Goal
This exercise aims to help you anticipate and address common customer objections by strategically crafting your messaging and positioning.
Instructions
List down the common customer objections:
- I don’t really NEED this
- I don’t have the AUTHORITY to buy this or switch to your offering
- I don’t want to be SOLD TO (especially if closing requires a phone conversation)
- I have to PRIORITISE other things above this right now
- My EXISTING SOLUTION works well enough
- Your company doesn’t have the CAPABILITY
- I don’t think your PRICES are reasonable
- I will have to spend a lot of time and energy CONVINCING OTHERS around me
Understand that addressing these objections involves a three-stage process - Prevention, Pre-emption, and Response.
- Prevention takes place off your website and in your marketing efforts.
- Pre-emption occurs on your site or through marketing.
- Responding happens via your sales support channel, such as live chat on your site, email support for sales, social media monitoring, or phone support for sales.
Start by addressing each objection individually. For each, brainstorm ways to prevent, pre-empt, and respond to the objection. Consider different platforms and strategies you can use in each stage. You can do this using a table:
Take the first objection: "I don’t really NEED this." How can you prevent this objection from occurring in your potential customer's mind? Perhaps your marketing efforts can emphasise the unique value proposition of your product. Pre-empt this objection on your website by showcasing customer testimonials or case studies highlighting the need for your product. Lastly, equip your sales support channel to respond to this objection by providing them with compelling talking points about the necessity of your product.
| Objections | Prevention ideas | Pre-emption ideas | Responding ideas |
|---|---|---|---|
| I don’t really NEED this. | Marketing efforts can emphasize the unique value proposition of your product | Showcase customer testimonials or case studies on your website highlighting the need for your product. | Equip your sales support channel to respond to this objection by providing them with compelling talking points about the necessity of your product. |
Repeat the above step for each of the objections.
Prioritise and strategise where to address these objections based on their significance. Minor objections can be addressed in the FAQs on your pricing page. Major objections should be tackled on high-traffic pages, such as your homepage and the first page of your cart. If an objection is particularly challenging to overcome, consider dedicating an entire page to address it.
This exercise will help you craft a strategy to effectively navigate customer objections, which will lead to better conversion rates and more successful customer interactions.
Early-stage startup example
Here’s an example for an early-stage EdTech startup named 'SkillBoost' offering an online learning platform for companies:
| Objection | Prevention ideas | Pre-emption ideas | Responding ideas |
|---|---|---|---|
| "I don't see a need for SkillBoost's online learning platform." | Launch a LinkedIn marketing campaign with content about the increasing importance of upskilling, referencing credible industry reports on skill gaps in today's workforce. | Showcase customer testimonials on the website's homepage from companies that have seen improved employee productivity after using SkillBoost. Highlight key metrics in these testimonials. | Equip the sales team with data-driven talking points showing how companies using SkillBoost have improved employee productivity and reduced hiring costs. |
| "I don't have the authority to buy SkillBoost." | Direct marketing efforts to decision-makers, like HR Managers and C-Level executives. Create a series of blog posts discussing the positive ROI of investing in employee training with SkillBoost. | Provide a 'Forward to HR' or 'Email to your Boss' button on the platform's pricing page with a pre-composed email highlighting the key benefits and potential ROI of using SkillBoost. | Train customer support to navigate this objection by offering to provide additional information or a personalized demo for the relevant decision-makers in the company. |
| "I don't want to be sold to." | Use content marketing to provide value first. Publish educational articles and host webinars about the importance of upskilling, without explicitly promoting SkillBoost. | Offer a free trial of SkillBoost on the website, allowing users to explore the platform before a sales conversation. | If the prospect seems resistant to sales talk, customer support should pivot the conversation towards understanding their needs and problems, and discuss how SkillBoost could provide solutions. |
| "I need to prioritize other things over SkillBoost right now." | Use email marketing to periodically remind prospects of the ongoing skill gap issue and how it might affect their competitive edge, emphasizing SkillBoost as a solution. | Design the website's FAQ page to address this objection by highlighting the ease of implementation and the time-efficient learning paths offered by SkillBoost. | Empower sales support to respond with information about the flexible and self-paced learning options offered by SkillBoost that employees can utilize without affecting their regular work. |
| "Our existing training solution is sufficient." | Highlight the unique features of SkillBoost that competitors lack, such as personalized learning paths, in social media and Google Ad campaigns. | Feature a comparison chart on the website contrasting SkillBoost's features and benefits with generic training solutions. | Sales support should acknowledge the value of their current solution but then focus on the unique advantages offered by SkillBoost and how it could further enhance their employee training experience. |
Note: This is a sample of how to fill the table. Follow similar steps to address the remaining objections.