Hi, Marshall and Gary here,

We were asked the other day about copywriting for a product that the company’s sales team was having difficulty selling. The sales team where being confronted with a host of objections and finding it difficult to even get to first base let alone get an appointment, present the product, submit a proposal and ultimately close the deal. This applied to both existing and potential new customers. The concern was – if the sales team couldn’t sell the product, what chance does the website have.

Here in lies a great example of how offline sales strategies can be applied directly to online selling.

When it all boils down – there are only 4 objections.

1. No time
2. No money (budget)
3. No interest
4. No need

It is critical that you are able to handle these initial objections upfront as they are the ones that pop up first and are not usually the real objections anyway. Quite often these objections are simply the reflex action of the prospect trying to avoid having to handle your call, being interrupted and subjected to the salesman’s monologue.

To move the sales process forward, you need to be able to address these objections in a positive way. The best way to do this is to quantify the context of these objections. For example, you need to prove to them quickly how your product/service will save them time and money. You then need to regroup and then move them towards the next stage of the sales process whether that is a request for a face to face appointment, online demonstration or on-site trial, etc.

When addressing a lack of interest or no need, the prospect usually has not yet identified that they even have a problem let alone need your product/service. What we find works here is an example or a case study of a company that does benefit from your product/service and is in the same market. Showing how their competition is benefiting from your product/service is a powerful motivator for a lot of small businesses.

All the other objections you are going to invariably run into are generally variations on these themes. The next level of objections is related to the particular products/service on offer. This is where the real objections usually lie.

These objections are normally focused around the real or perceived shortcomings of the product/service in comparison to others – i.e. competitors. This is where it becomes crucial to understand the features of the product/service on offer and highlight the benefits that those features have for the prospect. You also need to understand your competitor’s offering. Never put down the competition. Always show how your product is superior – not how the other product is inferior.

This is not necessarily easy, particularly if you are selling generic or commodity type products that are difficult to differentiate. You then need to drill down to the difference the company itself can make to the client. For instance your company may have offices around the world – this is a feature – the benefit is “that you can offer a global perspective of the latest trends and developments and draw on experiences from servicing hundreds or thousands of customers worldwide which means your client can make timely decision as they have access to the latest and most up to date information to enable them to stay ahead of the competition“. The fact that you have offices around the world itself is irrelevant to the client without an attached benefit.

So what does this have to do with online copywriting? Everything! If you have been in business for any period of time you should already know what the objections you or your sales team are facing. There is no point hiding from them – online prospects are going to have the same objections or questions. The best way to address them is to blatantly raise them in your website copy. The prospect is unlikely to move to the next stage of the sales process unless their objections or questions are handled in a satisfactory manner.

The online process is no different to that facing the offline salesman. You need to address the top four objections and then drill down to product/service specific objections and questions and diffuse them with clearly defined benefits that your prospect can expect to enjoy by engaging your company.

One of the more effective ways of handling objections in copy is to once again draw on a case study. Your copy can read something like this – simply insert your specific details.

“Before integrating our XYZ product into their business, one of our new customers was concerned with the __________ (e.g. maintenance cost) of the ___________ (product). We understand that managing ongoing costs is an important part of any business and this is why we offer you piece of mind with an optional fixed price maintenance contract on top of a market leading extended 24 month warranty on all __________ (product).

Testimonials and FAQ sections on your website that also address objections or answer frequent questions are also very potent.

The secret to good online copy and one that handles objections and questions effectively is to list all the product/service features and attach benefit driven statements then weave them into your online sale pitch.

Your business buddies

Marshall and Gary