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How to Overcome Common Objections with Your Proposals and Pitches

How to Overcome Common Objections with Your Proposals and Pitches

Sending proposals and pitches is arguably the most daunting part of being a business owner or marketing professional. In previous articles we’ve looked at how to create the perfect business proposal, but here we’ll focus on something just as important: how to bounce back after an objection. We’ll help you prepare for the most common proposal objections and encourage you to turn them around and not to give up at the first hurdle.

When you’re convinced that you have the deal in the bag after developing a great rapport with your clients and then you receive an objection or a flat-out rejection, it’s easy to become a little dejected. Foreseeing the potential objections before they arise is a brilliant way to keep frustration and defeat at bay after you’ve invested such a significant amount of time on the proposal. The experience isn’t uncommon for even the most successful and thriving businesses, so the best way to look at it is that objections and rejections are a great way to optimise your proposal game and really take it to the next level.

pitching objections

Top 4 Common Objections and How to Turn Them Around!

  1. Cost
    Whenever a prospect implies that they don’t have the funds or budget for the project which you have proposed, what this easily translates to, especially if they have had previous interest is that they don’t see the value that the investment could bring to their company.

    Solution
    Show your apprehensive prospect how much value you will provide to their organisation, as well as how much return on investment you will create for them. Remember the golden rule of show don’t tell, use clear cut figures to prove the worth of your unique service.

  2. Time
    In business time is just as valuable as money, so if your client doesn’t view your project as a priority investment to their company, of course they are going to be hesitant.

    Solution
    Get to know your prospect’s business needs and engage them in conversation that allows you to gain vital information on what they think of as a priority for their organisation. Armed with this information, you’re better equipped and able to turn their biggest concerns into a project for your business. This level of interest and knowledge increases the chance of your proposal being successful as you’ll have already been given the opportunity to eliminate any potential objections before they arise.

  3. No Requirement
    A proposal objection based on the fact your prospect has ‘no need’ for your project or services can often feel like the end of the road for most proposal writers, yet even this tricky objection can be turned around. They spent a significant amount of time communicating with you for a reason, so don’t let that initial interest go without a fight.

    Solution
    If a prospect claims to have no need for your services, it’s time to show how much of a perfect fit the project in your proposal is for the prospects organisation. This objection is the perfect chance to dive deeper into the infrastructure of your client’s organisation, figure out their real needs and offer a way to meet them using different questioning methods such as funnelling questions.

  4. Trust
    Agreeing to a proposal takes a large amount of trust from your prospects. It is their time, reputation, and money that they consider investing in you whilst skimming over your proposal. This often happens when marketing professionals and business owners rush to close the sale instead of developing a trusting relationship.

    Solution
    Establishing a foundation of trust, is an essential piece of leg work that you need to put in before you even consider getting to proposal stage to ensure that your prospects trust you enough to tell you what their real needs are. Not every prospect will be willing to open themselves up to businesses and marketing professionals when they’re not convinced of their credibility, quality and integrity.

Core Tips When Creating a Proposal

No matter how eager you are to rush to the finish line and close that deal, a rushed proposal is never going to bowl your prospects over. Your proposal should be personable, it should reflect the customers language, and be targeted at the kind of customer they are.

Before you even start the first draft of your proposal consider how your proposal should be built to appeal to them, dispel any distrust by providing clear numbers that serve as irrefutable proof of the value your proposal or pitch would bring to their organisation. Your proposal should anticipate your clients objections before they have even been verbalised which can often put proposal writers on the spot and lead to them blowing it, if you’re unable to respond appropriately and
quickly to objectives and concerns the chances of you closing the deal are pretty slim.

Brush up on your questioning methods and getting the right answers is the best way to ensure your prospects know that you understand their problem. Here are the best questions to cover before drafting your proposal:

  1. Why do you need my product/service?
  2. What problems will my proposal solve?
  3. How will it affect your business if the project doesn’t go ahead?
  4. What budget did you have in mind?
  5. What are your main concerns about the project?
  6. If you could choose one goal to achieve from this project, what would it be?

These questions may seem awkward to ask at first, but they give a clear indicator whether or not your business or services has anything to offer your client before you waste a bunch of time going through the proposal stage. If you don’t believe that you meet your prospects needs, it’s not recommended to take on the project anyway, this may potentially damage your reputation as a marketing professional in the future.

Remember: if it got to the point where somebody showed enough interest in your product/service to go over your proposal, there’s at least a spark of interest in there somewhere. All you have to do is fan the flames.