Defuse The Objection Bombs

When your advertiser is face-to-face with prospects, or on the phone with them, or in an e-mail or text messaging discussion with them, and a buying objection is presented, a good salesperson can overcome potential customers' objections and turn the skeptics into buyers.

But for every spoken objection, there are many unspoken ones. They reside in the potential customers' minds and hearts. Then they decide not to call, visit or click. The advertiser never gets the opportunity to convert a potential customer to an actual one.

What to do? Head 'em off at the pass. Be proactive. Figure out what those obstacles are, meet those objections head on and defuse 'em before the decision not to visit is made. It's another form of reading your clients' minds, anticipating and countering.

If the radio commercials address the objections and build a case for the advertiser, there's a better chance that more prospects will show up.

How to do it? First define the possible objections.

Ask the advertiser, salespeople and customers, "Why don't some people visit, shop or buy here?" The reasons could be opinions, attitudes, rumors or feelings. In this process, you might uncover objections no one suspected even existed.

Listen in on telemarketers', salespersons' or service representatives' conversations with customers. Take notes. Record them if possible.

Then ... defuse the bombs. Write a rebuttal for each. Turn each rebuttal into a commercial.

Here are just some objections we've overcome for advertisers with radio stories:

Objection: Too expensive
Defuse: Build cache, exclusiveness and value for the expenditure.

Objection: Concern for privacy
Defuse: Describe the extremes the advertiser goes to keep clients' or patients' records and identities confidential.

Objection: Service is time-consuming
Defuse: Describe how convenient it is - free pickup & delivery, speed of service, respect for customers time.

Objection: Pain
Defuse: Recognize the fear of pain and describe steps the advertiser takes to eliminate it.

Objection: Fear of the unfamiliar
Defuse: Build bridges to show similarity with familiar aspects of audience's lives.

Objection: Advertiser might not be knowledgeable
Defuse: Explain the training the advertiser has invested in. Use case histories to illustrate.

Objection: Limited selection
Defuse: Describe unique one of a kind specialty items, niche inventory.

There are many more, but those examples should help.

The first step is showing potential customers that the advertiser understands their concerns. Defusing the objection bombs before they stop listeners from contacting the advertiser is the second step. The third step is for the advertiser to deliver on the promise.

Jeffrey Hedquist knows that the red wire next to the digital timer is the one to cut, but he still gets nervous each time. Maybe it's the music. E-mail jeffrey@hedquist.com or visit http://www.hedquist.com for his latest death-defying acts of radio marketing.