Whether you’re asking for referrals, calling to set an appointment, or asking a prospect to become a client and you seem to get a reoccurring objection, hit this challenge head on. Rather than trying to avoid objections or hope they don’t come up, bring them up yourself.
Long ago, I sold printing. I used to have fun cold-calling buyers by saying, “Hi, this is Bill Cates with Thunder Hill Printing. My guess is you get a lot of calls from people trying to sell you printing.” (“You got that right!”) “Am I the first or tenth person to call you today?” (“Well, you’re the first one today.”) “I’m curious, what do you tell the others?”
By having fun and hitting my most common objection, they warmed up to my call. I had earned a few minutes of their time to distinguish myself and spark their interest in wanting to meet me.
If you get the objection to your referral request, “I’d like to talk to them first,” take it off the table by saying, “I was hoping we could brainstorm to see if we can identify some folks you think should know about the important work I do. Be assured, I would want you to contact them first. I know they’d prefer to hear from you before they hear from me.”
See if you can apply this concept to just about any frequent objection. Tell me how it works.