Even media sellers who are skilled at talking about price and removing surprises throughout the sales process can encounter objections. Superstar sellers know that most strong responses to objections involve asking the prospect additional questions to get back to the desired business result, and most of these questions will logically lead to the next. 

Here’s a list of the most common objections heard by media salespeople along with ways you can respond to each. Feel free to keep this list handy — you might need it!

6 Common Objections Heard by Media Salespeople and Responses That Drive Success

1. I’ve done this in the past and it didn’t work.

A strong response you can give is:

• “I am not surprised. There are 50 ways to do marketing poorly and only a handful of ways to do it right. The media landscape continues to change, and we pride ourselves in helping you reach your desired target audience and follow them along the consumer journey.”
• Then get them talking. “What have you tried, what was the strategy behind it, and what were the expectations?”

2. You’re too expensive.

Your response for this should lead with empathy.

• “I hear that from time to time. Sometimes clients see the big advertisers and think they can’t invest that much, but we specialize in helping local businesses make the right size investment to get the ROI they are seeking.”
• “Companies that charge less, charge less because they don’t offer a full solution that delivers ROI.”
• Then give an example of something you do that brings more value, and move the conversation to the solution, not your product.

3. We have enough business already.

For this objection, first, show empathy with a response like, “That’s a good situation to be in.”

• Then probe deeper by asking, “How confident are you, that you’re growing in the most profitable ways? For instance, how are you getting business that has the highest margin?”
• Then ask, “What are you doing with current customers on social media to leverage the growth you are experiencing?”

4. I want to be sure I get performance from this campaign. How will I know?

A strong response would be:

• “I am glad you brought that up. I want to be sure you get performance as well. That’s why I have been asking questions about your desired business results.”
• Continue with, “Let’s be sure we agree on 2-3 important measures of performance. There are a lot of ways to measure. Final results at the cash register for sure. Then store traffic, website traffic, phone calls, and online shares, clicks, and conversions.”
• Close with, “Let’s determine what makes most sense for the campaign we are creating.”

5. We are happy with our current marketing and advertising plan.

Respond positively, looking for more information:

• “That’s great. Can you tell me in a sentence or two what is going well? What is it that you like about what you’re doing?”
• Then keep asking what else, and what else? Listen for an area of doubt or opportunity, then ask if they would be interested in learning more about the insights, information, and ideas you have in that area.

6. I have no budget left. It’s spent for the rest of the month, quarter, and year.

First, be sure you are talking to the final decision maker. Chances are you probably are not. The final decision maker will revise budgets for a good idea.

• Ask, “OK, quick question. If you did have additional budget, what part of your business would you be focused on improving or growing?”

Take Action

Focus on a current advertiser you are trying to sell and think of the objections they have raised up to this point. Identify which concepts above could help in addressing those objections, rehearse them with your manager or a coworker, and plan to discuss them the next time you talk to this prospect.