Smoke Screen
I'm busy, let's talk later
“I understand that I caught you out of the blue. Can I tell you the reason for my call to see if it makes sense to call you back later?”
“Yes”
“The reason for my call is…”
I can’t really get into that/can’t share.
“I get it. There are some pieces of information you’re not able to share with me. I don't need to know confidential details, just wanted to share the approach that your peers are taking.”
Ask for Guidance/referral: “Who will be able to help me out if you aren’t able to?”
I think its too early to take a meeting
When you say it's too early, what do you mean by that?
Can share with you how X, Y, and Z are approaching this. Might be valuable for you as you go into your planning session.
I don't take cold calls
“I can appreciate that you don’t take cold calls. The reason I am reaching out is that I noticed that you worked at company X for over 10 years, overseeing the digital transformation. Can I tell you the reason for my call to see if it will make sense to talk further?”
We don't have any problems.
“Got it. So based on your current integration strategy, there isn’t any initial problems that exist. We worked with “company x”, and they’ve had a similar approach to integration but realized that there was x problem. Is this something that you have seen as well?”
No that's not on my radar right now.
We are too focused on another problem (i.e. implementing a new ERP).
(Try to get more context on why they're doing that to see if it's part of a bigger program.)
(Customer story. e.g. "We started engaging with Spotify when they were implementing a new ERP...)
(Agree/Mirror to surface more pain. Then tie back to integration.) Typically that type of project, and others, will come with new integration challenges. How are you approaching that component of it?
I don't talk to vendors
“Totally understand you don’t talk to vendors, and I certainly don’t want to waste your time or mine. Are you responsible for handling and overseeing the integration strategy for “company x”? What I was planning on telling you is... (WYN)”
We’re not far along enough to be thinking about that
“I can appreciate that this is a bit premature. We often like to speak to folks on the earlier side of their evaluation, we'll typically get involved 6-12 months out.”
“I can appreciate that you are currently in the early stages of evaluation. If we could understand your current integration strategy, it will help us gather more information and allow us to provide more insight for when you are ready to move forward. Let’s set up some time to discuss.”
Call me back in 6 months
Does it even make sense for me to call back in six months?
What's going to change in 6 months?
Why don't we just spend some time now to figure out why we should engage, to show how this is relevant and what milestones you might need to hit before we get there?
(Nurture them month by month until that new time.)
Send me an email
“I can definitely send over an email, but it’s hard to put everything in writing before knowing and understanding your current integration strategy, as our product is uniquely tailored for each company. Can you tell me more about your current strategy?”
I’m not the right person / I'm not the decision-maker
Typically we speak to people like X, is that you?
(Sandler-style pendulum) - So you're not doing X (read from their LinkedIn)?
Ask for guidance
Send me resources
Definitely. After I send that, can we set up a 30 minute call to review?
Definitely. Before I do, is this [integration or APIs] even on your radar?
(Rephrase hypothesis of why they should be talking to MuleSoft, then position specific resources that might be helpful.)
(Give them two options) I can send you some general whitepapers, or we can find 30 minutes to talk through specific use cases that are a little more real and not whitewashed by marketing.
How did you get this number?
You gave it to us when you were looking into microservices.”
“Got it in Salesforce.”
“Called through the mainline, and they transferred me to you. =(“
I have no budget
“ I get it. I understand that budget is big part of making a decision. Is it fair to say the money you are losing is greater than the budget recommended?
“ I understand that budget is a big part of making a decision. We often like to speak to folks on the earlier side of their evaluation, we'll typically get involved 6-12 months out.”
We have x solution
What are you using that for?
Why did you bring that on?