "I'm sorry to hear that. You know we've actually changed quite a bit
since then." (Ask for the appointment) "Why don't I just come by next Thursday at 10 a.m. to learn
more about your company and discuss how we've changed in a way that might be of benefit to
you?"
Another reason the prospect may have had a bad experience with your company is that he or she was
mistreated by the salesperson he or she was working with at the time. If that salesperson is no longer with
your company, that is a perfect reason to meet, so you can make up for whatever the original salesperson
did wrong at the time. Here's how that would go:
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "We worked with a salesperson from your firm years ago who
did a terrible job for us."
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "I'm really sorry to hear that. That person is no longer with our
company, which is exactly why we should meet." (Ask for the appointment) "How does Friday at 2
p.m. work for you?"
Another common objection you might hear is, "We don't have money to buy anything right now" or "It's just
not in the budget." During one of my Blitz Experience role-play exercises, I used the objection, "I don't have
any money," with the salesperson. I loved his response. He said to me, "Well, neither do I. That's why I'm
calling you!" He said he actually uses this technique and it works most of the time because he gets the
prospect to laugh, thus letting his guard down, allowing the salesperson to get the appointment.
A more serious way to handle this objection might sound like this:
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "It's not in our budget right now."
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Andrea: (Handle the objection) "In that case, now is the perfect time to meet, before you're even in
the market for a program like ours so we can take our time to learn more about your organization
and how our Blitz program will be of benefit." (Ask for the appointment) "Why don't I just come by at
10:00 a.m. on Thursday so I can learn more about your sales team and share more about how our
Blitz program has doubled the number of appointments a typical sales force will schedule in one
day?"
Prospect: "Okay, see you then."
Another way to handle the "We don't have any money" objection goes like this:
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "We don't have any money."
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "Actually, we have several payment plans that make our sales
training programs quite affordable. Also, we've found that most clients sell upwards of $100,000 in
products and services as a direct result of the appointments they schedule during the Blitz training."
(Ask for the appointment) "Why don't I come by next Tuesday at 2:00 p.m., and I'll share some of
the amazing results our clients have had in participating in The Blitz Experience?"
Prospect: "Okay."
With the "We have no money" objection, there are many ways you can go. You can discuss payment plans,
leasing options, no money down, ninety-day payment, and other terms that may make your solution more
appealing to your prospect. Your willingness to work with them and their budget will increase your chances
of getting the appointment and ultimately getting the sale. Also, if you're able to show how your solution
actually increases your client's profitability, you will be more likely to get the appointment and get the sale.
Prospects aren't as impressed with you saving them money or making them more productive, because
they've heard it all before. If you can prove your solution will increase their revenue or profitability, you'll
have their attention.
Another situation you may run into with prospects is having them ask you, "What makes your company so
good?" or "Why should I switch to you?" This is the prospect's way of getting you to give your entire pitch
over the phone, making the appointment unnecessary. Don't get caught up in this scenario. Instead, it
should go something like this.
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "What makes your company so good?"
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "I do! That's the very reason we should meet!" Or (Handle the
objection) "Lots of things make us great! That's exactly why we should get together, so I can learn
more about your company and determine a fit for our solution." (Ask for the appointment) "How's
Thursday at 11:00 a.m.?"
Or
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "Why should I switch to you?"
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Andrea: (Handle the objection) "Well, there are many reasons, which is the very reason we should
meet in person." (Ask for the appointment) "How's Wednesday at 9 a.m.?"
Another trick prospects often use goes like this:
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "Just give me the thirty-second version of your presentation."
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "I would be doing a great disservice to you to try and do that, which
is exactly why we should get together." (Ask for the appointment) "How's Friday at noon for lunch?"
Another common objection you may hear is: "We're not in the market right now." Here's how this
should go:
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "We're not in the market right now."
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "Great, because now is actually the best time to meet, before
you're in the market, so you can take your time to learn about the best solution for your company
and so I can help you determine the best solution based on your specific needs." (Ask for the
appointment) "How's Tuesday at 3:00 p.m.?"
Finally, another objection that sounds like a buying signal goes like this:
Prospect: (Anticipate the objection) "How much is it?"
Andrea: (Handle the objection) "We offer a variety of programs and solutions, and I'd be doing you
a disservice to try and quote you a price over the phone." (Ask for the appointment) "Why don't we
just get together Thursday at 2:00 p.m. so I can learn more about your company and your needs to
determine the appropriate investment?"
In a situation where you've already had your initial appointment and the prospect asks, "How much is it?" it
truly is a buying signal. However, when making the initial phone call, it is usually a tactic used by prospects
to get you off the phone, so don't be fooled!
Andrea Sittig-Rolf is President of Sittig Incorporated. Andrea is the author of 2 compelling sales books called
'Business-to-Business Prospecting: Innovative Techniques to Get Your Foot in the Door with Any Prospect'
and 'The Seven Keys to Effective Business-to-Business Appointment Setting'. She is also the creator of The
Blitz Experience, a results-oriented, activity-based sales training program that empowers salespeople to
schedule appointments with qualified prospects the day of training, resulting in a pipeline full of new
opportunities at the end of the day. For article feedback, contact Andrea at andrea@sittiginc.com
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