“Can you send me info?” Or, “Can you send it in an email?”
We’ve all heard it. Some of you might even hear this on a daily basis. And while it looks pretty harmless at first glance, it’s actually a sales objection, and it’s one of the most dangerous objections you’ll come across.
Why? What makes it so dangerous, you ask?
First off, it’s an objection disguised as authentic interest. It sounds like your prospect is interested and wants your sales info neatly packaged to make a buying decision on their own time. It sounds like they want to do business with you, right? But chances are, they don’t intend to open the email you send, let alone read it and reply.
So what do you do with this sneaky objection? I’m going to cover that today. But first, let’s quickly get into the mind of your prospect to understand their psychology when giving this objection.
Why prospects use this objection
People use this objection because… well… it works. It works to get you off the phone. Let’s face it, c-level executives are busy, and time is of the essence. It’s not so much that they’re not interested. Maybe they are interested, but they are uncertain of what you’re offering, how it can help them, and why this call matters so much. So they have their guard up. It’s your job to put them at ease.
What NOT to do
You know how I can always spot a first-year salesperson? When faced with this objection, they say right away “Sure, I can send you more info.” And just like that, they let the prospect off the hook. Why do salespeople do this? Because they let themselves off the hook, too! That is, it technically isn’t rejection, and it feels like you’re moving the deal forward, just via email. So it actually feels like success! As mentioned, though, this objection is a deal-killer, disguised as next steps. So do not grant your prospect’s “more info” request and just give up on the call.
Why you CAN’T just send more info
Here’s the tip-of-the-iceberg of why you can’t just send more info:
- Deals are done based on trust, empathy, personality, tonality, etc. Just like a wedding engagement proposal sent through email doesn’t ring with authenticity, neither does your sales process!
- You don’t know your prospect’s pain points yet. To effectively communicate the value of your offer, you have to know what they’re struggling with. You must know their problems. Sales is all about matching your offer to their needs.
- They won’t open the email.
- What would you send them, anyway? Your company brochure? It’s all just antithetical to what sales is all about. Don’t do it!
Here’s what to do instead
Instead of saying “Sure, I’ll send you info” and hanging up the phone. You can say “Sure, I’ll send you info,” and get the questions rolling.
That’s right — it’s time to start asking questions of your prospect, because questions don’t feel like sales, it feels like conversation (because it IS conversation). And in fact, people love to answer questions. It puts them in the proverbial driver’s seat. It gives them the feeling of power. Now, instead of selling them something, you’re just getting to know them better.
Here are the questions I recommend asking, in order:
Question 1: “What’s your email address?”
Of course, you already have their email address, but look, they just asked you to send information, so this is the perfect foot-in-the-door question to ask. They will give it to you. “Ok, it’s Chad@companyname.com, got it, thanks Chad.”
Question 2: “Can you tell me who else might be reviewing this info along with you?”
You can then continue, “Ok, I’ll send this info along, but just so I send you exactly what you’re looking for, who else — if anyone — might be reviewing this info with you? This is a simple qualifying question to confirm they’re a decision-maker, or the answer could determine who else needs to be in on the next conversation. Most importantly, it keeps them talking.
Question 3: “How do you evaluate success?”
Now that you’re getting into the conversation, this next question is a natural fit. You can say something like “Ok, and just so I have a little more context, can you tell me how you evaluate success in terms of [your product/service domain]? And I want you to say this question slowly. This slows the pace and subconsciously communicates to your prospect that they can relax.
Question 4: “Tell me, what have you done in the past for X?”
Continue with this question, “Now tell me, what have you done in the past for [your solution in a nutshell]?” At this point, they’ll either aggressively try to get off the phone, and if they do, let them go and send the info (can’t win ‘em all), but they’re more likely to continue to settle in and let you know exactly how you can best help them succeed. So be sure to take notes!
Question 5: “I’ll send along the info. I’m available tomorrow at 3pm to go over it. I’m also available Thursday afternoon. Which works best for you?”
At this point you have their attention and you’re building trust. Now it’s time to assume next steps, which is the sales call. Say “I’m available tomorrow at X time, or we can do [specific day] this week at [specific time frame]. The idea here is to be painfully specific. Get them to open their calendar and let you know what works best for them. This is another psychological sales tactic that works wonders.
Final Words
One thing to keep in mind is to keep the questions simple. The main point is to keep your prospect engaged and talking, and any difficult question becomes friction that will remind them that they didn’t want to be talking to you in the first place.
And be real with them. Be authentic and curious about their goals as a person and as a leader of industry. If you can connect with them using the right pace, tonality, and empathy, then it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll get that sales call in the books. Just be a caring human on the phone and redirect their disinterest to answering basic questions.
And again, if at any point they show great irritation and demand for you to send them an email, just let them go. Thankfully, at this point you can actually tailor an email that speaks to their needs since you kept them on the phone just long enough. And if they don’t get back to you, just follow up. And if they never get back to you, there’s more fish in the ocean.
But at the end of the day, if you’re nailing the first 10 seconds of the call, you’ll rarely get this objection. In my next article I’ll share exactly how to do that.
Until next time…
Johnny-Lee Reinoso