The Top 5 Cold Calling Objections and How to Handle Them

I make a lot of cold calls. Using best-in-class software (@ConnectAndSell) I manage to have anywhere from 20-30 conversations a DAY for my clients. Most cold calls are not beautiful snowflakes that are unique, it's quite the opposite. Most cold calls fall into a handful of standard paths and outcomes. These paths are not unique, they aren't surprising, and most of all, they aren't all leading to a hang-up IF you have a gameplan.

The biggest factors that YOU can control when you cold call: who you're calling, what you're trying to accomplish (set a meeting, sell a transactional product), and the pace, volume, and energy your voice brings to the discussion. Just like swinging a golf club, you've got to get your reps in, to make sure you can hit the fairway more than the rough. This is why I take 800-900 "reps" a day on the phone. Honing your cold calling approach will do wonders for your results, a lot like working on your swing at the driving range.

There are many variables involved in a successful cold call but to make sure that you're optimizing your results, here are some tips on where to take the conversation when you hear the following responses:

1.) "I'm not interested" - This might be my favorite objection because above all else if the prospect hasn't seen a demo, thoroughly studied your offering and understood the value you provide, they are throwing this at you simply out of laziness in an effort to walk away. After the prospect tosses this objection out, they are about to hang up. You have nothing to lose. Before they hang up quickly respond, "Oh, mr. Prospect, what aren't you interested in?" You're going to get a hang-up (which we knew was coming anyway) OR you're going to get the prospect digging into what you do. I have turned many cold calls from 10-second hang-ups into 2-minute conversations that result in either 1.) valuable insight on the prospect or 2.) a meeting set.

The only way you accept this objection as the end of a conversation is if they have understood and articulated the value of what you do BACK to you. It should sound like this "Yes, I understand that you help carpenters make more efficient wooden structures, the problem is that I build using metal, so I won't be needing your woodworking tools, I am not interested in learning more, thanks" Cold calling isn't about making believers out of skeptics, it's about finding people with problems that you solve. NEXT!

2.) "Send me some information" - Not unlike objection number 1 this is a gut reaction objection that gets thrown out when a prospect is simply too busy to focus on what you want to focus on. The best response to this to gauge if the prospect will actually read or respond to the information that you send is to reply, "Sure thing Mr. Prospect, what information specifically can I help you out with?" This will go one of two ways: 1.) a hang-up (which we knew was already on their mind because they gave a cheap objection) or 2.) "I don't know, whatever you want me to see". Option two is a fantastic opportunity to re-frame why you called in the first place. "Mr. Prospect I'm calling you because I help people like you at companies like yours solve problems like X, Y, and Z." This might also lead to them saying they aren't interested, but you need to make sure they know WHAT they aren't interested in.

Also, if the conversation doesn't result in a meeting set, FOLLOW UP. Call them 48 hours later and ask about the information you sent over, and reference exactly why they asked for it. Good salespeople always follow up.

3.) "Send information and I'll forward it to the right person" - This is super similar to objection 2, but it has a twist! When someone says this, they are telling you that they are not the person you need to be talking to. Your goal now is not to push your info on them, or to push them for a meeting, but rather, put on your detective cap and your Columbo trench coat and figure out who you should be speaking with. It should sound something like this, and remember, you caused a problem when you dialed them, they didn't dial you, so solve problems for them, "Mr. Prospect, it sounds like I'm barking up the wrong tree here. I want to make your life a little easier because I know you have a lot on your plate. Who should I reach out to in your org that would get value out of X, Y and Z?" The key here is to not be pushy, slowing down your speech and having more of a "fireside chat" tone works wonders at getting people to open up. Even getting just a name is enough, use a tool like Seamless.ai to look up that person's email and phone number in seconds.

This is like digital sales 101 but you should have an email solution that has templates for you to send out. These templates need to be short, sweet and packed with value. Hyperlink case studies, explainer videos, and testimonials so that if someone actually sits down to do their homework on their own time, they are getting value out of what you sent over.

4.)"I'm busy" - Ahh, the most basic and probably most frequent objection a cold-caller gets day-in and day-out. The response to this is super short and simple because guess what: by the time the prospect says this, they are 80% hung-up already. You have 2 seconds to say something that will stop them from dropping the phone and pressing the red dead button. The response is, "I am busy too. I was reaching out to schedule a time that isn't an interruption in your day to discuss how we can solve this problem for you." This will get you to where you need to be faster than simply calling back. If they say "I'm busy" and hang up, call them back tomorrow, every time. If you catch them with the "I'm also busy" line you have a chance that they will hear you out long enough to make a decision as to whether or not you could provide value to them.

Remember, salespeople don't get paid for no-decision. As @JohnBarrows likes to say "No is the second-best answer in sales." 'No answer' is your nightmare. Get to the point where the prospect can clearly and intelligently answer your request as soon as possible on a cold call.

5.) "Hmm, you know what, that sounds interesting but my priorities are elsewhere right now." - The best outcome of a cold-call is whatever you deem it to be, but most people want a meeting set so that there can be a not-so-cold conversation about business needs, leading to a sale of some sort. There are a few responses you can get from a cold-call that will not be ideal but are a "win" anyway. I count this objection to be a win. This means that you have planted the hook, you've sowed the seed, and this person will remember you when call them back later. Sounds like this, "Mr. Prospect I totally understand, we all have priorities. How about I send you a follow-up email for you to share with your colleagues and I'll make sure to put in my calendar in (whenever they want) to follow up with you."

Here is the key to this strategy: unless they give you solid reasoning, "Q4 is a nightmare for us, call me in Q1 of next year" then you can pretty much cut in half the time they ask for a follow-up. Like they just told you, they are focusing on other things, they respect that you have something that could help them, but now is not the time. Most prospects don't know when the right time is, so if they say follow up in two months, right around 1 month start tickling them. They won't remember that they gave you an exact number (UNLESS they did, in which case, listen to thy prospect to get thy desired result).

I hope you got some value out of this! If you did, I would be grateful if you tossed me a like, share, or comment below.

If you want to talk cold-calling, I'm withing 2 feet of my phone right now as you read this, I promise. Kevin Hopp of Hopp Consulting Group (310)941-8908 [email protected]