Intro
"I'm not authorized to onboard you."
No problem. Ask your prospect the name of the right person to speak to, and then redirect your call to them.
"Who is the right person to speak to regarding your transportation provider onboarding process?"
"Would you be able to redirect me to the person who can share your transportation needs and process with me?"
"I'm busy right now."
Of course your prospect is busy — almost every professional is these days. Simply explain that you're not looking to give a full-blown conversation, just have a quick chat about whether or not a longer discussion about your service would be a good fit at their organization.
"I don't want to take up too much of your time or interrupt your flow, is there a better time that I can spend ten to fifteen minutes with you to learn about your transportation process?"
"We're happy the way things are."
Maybe everything really is going swimmingly. But more likely, your prospect is having some sort of challenge (after all, who isn't?). Do some light qualification to determine if they're facing any problems you can solve, then move forward or disqualify based on their answers.
"That's great! Can you tell me how you prepared for this year's volatile market?" (Or provide another industry wide pain point.)
"You're too expensive."
Price is all about perceived value; So the way we avoid this objection in the first place is by focusing on the real value that our service provides, that way price is some inconsequential obstacle in terms of getting them to solve their problems.
"I'd love to unpack Circle's value and how it can help with the issue of [Customer's pain point] you shared with me."
"I'm not interested right now."
During a prospecting call, it's far too early for a prospect to be able to definitively say they are or aren't interested in your product. Offer to send over some resources and schedule a follow-up call.
"I understand. Can we schedule a time for a follow-up call? In the meantime, I can send over some resources so you can learn more."
"I'm happy with who I am working with."
What if your prospect is happy? The same strategy still applies — find out why they believe their relationship with your competitor is beneficial, and identify weak spots where your product could do better.
“Totally makes sense. I’ve heard great things about what so and so does. If you could say one thing they could be doing better, what would you say that was?”
"That's great. What components of the product or relationship are you most satisfied with? I'd love to learn more and see how we may compare."
"We're being downsized/bought out."
This happens rarely, but when it does, there's usually nothing you can do. If there's no more company, there's no more deal. Wrap the relationship professionally so that when your prospect finds a new gig, they'll be more likely to restart the conversation from a new company and try to find out information on their acquisition via your contact, Google, LinkedIn, etc.
"Thank you for your time and for speaking with me so transparently. I would love to work with you in the future so please don't hesitate to contact me if you're ever in need of an established provider."
"Just send me some information."
This is a great opportunity to segue into some qualification questions.
"I'd be happy to send you some materials, but I want to make sure that they're relevant to you. What are you interested in learning about?"
"We are locked into contract pricing already with other transportation providers."
Ask questions about their relationship with the competitor to determine whether they're actually happy or are itching for a vendor switch. If there truly is no way to get into the contract, find out about other departments, spot opportunity, etc.
"I understand. Can you please reveal how long that contract is in place and when it is set to expire?"
"Thank you for sharing that information. Are there other opportunities within your department or others' where we can provide solutions to later be considered for future contract pricing?"
"I need to run this by my team."
This information should have been uncovered when you were in the discovery phase (asking about their decision making process). It’s okay if they need to engage their team, but you should have already known about this so you can get in front of everyone involved so you can control the sale’s narrative.
"Is there a time where we can have the entire team meet for ten to fifteen minutes so I can share details on my capabilities, answer questions and learn more about your team?"
"Can I help you prepare any material for when you speak with your decision-makers? I may have some enablement materials I can share to help them get a better understanding of Circle Logistics."
"Call me back next quarter."
Prospects will often say this to dissuade you from pursuing a conversation. But don't let them off that easily — it's a vague brush-off uttered in the hopes you'll fade away and disappear. Ask some questions to find out their motivations for brushing you off.
"I'll touch base next quarter. Before we hang up, I'd love to get a sense of how your next quarter will go and if there is any reason this quarter wouldn't be a good time to explore creating a partnership?"
"I've heard complaints about your company."
Word-of-mouth reviews are powerful, which can be both a blessing and a curse. Rather than defending your solution, business, or brand — which will only validate the criticism — thank them for sharing the feedback with you. Then follow up with an offer to add value.
This gives you an opportunity to establish credibility and trust with your prospect. Once you've given them a positive experience, they'll naturally form a high opinion of you.
"Thanks for sharing that feedback with me. I can certainly pass this along to my Leadership team, but out of curiosity, have you had time to do your own research on my company?"
"I've never heard of your company."
Treat this objection as a request for information. Don't give an elevator pitch, but offer a quick summary of your value proposition.
"Circle Logistics is an asset based brokerage that has been operating nationwide since 2011. We offer a variety of transportation solutions including Dry Van, Flatbed, Reefer, Expedited, Import/Export Ocean and Air and are CTPAT compliant."
"Sorry, I have to cancel. I'll get back to you with a better time."
People don't like to say "No" — and that includes your prospects. This manifests in ghosting, procrastination (as mentioned above), and asking for more time.
You want to call out your prospect's lack of interest and get them to admit the answer is 'No' without going too negative.
"Typically, when someone cancels and says they'll get back to me, it means they're just not interested in what I have to offer right now. Is it fair for me to assume that's the case?"
"We don't have room to add any more Brokers."
This objection can be a deal-killing roadblock. Try to assess your prospect's current transportation provider count versus the amount they actually do business with, the last time they did a performance evaluation, etc.
"I hear you and understand. However, I really believe that Circle would be an excellent resource to add to your options as we are invested in creating meaningful partnerships through the variety of services we offer. Because of our expertise and network, we are able to act as a 'one stop shop' for many of our Customers."