Send Me Literature objection

I know this is pretty basic but I'll ask it anyway... when a prospect says, "Send Me Literature," what do you say? -Newbie

Do you have literature you can send him? I know you want an appointment, instead, (and this request is like fingernails on a chalk board), but if he asks for literature, I throw something together and send it to him because trying to convert this to an appointment will just tick him off. If this prospect needs babysteps and is not ready for a presentation, I give him what he wants. Don't send ALOT of info--make is short and effective.

This doesn't work as a "put off indenfinitely" for me though. Then I follow up with a phone call. "Did you have a chance to look that information over that I sent you?" "No? Oh, I know you are busy--no problem. How about if I try you back in a few days?" [now they know you are going to call back because they have seen you do what you say you will do]. Next time if they have STILL not read the materials, they will begin apologizing to YOU. By the time you are both on the same page, you have had several phone conversations and the prospect is starting to feel pretty comfortable with you. You have been patient, friendly and consistent.

If this is too much work for one sale, then I suggest you don't waste your money on the stamp and printed materials. -RainMaker

We do have literature [a handout] I could mail.

I'm just wondering if this isn't another result that "I" am causing. My sales manager seems to think so. :( -Newbie

IMO, the first step is to find out "why" your prospect wants the literature. What will that do for him or her? How will that help him/her with the decision? -Calvin

Good point, Calvin. This is a good time for qualifying questions. Is this person currently on the market for your product/service? -RainMaker

Fotr this reason I ant to make sure that each prospect comes into my funnel through my website, so they have all the info they need. Since I have had the website, I've never had this problem.

And since I write in a friendly, entertaining, non-corporate way, most prospects actually love both the content and the style of my web stuff, so they can make the best decision. -Bald Dog

Bald Dog, I looked at your web site and obviously your selling system is not consistent with the topic here which is really about handling requests for literature during cold-call telephone prospecting.

Yours is a direct response marketing approach cut in the fashion of the late Corey Rudl, and copywriters like Dan Kennedy--both experts in that field.

Frankly, I don't see the connection with the plight of people who are assigned, by their employers, the role of teleseller via cold calling. A lot of people make their living that way. Some do well. Others struggle. If someone in that field would make a decision to sell like you sell and advocate, it would require no less than a career change. -Gary Boye

Gary, you've got the point. Calling as an employee is different. I missed this important point.

My mistake. Thanks for pointing it out. -Bald Dog

Quote:

I know this is pretty basic but I'll ask it anyway... when a prospect says, "Send Me Literature," what do you say?

Statistically, in most industries over 99 percent of the requests for literature never result in a sale. However, there are exceptions such as High Tech Hardware and Software across many different industries, such as electronics, medical, engineering, etc..



If you’re not in one of those industries, you can do either of the following:

1. Say, "I’m sorry but we don’t send out literature; I’m available to meet with you if this product is something you want."

2. Say, "We only send literature by email as attached files. What email address do you want me to send it to?" In that case you should have cover letter and a literature pack ready to send. The whole thing should take no more than a minute. -JacquesWerth

That's a great idea. (back to my cave to figure out why I hadn't thought of that.) -Sensei

One other option I can imagine is to put all the info on the website and telling prospects to go to the asite and fin what they are looking for.

Thoughts? -Bald Dog

Agreed. That will work just as well. -JacquesWerth

I'm curious the source on this statistic. It's a good thing that I wasn't aware of it, or I would have lost some sales. Don't get me wrong--this is not my preferred method for selling, but I have converted some of these requests to sales, but not by saying "No, you can't start out in your comfort zone, you have to do it my way."

Possibly it is because of own atitude as a consumer. I like to have some facts to evaluate in advance of an appointment. I want to know the price range before somone tries to convince me that I must have it at any price (which is my gut reaction when someone withholds information and presses me for an appointment.) Possibly, my predisposure to sales techniques makes me more sensitive to this than the typical prospect, but because that is my feeling, I cannot bring myself to inflict something on a prospect that I would not like as a consumer.

I look at it this way. If someone finds my website on their own, I have a carefully laid out a flowing sales presentation designed to motivate them to buy. I do not necessarily have the opportunity to ask for an appointment, so these pages have to be powerful.

When I am cold calling, the only difference between this prospect and one who stumbles on my website by accident is that I have contacted them by phone. If they prefer to look (without pressure) at first, why deny them that opportunity, when others who have found my website by accident are all doing that anyway? This is actually a stronger lead than those to whom I have never spoken because it holds follow up opportunities.
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For some reason when I first wrote this post, I missed Bald Dog's post about directing them to your website when I first read this thread. I think he has the right idea. -RainMaker

What do you mean when you say, "...never result in a sale?"

Does that mean the literature was supposed to do the selling? If that's the case I can easily that 99% of the time that method failed. :) -Calvin

No; I mean that over 99 percent of the non-techie people who are sent literature don't buy, regardless of what you do afterward. -JacquesWerth

Wow, I didn't know that. Thanks for the tip. :) -Calvin

I've heard this phrase somewhere:

"He who knows how will always have a job. He who knows why will always be his boss."

I believe people are either techies or economic buyers. I don't know many companies where the technology manager or even the CTO has the right to sign cheques for major change projects and investments.

What is your experience, folks? -Bald Dog

First of all to answer the first part of this thread, I don't usually send out lit to a prospective buyer --- some one said here 99% of it does not result in a sale, reason? No doubt 99% of the lit ends up in file 13 - the bin. And I also believe it really depends on wht you are selling. Commercial or consumer?

I can only really talk about commercial as in selling b2b. I'm all in favour in doing the reserach on the prospective before I pick up the phone to "cold call".

• will my products/services be of any use to my prospective client?
• what value are my services to this client?
• what benefits will this client get and why?
• can I demonstrate in the first thirty secs of the call my value proposition?

If I get the come back of "send me lit" from a client I would think that I have not given any reason in the conversation for the client to carry on the conversation (for me to listen to some of their challenges and objectives).

As I say, do some research on the client , find out what benefits and value your products and services will give to this client. Cold calling does not mean it needs to be cold.

I would rather do ten calls and get one meeting than do a 100 calls and be asked to send lit out to all of them. :D

All the best

Kevin -macpro5652

Amen brother!:cool: -RainMaker

I've neve heard this quote. Good one.:) -RainMaker

Well said. I agree 100%. If they were interested you wouldn't be walking out the door. ;) -Houston

What we do is qualify, offer the service to our existing customers only. We dont cold call.

Once I am able to close, or try to close. I mention to them that they get all information in the welcome pack in 48 hours, with the service starting in 14 days.

Now, they now continually seem to ask for info, and make a decision then. There is no contract to our service, no ties.

How would one try to handle this objection BEFORE IT arises in the call? -puttyshankleton

Once upon a time as an independent agent I sent out thousands of dollars of material AND did the same door to door - none of it resulted in business. I rarely send or drop anything off today.

People can go to a web site that's it. Otherwise we do business on the phone or face to face. -MitchM

Did you learn from your mistakes and move one or did you just give up all together? -bridger480

Yes, I learned and do business exactly as I posted.

How about you - csan you really say you have learned from your mistakes - if you've made any - or not? -MitchM

I'd sure hope so. :D -bridger480