It has happened to us all…
You talk with the marketing team at prospective company.
You explain to them your process and build a relationship.
Everyone is on board and excited about implementing new inbound marketing campaigns.
Then it happens …
The executive team isn’t fully onboard.
What do you do now, and how do you avoid that situation in the future?
We’ll be digging into this issue in this episode of Inbound Sales Journey.
Setting Proper Expectations
This objection is easily avoidable if you set proper expectations during the beginning of the sales process. Spend time early figuring out who from the team you are talking with. Then move toward figuring out who is driving the search for a solution.
Is it an innovative marketing team just trying to stay ahead of the curve? Is it an executive team who has not been happy with performance and wants a new solution?
Knowing the answers to these questions will help you uncover where to steer the conversation.
Find out Company Structure
I will always ask the person who I am speaking with to tell me about their role in the company. What they do on a daily basis and what type of impact partnering with an agency will have on them.
Then move to asking about the team structure. Who is involved if they partner with an agency?
Begin asking questions like this early in your discovery calls. That is a sure fire way to not run into this objection. It will allow you to figure out who is driving the push to work with an agency.
If you find out that it is just a marketing team seeing what else is out there, ask how they think management will respond to partnering with an agency. Then explain that you would like to bring them into the next phone conversation. If you get push back, that’s a huge red flag.
That tells you that the C-Suite is not involved and inbound is not a priority. Be honest with prospect about why this is a concern for you. If they still are unwilling to bring the person who signs the check onto a call, I recommend dropping them as a prospect. Your time can be better spent with a more serious prospect.
Dealing with This Now
At this point of reading you might be saying something like, “Great now I know how to avoid this in the future but I am already dealing with this right now.”
If you have not set proper expectations from the beginning and are on the cusp of closing a deal when this objection comes up all is not lost.
It is time to dig deep into their current situation.
Start with some easy questions:
- “Does your executive team understand there is a current problem or room for improvement?”
- “Why do you think they are not onboard?”
Then start to offer solutions.
Make an offer to jump on a call with your current point of contact and the executive team. Together, the two of you may be able to explain the importance of implementing inbound marketing.
If there is no way to get anyone from the C-Suite on that call then unfortunately it is time to cut your losses. We need to learn from our mistakes and move on.
If this is an objection you have heard before, feel free to share your opinions or suggestions in the comments section below!
How to Connect with Ryan and Gray
Twitter:
