The #1 Way to Overcome “No Soliciting”
Cold calling businesses in Massachusetts is a good way to cut your teeth. Cold calling 20 doors a day was rarely met with civility. F-Bomb laden objections were not uncommon. So, overcoming traditional objections from a Gatekeeper like No Soliciting was the easy part.
After a while, I started having some fun with it:
Excuse me, but did you see the no soliciting sign?
“I can’t see a thing without my glasses.”
Excuse me, but did you see the no soliciting sign?
“I saw the No Smoking sign.”
Excuse me, but there’s no soliciting.
“Thank God. I hate salespeople.”
Humor aside, the #1 most effective means of overcoming “NO SOLICITING” is simply this:
IGNORE IT!
That’s right. Don’t even acknowledge it.
It’s important to pick your battles. Not every objection is worth overcoming. No Soliciting is most typically just a knee-jerk reaction to the cold call itself.
Although most initial objections are knee-jerk and don’t require a thought-provoking response, it’s important to listen for real objections. General rule of thumb is that if you are given 3 different objections or the same objection twice, you should consider a different approach.
To be effective in your cold calls, it’s important to recognize the distinction between an obstruction and an objection so you can craft the proper response. Failure to recognize that difference can quickly turn easy cold calls into brutal, unnecessary arguments.
An Objection is the action of challenging or disagreeing with something. A reason or argument presented in opposition. An objection is a way of saying "No!" to something.
An Obstruction is a thing that impedes or prevents passage or progress. Something that gets in the way.
What is the difference?
An obstruction may or may not be deliberate nor does it mean that something is unpassable. Whereas an objection is a deliberate action taken to impede progress, obstructions do not have motives or agendas. They’re just there.
Why is this important to know?
Because they sound an awful lot alike. An example:
Obstruction: “We only work with ABC Companies.”
Objection: “We will only work with ABC Companies.”
One statement is a piece of information to be collected. In fact, it’s the information that we asked for. The other statement is a decision that’s been made and it’s ours to overcome. Objections require us to assess, isolate, reframe and overcome. Obstructions only encourage us to ask the next question.
Great. How do I tell the difference?
First, listen.
Negative responses from a Gatekeeper may sound alike. But are they saying, “We aren’t adding new vendors” (an obstruction) or, “We won’t add new vendors” (an objection).
In each instance, remember your primary objective is to get enough information to determine if they are even a prospect.
Second, ask for clarification of their objection to assess it’s true nature.
- Is the person you’re speaking with empowered to make that decision?
- Are they just following orders?
- Is there a valid business reason for this objection that suggests you may waste your time by trying to move forward?
What if it’s a real objection?
Take your shot! You made the effort to make the call, make the effort to overcome the objection. There is nothing to lose.
Past that, take the loss gracefully. The other person is only doing their job. They will often respond with vague comments that sound like a decision, such as:
We’re all set
We’re not interested
It’s handled
After taking your shot to overcome, it’s OK to disengage. There’s no point in arguing a decision with a non-decision maker. Do your best to secure any piece of useful information, and then either disengage or prepare to be hung up on. #gostride