While the method of this stall has changed throughout the years: it went from, "Just put a brochure in the mail, and I'll look at it," to "Why don't you fax something to me, and I'll look it over," to now it's, "Just email me your information, and I'll look it over," unfortunately, it all still means the same thing: your prospect either doesn't want to take the time to be pitched, or they don't need what you're selling.
Either way, this stall sets up one of the most frustrating parts of sales - the chase. Think about it: how many times have you sent off your information and, when you've been fortunate enough to "catch" the prospect again, you've heard: "I haven't looked at it" or "We're not interested at this time"? Probably a lot, right?
The way to avoid this is to earn the right to ask a few key qualifying (or disqualifying, as I like to call them) questions so you can save both of you a lot of time and effort later on (to say nothing of saving yourself a lot of disappointment as well).
The solution, as always, is to be prepared for this brush off with a good script that fits your personality and product or service. Take the time now to adapt and customize one or more of the responses below so you are prepared the next time your prospect uses this stall.
Response One:
"I'll be happy to do that, but once you see the material, you'll probably have more questions than answers... so let's do this first: I'll ask you just a couple of quick questions to see if this is even a fit for you at this time, and then, if it is, I'll send you some targeted information - sound fair?
[If Yes - ask any appropriate of the questions below]
"First, would you be the right contact for handling (XYZ)?"
OR
"I know I called you out of the blue, but if you found that you could (give a benefit of your product or service), what might your timeframe be for considering making a decision on it?"
OR
"How are you currently handling (XYZ), and what might motivate you to consider making a change?"
OR
"How open are you to seriously considering making a change (or making a move on) XYZ in the next one or two months?"
Now note about this rebuttal I put in the question: "sound fair?" at the beginning. You can leave that out if your prospect is in a rush or if you can tell you've caught him/her at a bad time - you'll need to decide on a case by case basis.
Response Two:
"You bet I can - what's your email address?"
[Take it down and then email them your information!]
"O.K., I just sent it. Now while you open that up, let me ask you a quick question:
"How do you get involved in ordering/handling/working with the XYZ?"
OR
"From a needs standpoint, how motivated is (your company/department/are you) to change/fix/replace/buy XYZ right now?"
OR
"What would you need to see in the information I just sent you for you to become interested in learning more about what we do?"
Response Three:
"I'd be more than happy to do that - where would you like me to email that?"
[Take it down and then email them your brochure.]
"O.K., it's on the way to you. What I'd like to do right now is take just two minutes to get an idea of what's important to you, and then I can direct you to that part of the information when you get around to it. Let me ask you:
"How do you get involved in ordering/handling/working with the XYZ?"
OR
"From a needs standpoint, how motivated is (your company/department/are you) to change/fix/replace/buy XYZ right now?"
OR
"What would you need to see in the information I just sent you for you to become seriously interested in making a change in how you're handling XYZ now?"
Response Four:
"I have a better idea: rather than send you something you may not be really interested in, I'll save you the time of going through it - or deleting it! - by asking you just a couple of quick questions now to see if there's really a need. If there is, then I'll have my assistant email you something:
"Are you the best person to talk to about changing/replacing/ordering the (XYZ)?"
OR
"I know I called you out of the blue, but if you found that you could (give a benefit of your product or service), what might your timeframe be for considering making a decision on it?"
OR
"How are you currently handling (XYZ), and what might motivate you to consider making a change?"
OR
"How open are you to seriously considering making a change (or making a move on) XYZ in the next one to two months?"
Response Five:
"Be happy to do that - where do you want me to email that to?"
[Then]
"And while you have me on the phone, let me briefly ask you just a couple of quick questions which will determine whether or not it makes sense for me to follow up on information I'll send you. For example:
"How likely are you (or your company/department) to be in the market to make a change in (the way you handle XYZ) if you found a better alternative?"
OR
"If you like what you see in the information, what would the next step for us be?"
OR
"What would realistically stand in the way of us doing business together in the next few weeks if you saw some value in the information?"
There you have it - five new ways to handle the age old brush off - "Just mail/fax/email me some information." As will all new scripts, take some time to adapt them to fit your product or service, and to fit your personality and style. Once you do develop an effective way of delivering this information, then commit to practicing, drilling and rehearsing it until it becomes automatic for you.
