When Buyers Say No and Why It’s Your Fault

As a buyer of services for giant corporations for 18 years, I saw that B2B Buyers say “no” way more times than they say “yes” to a vendor trying to sell to them. Here are statistically the top 5 reasons why they do that and how to realize where it’s your fault and take accountability and change your tactics to overcome objections quickly.

The Price Objection Game-Changer

After running my executive roundtables (which are absolutely killing it for business development, by the way!), I’ve been knee-deep in sales conversations with small business owners. Here’s what the data shows: the #1 reason buyers say no is “it’s too expensive” or “we don’t have the budget.” And price is so important to them that ?6 out of 10 corporate buyers want to discuss price in the first meeting! The objection happens when you don’t structure your sales conversation to uncover urgency. In the corporate world, every pain ladders up to one thing: losing money. This is your fault. Because you’re in charge of your sales conversation and in this conversation, you must quantify their pain by flushing out every consequence of NOT solving their problem – from business costs to personal costs like reputation damage. When you compare your solution’s price to those costs, it suddenly looks like a bargain. I always ask: “What’s going to be different if you wait? How much more will this problem cost to fix later?”

“We’re Already Working With Someone”

My sister-from-another-mother Allison from Capital One always says the same thing: unseating a current vendor is your biggest challenge. Corporate buyers prioritize safety – why risk their neck on an unknown quantity? This is where again, it’s your fault. Because you didn’t take the time to develop the strategy and marketing to become a true industry expert. You can’t just ask what their current vendor isn’t doing well (though sometimes you can if you’ve built the relationship). Instead, present industry-wide issues and demonstrate why existing solutions fall short. You need to be super-niched, super-elite, and super well-known for solving a specific pain point. Sometimes you’ll even open their eyes to problems they didn’t realize they had! Your thought leadership content should consistently hammer home how you’re different in solving the exact problem their current vendor isn’t addressing.

Authority and Timing Objections

When a prospect says “I’m not authorized to sign off on this,” that’s 100% your fault. You’re meeting with the wrong people! You need to do the upfront work to ensure decision-makers are in the room. If they won’t give you that kind of meeting, you’re just a number to them, not a strategic partner. This is where your positioning comes in – you have to elevate your marketing to present yourself as an industry thought leader. Similarly, when they say “we don’t need this right now,” remember that research shows only 5% of any audience is ready to buy immediately. This is why you need a content marketing train – newsletters, LinkedIn content, live sessions like this one – to nurture prospects until they’re ready. I’ve had people binge my content and then give me multiple five-figure contracts!

Finding Real Urgency

The “it’s not important right now” objection boils down to your fault of not finding the right pain point or targeting the wrong audience. Maybe you’re not speaking to the right person in the company who feels the pain. Maybe you need to find an industry that’s “bleeding and dying” for your solution. I always think about my IT client who transformed from a generic service provider into “On Hold Rescue” – specialists in reducing hospital call center wait times. When patients are literally dying waiting on hold, that creates urgency! Without changing their service or hiring anyone new, they sold $85,000 worth of this specialized offering because they became experts in a specific, urgent pain point. That’s what I want for you – overcome these five objections by getting your positioning right, developing a strong marketing strategy, and creating a sales script that uncovers true urgency. When you position yourself as a celebrity expert in their specific industry pain, they’ll give you all the time in the world.

Want to reposition your messaging to grow your leads? Follow me on?Twitter, friend me on?Facebook,?watch my Podcast on?YouTube?or connect with me on?LinkedIn?–and let’s talk.