How to answer the most common objections when cold calling
"How did you get my number??" - here is what you should say
3/29/20265 min read
The Best Responses to Common Cold Calling Objections
B2B cold calling is the best prospecting channel for generating immediate results when targeting a limited number of prospects. But the very reason it works so well is also what makes it challenging: it's impactful, but intrusive.
As a result, it can sometimes trigger immediately negative reactions. However, with the right responses to the most common objections, you can still achieve great results and calm down unhappy prospects in most cases.
The vast majority of objections are always the same:
How did you get my number?
I'm in a meeting. Can you call me back later?
Can you send me an email?
These three objections account for around 90% of all the objections you're likely to encounter during cold calls. Other objections tend to be specific to the industry or the particular offer you're selling, so you'll need to work out the right response for each situation.
It's also important to understand that not all industries and target audiences are created equal. Some prospects are genuinely difficult to reach by phone. In these cases, you might encounter all three of these objections on practically every call.
Others are much more relaxed, and you might not encounter a single objection on a large proportion of your calls.
Generally speaking, the more heavily a target audience is prospected, the harder it becomes: prospects are less likely to answer the phone and more likely to raise objections.
This is precisely why comparing two cold callers solely based on the number of meetings they book every day is completely ridiculous. Some markets are much harder to penetrate than others, and pitching to prospects can be significantly more challenging.
That said, your tone of voice also has a major impact on the number of objections you'll encounter. If you sound too robotic, unconfident, awkward, or simply unhappy, you'll get more objections.
With that in mind, here's how to handle the most common cold calling objections.
1. How Did You Get My Number?
This is the number one objection in cold calling. Here's how to handle it: don't lie.
There's no need to make up a story or act uncomfortable. However, you do need to be a little tactful about how you explain the situation.
Be upfront and explain that you found their number using a tool that helps you identify professionals' phone numbers through LinkedIn.
If it's their personal number, apologize, as you weren't necessarily aware of that. Ideally, you should be using business phone numbers.
However, personal numbers do sometimes come up, particularly when someone doesn't have a dedicated business phone.
Reassure them that you'll delete their personal number, apologize if you've reached them on their private line, and then ask whether you can still take 30 seconds to explain why you're calling, just to see whether it might be worth scheduling a conversation at another time.
In most cases, this will be enough to get the prospect to agree to hear your pitch.
It's a good, honest response, even if there's a little bit of spin to it (since the numbers you find are often personal ones).
That said, there's no question that reaching prospects on their business numbers is preferable, and it happens quite regularly.
2. I'm in a Meeting
Sometimes it's true, sometimes it isn't. Either way, it doesn't really matter.
In many situations, prospects genuinely are in meetings. You might even hear a video conference going on in the background while you're talking to them.
The main objective is still to get your pitch across. So what should you say?
If you simply agree to call them back in two hours or at the end of the day, as they suggest, there's a risk they won't answer. They might simply forget about your call or fail to set aside time for it.
Instead, try saying:
"Since I've got you on the phone, would you mind giving me just a few seconds to see whether it might be worth having a conversation at another time?"
In many cases, the prospect will agree. In others, they'll tell you they genuinely can't because they're dealing with something urgent. You can always try again another time.
If they agree, you'll need to deliver a shortened version of your pitch. This might still be enough to book a meeting, or at least agree on a tentative time slot if the prospect doesn't have their calendar in front of them.
3. Can You Send Me an Email?
This is a particularly frustrating objection because it can come up right at the beginning of the call, but also after you've already delivered your pitch.
Your response should be slightly different depending on when it happens.
There are actually two ways to handle this objection.
Well-executed B2B cold email campaigns can certainly generate meetings. However, in this particular situation, it's generally better to pitch the prospect directly over the phone, since email conversion rates are significantly lower.
Approach #1: Agree to send an email, but try to keep the conversation going.
First, confirm their email address and ask what exactly they'd like you to include in the message.
Then, use that opportunity to ask whether you could simply explain it to them over the phone in a few seconds, to save them some time.
If you've already delivered your pitch, you can instead ask whether you could send them a calendar invitation with the relevant details. If they're ultimately not interested, they can simply decline or cancel the meeting.
Approach #2: Politely decline to send a detailed presentation.
This can be particularly effective when you've already pitched your solution.
You could say something along the lines of:
"Sorry, but we don't usually send detailed presentations by email, mainly for reasons relating to client confidentiality and data protection. We also find it's much more useful to be able to answer any questions you might have directly, rather than simply sending over a PowerPoint presentation."
You can then offer to send them a few more details and a link to your website in a calendar invitation. That way, they can get an overview of what you do, and if they're ultimately not interested, they can cancel the meeting beforehand.
Conclusion
By preparing relevant, logical responses to the most common objections, without relying on strange or manipulative sales techniques, you'll be able to overcome many of the objections you encounter during cold calls.
Other objections may arise depending on the industry or target audience:
I'm not the right person to speak to. You should contact [name/job title].
I'm not responsible for this.
I'm not the decision-maker on this matter.
In these situations, it could be a sign that your targeting isn't quite right. Having a well-qualified prospect list is essential in B2B prospecting. If you're not calling the right people, you won't book meetings with the right decision-makers.
Alternatively, it might mean you're targeting a secondary contact who is easier to reach but isn't directly responsible for the decision. In that case, you'll need to find the right way to handle this objection as well.
And if you'd rather not spend your time struggling with cold calls and would prefer to outsource your prospecting to professionals, send me an email (address below)